I just finished a class in Lomi Lomi massage in Plantation, Florida (near Ft. Lauderdale). I found it to be a very neat style with a huge range of pressure settings.
Lomi Lomi is a Hawaiian massage style that utilizes pressure and compression more than actual rubbing. It utilizes the forearm more than anything else and eliminates a lot of usage of the hands. (Massage therapists will have problems with their hands after a while, and that will keep them from practicing longer. I have already noticed that I need to cut down on the pressure I am applying with my open hand and fingers.) To be able to get a lot of the work done and cut down on the use of the fingers, it will allow me to do more with less effort.
The basics of Lomi Lomi massage were created generations ago in Hawaii, and passed down through families and by temple priests. Finally, one person, Aunty Margaret Machado, felt that she needed to spread this to the world. Many people have found it to be a fascinating style of massage that can do as much as Swedish and as corrective as Deep Tissue. Aunty Margaret has been written about in many massage magazines, and appeared on many covers. Aunty Margaret is now in her 70’s, and her daughter is now in charge of the training and running of the school.
As I said, a lot of Lomi Lomi is compression, but the compression is done in a very interesting way. A therapist will use their forearm near their elbow. That arm is (almost) locked into place by the body and is placed in one of the many positions it can be. The therapist will have their body over the arm and simply drop their weight. The pressure can be adjusted by the amount of weight put into the move.
There are also a lot of pushing motions, some a little rough, others not. One uses the hands to go back and forth over the shoulders from above the head. Another uses the forearm and pushes in from the side. In each case, the arms are pretty much locked into place, and the body is moved to create the pressure needed. This reduces, and almost eliminates the need for upper body strength. It also makes things easier all around. By incorporating some of these movements in my regular massage routine, I should be able to make it easier on myself, which should allow me to do more people in any period of time.
The teacher, Alice Belusko, was an interesting, and dynamic individual. She had apprenticed in Hawaii for two years to learn what she knows. In fact, she learned it as an intuitive thing. She intuits what needs to be done, and does the proper moves. As she tells the story, it wasn’t until the state board of Florida made continuing education mandatory that she learned about bones and muscles. Lomi Lomi does not require this knowledge as the moves are specific and intuitive.
I did enjoy meeting Alice and her assistant Bernadette. (Bernadette as it turns out is as big a science fiction fan as I am. J) I am looking forward to going back to Plantation in November for the advanced Lomi class. This will deal mostly with the back, an area that we did not spend a lot of time on in the beginner’s class. I am definitely looking forward to it.