Lomilomi is an ancient Hawaiian concept of working with the mana (life force) of the body, mind and soul of an individual. Each village in each district on each island had their own lomilomi experts that the villagers relied upon and trusted.
The training to become a lomilomi practitioner was long and enduring where the new student would not be allowed to touch a patient for many years depending on his or her ability to grasp the many concepts of lomilomi. Also, the student’s ability to be pono (aligned and conflict-less) with himself/herself and to others was a determining factor.
The concepts of lomilomi are vast and complex yet simple if you understand the mechanism, principles and intentions behind this revered form of traditional Hawaiian healing. For example, the concept of “communicating deep into the bones” physically and energetically is significant because it gives the patient the opportunity to allow the practitioner to go as deep as they can tolerate yet being non-invasive while achieving the desired results. This ability to communicate deep into the bones via the soft tissue is also important because it is at the bone level that all memory is stored especially from past traumas, injuries or emotional links.
The lomilomi practitioner uses a variety of techniques that affect the golgi tendon organ apparatus (GTO) in conjunction with the muscle spindle fiber mechanism resulting in an immediate and long term response from the specific muscle group being worked on. For example, compression combined with traction techniques moving away from a muscle’s insertion or origin followed immediately with soothing lomilomi strokes will have a significant response from tight and painful muscles.
There are different perceptions or approaches, even techniques, when defining lomilomi, that can be attributed to the “time line” or reference points in the evolution of Hawaii’s history. For example, when the Tahitian chief and warrior Pa’ao came to the Hawaiian Islands between 400 AD and 1300 AD, he forced a class system and belief system upon the peaceful inhabitants.
Later in the 1800’s the defacto government (the illegal overthrow of the Hawaiian kingdom) of Hawaii further forced the original natives not to practice “sorcery” which included lomilomi. Both of these events and many others like this attempted to suppress and change the attitudes and beliefs of the now diluted traditional peoples of Hawaii. Fortunately, the secrets of Hawaiian healing and lomilomi persevered through the ages in hidden formats much of which are now being shared in the Hawaiian Healing Academy.
