Many people I run into have little, if any, have ever heard of Lomi Massage. This is not unusual. In this part of the country not many practice this form of healing. Massage is not just a feel good experience. Massage is a healing art.

Most of us have heard the terms Swedish massage or deep tissue massage when it comes to massage therapy. Lomi incorporates these and so much more.

Lomi originated in Hawaii. It is an old art of healing and was practiced throughout the islands. Each community had its own style of Lomi, but the bottom line was all the same, healing.

The massage we are used to generally is given in a set pattern (back, legs, arms, head, and neck) till completion. Lomi has no set pattern. I like to think of it as a Tai Chi dance around the body. The practitioner will work the body as a whole entity. We will stop at a leg or arm where we feel it is needed. We then dance around the body till we find the need to stop once again and work a specific area. Lomi has the unique ability to relax the muscles of the body which then allows the practitioner to do deep tissue work. There is very little, if any, pain during deep massage work as the muscles are in a state of relaxation, so there is little resistance.

Think of taking a stick of butter out of the refrigerator and pressing your finger into it. Your finger will not go into butter. Rub that butter for a few moments, heating it up and softening it. You will find your finger will gradually sink into the butter. Your muscles are really no different. Once a muscle is relaxed and warmed up, the therapist can then go deeper which results in less stress or pain to the area.

One of the best ways I have heard the effects that Lomi has on the body is to think of the body as an empty bowl when you are born. All during our life that bowl gets full of pebbles. Some are small, some large. These pebbles represent some unpleasant experiences we have had during our life. These experiences could be relationship issues, family issues, or possibly job issues. When we hold on to issues too long, we can develop a great amount of stress, which in turn can cause great harm to our bodies. The Lomi practitioner’s goal is to bring a person to a relaxed and safe place. Should they choose, they can let some of those pebbles out of the bowl, thus reducing the stress they are holding.