HANA

31/07/2026

A New Chapter Begins – HANA

Today marks a very special milestone for me, both personally and professionally.

As of 1 August 2026, HANA Counselling and Education Limited will begin trading under a new trading name:

HANA

This is not a change to our legal company name.

Rather, it reflects how our work, our vision, and our community have grown over the past five years.

What began in 2021 as a small counselling practice has grown into something much broader, bringing together counselling, education, research, community programmes, and collaborative partnerships.

Today is also particularly meaningful because the first Mud Lotus 12-Week Programme begins with the support of Sport Auckland. It marks the moment when years of research, clinical practice, and lived experience begin to take shape as a community programme.

The name HANA carries a deeply personal meaning for me. It reflects my own journey, my hopes for my daughter, and my vision for the future of this organisation.

I have shared the story behind this new chapter in an article on our website:

A New Chapter Begins – HANA
https://www.hanacounselling.com/article/a-new-chapter-begins-hana

I would like to sincerely thank every client, colleague, mentor, community partner, funding organisation, volunteer, friend, and family member who has been part of this journey.

I could never have reached this point alone.

This is not simply a new trading name.

It is the beginning of a new chapter.

Thank you for being part of the HANA journey.

Ai Kihara
Founder & Director
HANA

HANA

18/07/2026

Do we have to wait until we are fully recovered before we begin living again?

In trauma therapy, we often talk about recovery in terms of symptoms.

Fewer nightmares.
Fewer panic attacks.
Better emotional regulation.
Greater awareness of the body.

All of these matter deeply. But through my clinical work, I began to ask another question:

What comes after body awareness and emotional regulation? And perhaps an even more important one: Do we really have to wait until we are “recovered” before we return to our lives?

My new article, Beyond Body Awareness: Anshin, Kansho, and Returning to Life, explores these questions through clinical experience and the developing framework of the Mud Lotus Trauma Integration Model.

At the centre are two Japanese concepts:

• Anshin（安心） — not a declaration of absolute safety, but perhaps a small inner space where, just for this moment, we may not have to run, fight, protect ourselves, or rescue someone else.

• Kansho（観照） — seeing the whole of our experience: the body, emotions, thoughts, beliefs, past experiences, relationships, present reality, and the life we want to live.

The body matters. Our emotions matter. Our trauma matters.

But no single one of these is the whole of who we are. Trauma recovery does not end with noticing the body. It may begin there, but it does not have to remain there. Perhaps recovery is not only about returning to the body.

Perhaps it is also about returning to life — with the body.

We do not have to wait until recovery is complete before we begin living again. Even while we are recovering, life is already here.

This article is part of my continuing development of the Mud Lotus Trauma Integration Model, which explores trauma recovery not only as symptom reduction, but also as a gradual movement from automatic reaction toward awareness, new understanding, intentional response, and re-engagement with life.

Trauma → Anshin → Kansho → New Understanding → Response → Re-engagement with Life

I would love to hear how these ideas resonate with others working in trauma therapy, psychology, body-based approaches, and mental health.

You can read the full article on the Hana Counselling website.

https://www.hanacounselling.com/article/beyond-body-awareness-anshin-kansho-and-returning-to-life

Mud Lotus model, Trauma, Zen

14/07/2026

Have you ever found yourself thinking...

"Maybe my child isn't quite fitting in at school or in the community."
"They find it hard to put their feelings into words."
"I wish they had a little more confidence."
"I wish there was a safe place where they could connect with others."

Children and young people don't always express themselves through words. Sometimes movement, creativity, and connection can say much more.

📅 Start Date: 1 August 2026 (Saturday)
⏰ Time: 10:30am–12:00pm
📍 Location: Glen Inness community Hall
💰 Cost: FREE

Mud Lotus is a 12-week Creative Movement & Wellbeing Programme for tamariki and rangatahi aged 5–18 years.

Through creative movement, dance, art, mindfulness, and group activities, participants are supported to explore who they are, build confidence, express themselves, and develop meaningful connections with others in a safe and welcoming environment.

Throughout the programme, participants will have opportunities to:

・Build confidence at their own pace
・Develop awareness of their emotions and body
・Express themselves in healthy and creative ways
・Learn about personal safety and healthy boundaries
・Strengthen social skills, teamwork, and a sense of belonging

No dance experience is needed.

