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Thursday, May 2, 2013

Blog everyday in May: Day 2 -Tell us something that you are good at or know a lot about - Hawaiian Temple Bodywork



My friend Jessica is taking the blog everyday in May challenge. Each day there is a specific topic to blog about. Today is day 2 of 31 straight days of blogging. I missed day one and I will probably miss a few more but I thought that it would be fun to jump in.

Today's topic: tell us something that you are good at or know a lot about.

Hawaiian Temple Bodywork Sacred Lomi Lomi Massage

I have been a massage therapist for 13 years. After graduating from Wellness & Massage in 2000, I went on to train with Hawaiian temple bodywork. My training started with an intense 4 day workshop in Nashville TN. This was not just another ceu course where you learn a new modality to incorporate into your practice. Tom and Donna the amazing founders of Sacred Lomi teach sacred lomi with the belief that we are each far more than our physical bodies and that our lives and our influence extend far beyond our knowing. They have designed the course of this healing art to empower us therapists to heal ourselves first and then offer healing to others. After my first 4 day workshop I was renewed, refreshed and empowered. The self work that we did each day was the best therapy that I have ever had. I was not expecting it and many of the techniques made me very uncomfortable. At that time in my life, I had a ton of emotional baggage that I needed to let go of. My emotional release throughout the training came out in extreme laughter. I had a serious case of the giggles that went on for 4 days. After the 4 days ended, I wanted more. I wanted so much more.

I left a piece of my heart in Nashville and continued to travel to Nashville for some time before making a move to Nashville that kept me there for 9 months. Life took me on a bit of a roller coaster ride and after a call that a very dear friends father had passed I packed up the car and drove straight back to Chicago to be with them. A few months after my return to Chicago, I jumped on a plane and flew to Maui Hawaii to be with my lomi family. I stayed in the rain forest at a beautiful retreat center. It was heaven. Every morning started with sunrise yoga. The afternoon were filled with bodywork and the evening with self work.  We had an incredible chef who provided us with 3 delicious vegetarian meals each day. I could have stayed forever, and I almost did. 

There are not a lot of lomi lomi body workers in Illinois. When clients see Hawaiian Lomi Lomi massage on my menu it always strikes interest. When I read the topic for today's post, I knew right away that Lomi Lomi was what I wanted to share with you. So, what is it?

In short, Sacred lomi lomi is an ancient form of healing brought to the Hawaiian islands by its earliest Polynesian settlers. Practiced in ancient Hawaiian temples by Hawaiian shaman and kahuna. Lomi lomi is a way of life. It is the practice of living Aloha. The flowing forearm technique used in a lomi session along with prayer, breath work, presence, hula and the aloha spirit is designed to relax the mind so that the body can surrender, let go and receive. It is difficult to give a full, true lomi session in the spa setting that I am in but I definitely incorporate my lomi training into every massage I give. My lomi training not only formed the therapist that I am today but it also shaped the person that I have become. 





3 comments:

  1. I'm SO glad you're doing this!

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  2. I'm going to do my best to meet the challenge Jessica. I don't know how you make the time with 4 litle ones. I do enjoy it and my blog has definitely been lagging. Thanks for the inspiration.

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