E komo mai! or Welcome!

Many mahalos (thanks) for checking out my blog which I created to share what I have learned and who I have learned from on my path. The work that I am licensed, certified, bonded, and insured to do is massage therapy, specifically Mana Lomi®. Mana Lomi® is work that I chose to specialize in after being introduced to many different modalities during my basic 500 hour training at the Maui School of Therapeutic Massage. While I still draw from some of these other modalities such as, Sports Massage, PNF Stretching, Shiatsu, Craniosacral, Neuromuscular Therapy, Aromatherapy, Thai, Myofascial, & the old stand-bys Swedish and Deep Tissue, it was Mana Lomi that proved itself to be the most sustainable for me and the most healing for the people I work with. So what is it?

Mana Lomi® is a form of lomilomi which is Hawaiian Massage, that comes from a distinct Big Island lineage, which in this generation is represented by Dr. Maka'ala Yates. Before him came the modern matriarch of lomilomi, Aunty Margaret Machado, who as the story goes recognized Maka'ala at age 6 as being a lomilomi healer. While I never had the experience of studying with Aunty Margaret before she passed on, her spirit is still reflected in the stories and the work, and I am eternally grateful for her wisdom and her bravery.
This lomi work "uses a clinical, problem solving approach based on Hawaiian concepts of working with the body, mind and spirit. It is gentle yet deep, and gives immediate and long term results." Lomilomi symbolically means "to communicate energetically deep within the bones of the individual and thus with the soul of the person." As many people who have experienced the work would say, "it is the best massage I have ever gotten." But still, many people want to know, what is it?

With respect to my teachers, I would like to share my New England understanding of this Hawaiian way with New Englanders. Think back to the last time you reconnected with a loved one in person, maybe at the airport, and you ran to each other and embraced. In that hug, that small moment where two people squeeze the tightest and it feels almost as though something is crushing in that big love way, that is the translation of lomilomi as I've come to know how to explain it. Now when you stretch that moment out over an hour, directed with that pure intention of aloha and healing with the Hawaiian understanding of the body, mind and spirit... that is it. Otherwise you can just think of it as a chance to lay down on a massage table, completely relax, and allow yourself to receive the "best massage ever" and perhaps listen to a quiet oli or mele (chant or song) during the process. I use only organic oils or lotions that your skin will find delicious.

I hope this demystifies this enough that you will recognize how this work can be of service in your life. Whatever is going on with your body, or in your life, feel welcomed to call me and converse about how you can best invest in your optimal health. Aloha!