This is "not" a performance programme, and there is no expectation to dance perfectly or perform in front of others.

Instead, Mud Lotus offers a supportive space where every child and young person can move, express themselves, connect with others, and grow—at their own pace.

Parents and caregivers are also welcome to participate when appropriate to support their child's journey.

Register here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScqLRiG5wmQEMwY3y4CDbQekQCbtdAPTgpXquCoYoQpBBQiBQ/viewform?usp=header

28/06/2026

武士道は、侍だけのものなのでしょうか。

私はそうは思いません。

私にとって武士道とは、

刀を持つことではなく、

自分を律すること。

困難から立ち上がること。

学び続けること。

人に優しくあること。

そして人生を楽しむことです。

移民として。

母として。

経営者として。

セラピストとして。

私はこれまでの人生の中で、武士道を歴史の中ではなく、日常の中に見てきました。

本記事では、

・克己心（Self-Mastery）

・レジリエンス（Resilience）

・文化資本（Cultural Capital）

・禅とわびさび

・コミュニティと人との縁

を通して、現代を生きる私たちにとっての武士道について綴りました。

武士道とは、完璧になることではありません。

失敗しながら学び続けること。

誰かを思いやること。

そして、自分らしく生きること。

そんな日々の実践なのかもしれません。

Bushido in Everyday Life: Self-Mastery, Resilience, and Living with Grace

ぜひ読んでいただけたら嬉しいです。

ちなみに私の武士道の師匠は猫のテト様です。

#武士道 #禅 #レジリエンス #自己成長 #心理学 #メンタルヘルス #コミュニティ #リーダーシップ #文化資本

Zen, Bushido

28/06/2026

Most people think Bushido is about warriors.
I think it's about how we live.

How we respond when life becomes difficult.
How we treat people when nobody is watching.
How we recover after trauma.
How we lead.
How we learn.
How we laugh.

In my latest article, Bushido in Everyday Life: Self-Mastery, Resilience, and Living with Grace, I explore how an ancient philosophy can help us navigate a modern world.

Because perhaps the strongest people are not those who fight the hardest.
Perhaps they are the ones who live with courage, kindness, and grace.
hashtag hashtag hashtag hashtag hashtag hashtag hashtag

Zen Bushido

29/04/2026

At Hana Counselling, we use Naikan not as a practice of self-criticism,
but as a process of exploring the meaning within life's experiences.
Not what was right or wrong.
Not what was good or bad.
👉What has this experience left within you?

23/04/2026

A gentle reflection.

Not to find answers.
Not to force meaning.

But to begin noticing.

Healing is not always about changing the past.

Sometimes,
it is about changing how we are with it.

👉 CTA
Save this for a quiet moment.

16/04/2026

There is a quiet pressure to “heal” by moving on.

To feel better.
To let go.
To become someone who is no longer affected.

But healing does not always look like that.

Some experiences do not disappear.
They remain — in the body, in memory, in how we relate to the world.

At Hana Counselling, we work with the Mud Lotus Model,
a clinical framework developed by our director, Ai Kihara.

We do not begin from removing pain.
We begin from understanding.

👉 Save this if this feels true for you.

13/04/2026

The Mud Lotus Model is a clinical framework for understanding trauma :
not simply as a problem to be solved,
but within the context of a person's whole life.
It is not about fixed or broken.
Not about good or bad.
It is about sitting together and asking .
What meaning does this experience hold within your life?

10/04/2026

Join us for a joyful 💃🏾 and energising ⚡ West African inspired dance session facilitated by dance movement therapist Kris Walsh. This welcoming session draws inspiration from West African dance 🌍🥁 and is offered in a spirit of respect 🤝, connection 💫, and community 🧡.

No dance experience is needed — every body is welcome 🙌

West African dance is known for its vibrant rhythms 🥁 and expressive whole body movements 💃🏾✨. It offers a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with your body 🧘‍♀️, warm up during the colder season ❄️➡️🔥, explore rhythm 🎶, release stress 🌿, and experience the joy of moving together in a supportive community space 🤝.

This session is open to the community 🌈 and designed to be inclusive, interactive and fun 🎉

📅 Wednesday 29 April 2026
⏰ 1:00–2:00 pm
📍 New Lynn Community Centre (Main Hall)
45 Totara Avenue, New Lynn, Auckland 0600
💲 Free event
Tap link bio for more info of this event