Lomi Lomi (or lomilomi) massage is an 부산 달리기 integrative massage technique which began in ancient Hawaii, gaining popularity worldwide. Lomilomi massage usually begins by relaxing clients onto the table and opening up to a healing mental state.
Lomilomi massages can be used for a wide range of conditions, but they are more commonly used to create a healing environment inside of the body, relaxing the client, than targeting specific physical problems. A Lomi Lomi massage session is unique because it is combined with prayer, clear intentions, and specific physical movements, which are performed in a relaxing, gentle, rhapsodic dance over the clients body, in order to enhance circulation, alleviate muscle cramps, enhance nutrients delivered to the muscles, and stimulate the lymphatic system to expel waste products. The healing benefits of a Lomi Lomi massage are numerous, including improving circulation for the bodys detoxification, stimulating the lymphatic system, relieving muscular tension, and deep feelings of relaxation. Lomi lomi is a traditional Hawaiian massage using a combination of massage techniques, oil from nuts, and sometimes elements of prayer, breathwork, and dancing to restore energy and calm the body.
More than a relaxing technique, traditional lomi lomi massage is performed by spiritual healers, and is used in conjunction with other healing practices, including Hooponopono and Laau lapaau. Lomi Lomi Massage, as the structured technique taught and practiced today, was created and promoted by Hawaiian massage gurus, notably Abraham Kawaii and Margaret Machado, who are both masters of Hawaiian massage. In the early 1970s, several kahunas broke with tradition and began teaching the massage part of Lomi Lomi to others, including non-Hawaiians. Today, the massage therapists on the island of Kauai practice Hawaiian Lomi Lomi daily as a part of their massage practices.
Lomilomi literally means to knead or massage and is only one small part of the holistic practice of Laau Lapaau, Hawaiian Traditional Medicine. Although the term kahuna lomilomi is commonly used in modern works, traditionally, people performing lomilomi were called ka poe lomilomi (massage men) or kanaka lomi (massage men). Lomilomi, sometimes called Hawaiian massage, is useful for a variety of ailments as well as increasing spiritual energy and personal strength (mana). Lomilomi massage to the belly is always stressed in traditional teachings, in order to aid in the elimination process and to enhance energetic organ function.
The characteristic massage stretches in Lomilomi are designed to create space within your muscles and fascia, the interwoven systems of your bodys connective tissues, to enable stagnant energy to move more freely. At the end of your relaxing lomilomi massage, you should feel more supple and refreshed, like any tensions in your body were released. You can consider this kind of massage to be a healing practice, which releases blocks, encourages circulation, and shifts energy. You may find the therapist massaging two different parts of your body at once — this is done to prevent your brain from focusing on one area, and thus helps promote relaxation.
Do not be surprised if your therapist – especially if they are traditional Lomilomi practitioners – is singing along at different points throughout the massage. As said by Nancy Kahalewai, the author of Lomi Lomi Big Island Massage, the massage may not be given at all; instead, a lomilomi practitioner may request that a client return for massage once a condition has subsided. Modern lomilomi massages are varying in length of time, and they dispense with much of the ritualistic prepping. Today, lomilomi is offered at a number of health clubs across Hawaiis islands and the world, but massage therapists generally have not spent a lot of time learning this particular style, and the art itself is hard to find in the lay world.
Many practitioners of lomilomi who are taught the traditional way have found that offering genuine lomilomi is practically impossible to achieve in the context of a spa, and are not willing to do so at most massage clinics or offices. Many luxury resorts and Hawaii-based spas employ a lomilomi-trained practitioner in their staff. Unlike the traditional lomilomi kupuna (elders recognized by the Hawaiian community) that required students to train under them over a period of years, some massage schools worldwide claim to teach therapists in lomilomi within hours, and some massage therapists can incorporate techniques from other massage modalities into a session. Lomilomi includes a variety of techniques, some similar to those that we learn in Swedish massage, and others that are similar to Asian bodywork techniques.
However, unlike Swedish massage, practitioners of Lomilomi employ their elbows and forearms, and include some vigorous deep-tissue techniques. A lomilomi massage session includes treatments on the entire body, including the thighs, belly (Hawaiian healing traditions believe that the stomach is a part of the persons heart), ribs, and chest; areas that are generally not included in a modern massage. Sometimes Lomi sticks are used to release tension from the face, or when deeper massage is needed on a particular body part.
The long, steady lomi-lomi brushstrokes are designed to help the body release old patterns and behaviors that may be creating just as much stress and strain as muscular tension. When you Google Lomi lomi and read about Lomi lomi online, you may have a sense that this massage is mystical, spiritual, shamanic, and that maybe it is not for you if all you want is a little stress reduction or pain relief. The truth is, though very special and, well, different (which is how most of my clients describe it), lomi lomi is just a holistic, therapeutic, highly effective, and hugely respectful massage, with an ancient tradition and beautiful history.
While it is possible to receive lomilomi inspired massages in most parts of the world today, there is something special about experiencing it closer to its origin. However, lomilomi goes way beyond just massage; lomilomi also mirrors the connections we make with the earth (aina), the spirit guides or ancestors (aumakua), and the breath of life (aloha). Although the Western world associates Lomi Lomi with Hawaiian massage, it is important to note that Lomi Lomi also integrates a number of other healing disciplines, including hydrotherapy, nutrition, bodywork, herbalism, exercise, health education, and counselling.