In Hawaiian healing, wellness is never seen as purely physical.
We are more than muscles and bones. Our body, mind, emotions, and spirit are deeply connected – when one is affected, the others feel it too.
This is expressed in the teaching:
E mālama nā kino a pau.
Care for all of your bodies.
It reminds us to honour the whole person, not just isolated symptoms.
More Than a Physical Body
In traditional Hawaiian understanding, we are seen as interconnected aspects of self:
Kino – the physical body
Poʻo – the mind and thoughts
Naʻau – emotions and intuition
ʻUhane – spirit and connection
These are not separate. They are in constant relationship with one another.
When Balance Is Disrupted
Kumu Jeana’s Auntie Mahilani Poepoe taught that illness or imbalance can arise when one or more of these aspects falls out of harmony.
This may show up in many ways:
Stress becomes tension.
Grief becomes exhaustion.
Emotional pain affects the body.
Anxiety impacts overall wellbeing.
Modern research is increasingly recognising these connections, while Hawaiian healing has long held this holistic view.
The aim is not only the absence of illness, but lōkahi – balance and harmony.
Ho’oponopono: Restoring Connection
Ho’oponopono means “to make right” or restore balance.
At its heart, it is about returning to lōkahi – within ourselves and in our relationships.
Healing is not only about fixing what is broken, but restoring connection:
between body and mind,
between emotions and spirit,
between ourselves and others.
The Pain We Cannot See
Not all pain is visible.
Grief, trauma, depression, and emotional overwhelm are often carried silently, even though they are deeply real.
Because they cannot be seen, people are often expected to simply carry on.
Yet these experiences deserve the same care and attention as physical injury.
When Words Are Not Enough
After the Maui wildfires, Kumu Jeana observed that many people found comfort through the Lomi Lomi tent, alongside other forms of support available in the community response.
In the days and weeks following the fires, there was an overwhelming sense of shock and disorientation for many who had lost homes, loved ones, or a sense of safety and familiarity. In such moments, language can feel insufficient. People often describe feeling “numb,” “frozen,” or unable to fully articulate what they are experiencing.
Within this context, the Lomi Lomi tent became a place where people could simply arrive as they were – without needing to explain, organise, or make sense of their experience. Some came in silence. Others came in tears. Some sat quietly before or after receiving care, not yet ready to speak about what they had been through.
This does not place one approach above another. Instead, it highlights that healing is not linear, and that different forms of support meet different needs at different times. For some, conversation and counselling are essential. For others, especially when the nervous system is overwhelmed, the body may need to be met first.
In these moments, touch offered in a safe, respectful and grounded way can help a person begin to reconnect with themselves. Combined with breath and the steady presence of a practitioner, it can create a sense of safety that allows the body to soften, even briefly, from states of shock or hypervigilance.
The body can become the first place where healing begins – through touch, breath, and presence.
Caring for Yourself Fully
Many people wait until they are completely depleted before seeking support.
But healing is not weakness, and asking for help is not failure.
Every part of you – physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual – deserves care.
There is no single path to healing, only the one that meets you where you are.
A Return to Wholeness
Ho’omana reminds us that we are not just bodies carrying symptoms.
We are whole beings, deeply interconnected in every part of ourselves.
When we care for all of our bodies, we move toward greater harmony and wellbeing.
That is the heart of E mālama nā kino a pau.
Care for all of your bodies.
Because every part of you matters.
Ready to learn Lomi Lomi on Maui?
If you feel called to deepen your practice and learn the art of working with the body through Aloha, we invite you to join us in Maui.
Our next Lomi Lomi training begins on October 16th – a space to remember, reconnect, and embody this sacred work.
Find all the details here
Jeana Iwalani Naluai
Native Hawaiian Healer & Lomi Lomi Lineage Holder
