|
|
Articles >>
Massage Techniques Articles
Lomi Lomi was first practiced by the ancient Polynesian healers, which followed a traditional philosophy called Huna. This ancient Polynesian philosophy stated that every single thing in the world seeks harmony and love. This is why Lomi Lomi is not considered effective unless the practitioner performs it with loving hands; this is why Lomi Lomi is often referred to as a Loving Hands massage.
The style of Lomi Lomi massage is characterized by its very large, broad strokes, as well as two-handed stokes that enlist the forearms and elbows. Lomi Lomi technique covers a broad area of the body and works the muscles often simultaneously to encourage the continuous flow of love and harmony, and to wash harmful thoughts, patterns, memories and behaviors out of the cells of our bodies to make way for more beneficial modes of thought. Once positive energy is permitted to flow unhindered, total body healing is accomplished.
Before a Lomi Lomi massage begins, the massage therapist will say a quiet prayer to request effective healing. In some cases, the client is asked during the prayer to state their healing intention. It also isnt uncommon for the therapist to hum or chant during the Lomi Lomi massage. The Lomi Lomi prayer and the acknowledgment of the existence of a higher power are seen as integral to the overall effectiveness of the massage.
Although two Lomi Lomi massages are never identical, each session is performed in a fluid, rhythmic manner using the forearms, elbows and the hands to apply broad strokes sometimes to different parts of the body simultaneously using massage oils and lotions. Huna philosophy often comments on energy getting trapped in the joints, so broad stokes, gentle stretches and joint rotations are applied by the practitioner in order to release this trapped energy.
Hula dance is also an integral part of Lomi Lomi technique. Hula movements are performed by the practitioner around the massage table during the massage. The Hula dance is meant to encourage the energy flow between the practitioner and the client.
One Man's Experience:
Yes, I felt physically rejuvenated, but spiritually as well. Was it the blessing she intoned in Hawaiian before she touched me, or a soft caress on my head that spoke of warmth of soul and a full heart?
The Deeper Levels of Lomi Lomi
A strange thing happened on my trip to the spa at Maui’s Fairmont Kea Lani, nestled in the shadow of the 10,000-foot Haleakala valcano. My heart opened wide, I felt a Connection to deep roots and I was engulfed by a sense of universal love. Oh, yes, and the Lomi Lomi Massage was fantastic.
Using long, sweeping movements of the forearm like a baker stretching out dough, therapist Kapua irons out my sports-worn muscles and fascia. Her forearm is key, allowing her a greater range of pressure and penetration than her hands alone would. Then there are the fluid, rhythmic motions of ”Lomi Lomi”— up and down and in circles, like waves flowing over my body—Which gently relax me, allowing me to surrender completely.
A native of Brazil, Kapua moved to Hawaii 20 years ago to study healing arts and Lomi Lomi under a Hawaiian legend, Auntie Margaret, from the Big Island. “She was descended from a long line of kahunas, or healers, well-versed in spiritual and mental treatment, bone-setting and muscle manipulation,” says Kapua. She mentored intensely with Auntie Margaret for five years, and with other kahunas, learning about healing plants, collecting them and making herbal medicines, before finally moving to Maui to begin her practice.
LomiLomi kahunas have taken care of Hawaiians’ medical needs and well-being for centuries, according to 17th-century references at Honolulu’s renowned Bishop Museum of natural and cultural history. The term “Lomi Lomi” means to break open or open up. “My teacher taught me that to practice Lomi Lomi, you must be kind, pleasing and very warm, uniting with the other person, opening your heart to God and allowing that spirit to flow through your hands and connect with the soul of the one receiving the massage,” Kapua says, “That’s what I strive for: to be open and to love. Without that spiritual essence, it’s not Lomi Lomi.”
This unique therapy has become popular in Hawaii and on the mainland, but Spa Kea Lani employs only practitioners who have learned from a Lomi master, one who has descended from a kahuna family that has practiced Lomi for generations. With just nine treatment rooms, it’s smaller than spas at some of the neighboring hotels, but it has a reputation among locals for its skilled practitioners and its efforts to incorporate ancient Hawaiian healing in all its treatments, beginningwith the oils and lotions made locally from indigenous products. For my massage, Kapua used Hawaiian Bliss Oil, a luscious concoction of kukui nut, coconut and macadamia nut oils combined with orange, lemon grass, ylang ylang, gotu kola, noni and kava kava.
But there was something beyond the physical massage, something that went to deeper levels than lever expected. Yes, I felt physically rejuvenated, but spiritually as well. Was it the blessing she intoned in Hawaiian before she touched me, or a soft caress on my head that spoke of warmth of soul and a full heart? The expression “aloha spirit” gets overused in Hawaii tourism, but by the end of 80 minutes in Kapua’s hands I felt I’d experienced the real thing.
—Roger Toll
SPA KEA LANI
4100 Wailea Atanui, Wailea, Maui, Hawaii;
808-875-4100
Sky August 2OO7
Delta Airlines Magazine
|