Lomi Lomi Book Recommendations

By request I would love to share my top Lomi Lomi book recommendations.

I am a gatherer of Hawaiian books and Hawaiiana…I love seeking knowledge and if you do too, I want to give you a few of my very, very favorites.

Lomi Lomi Book Recommendation #1: 

Na Mo’olelo Lomi Lomi

Makana Risser Chai has written a wonderful reference manual for topics within Lomi Lomi. She lives in Oahu and was also a student of my kumu, teacher, Auntie Margaret Machado.

The book is a compilation of interviews and writings from Hawaiian elders collected by the Bishop Museum archives. You will find topics related to traditional healing practices like Lomi Lomi Hawaiian bodywork and La’au Lapa’au, Hawaiian plant medicine, Ho’oponopono and teachings about our Hawaiian spiritual values.

I like to use this book as a reference manual. All of the islands and many different styles of Lomi Lomi are represented by the various teachers, techniques and quotes found in this book.

For example, I found some literature about using Lomi Lomi for body molding. I saw this practice for this first time on Auntie Margaret herself. Growing up, Auntie Margaret had all these aunties who wanted her to be a hula dancer.

Hula dancers are expected to express so much with their hands. However, Auntie Margaret was tiny.

Standing 5’1 or 5’2”, she had tiny little fingers instead of the typical long and elegant hands needed to express and extend.

Lomi Lomi can be used to mold the body, so her Aunties molded her fingers by massaging them and shaped them to kind of a point. This made her fingers appear longer.

The same technique was applied to babies in ancient times, also. Apparently, you would be able to tell what family or clan the baby came from by the shape of their head!

The book has everything from pregnancy Lomi Lomi to massaging on different parts of the body. You’ll really enjoy it.

Lomi Lomi Book Recommendation #2:

Kahuna La’u Lapa’au

If you want to feel like you’re sitting at the feet of a Kahuna doctor while they work on clients, this is the book for you!

This is not a reference book, but a collection of case studies. You will experience Lomi Lomi from a master practitioner’s point of view: what’s happening during the assessment, the emotional back story with the client and the Ho’oponopono that was needed.

Lomi Lomi isn’t always just physical and this book does a beautiful job of sharing this aspect of the work. Sometimes, spiritual is needed or emotional work through Ho’oponopono.

Lomi Lomi practitioners can use their intuitive guidance to show them the path to healing for the person in front of them.

This book offers a way to view compiled case studies from the eyes of the Kahuna and see the remedies that they used in the different situations. For example, La’au Kahea, the calling of medicine, is a spiritual medicine. Chant and prayers can be used to heal.

Lomi Lomi practitioners worked with all aspects of the being, physical emotional and spiritual. This understanding is the foundation of the work that we do here at Ho’omana.

We are also teaching and working with the physical body, mental body, spiritual body and emotional body. So this book is really in alignment with the teachings that we share at Ho’omana Lomi Lomi Training and an amazing read.

Lomi Lomi Book Recommendation #3:

Big Island Style Lomi Lomi

This book features many teachers, Kumu Lomi Lomi, and the lineage teachings they represent. You will find interviews, photographs and even specific lomi lomi techniques.

Nancy Kahalawai is the author. She was a student of Auntie Margaret Machado way back in the day, also part of the Hawaiian Healing Institute and the Mana Lomi organization that I was a part of with Kumu Maka’ala Yates.

You will find photographs of different moves, what lineages those moves come from and how to use them in your Lomi Lomi massage practice.

Nancy offers beautiful detail in this work…get the second edition if you want to see ALL of my teachers!

Makana Raiser Chai, did another book and it’s called the Sacred Art of Lomi Lomi.

This book is gorgeous and perfect for your tabletop. Many of our Kumu represented from throughout the islands, including Lomi Lomi practitioners, Ho’oponopono practitioners, Lua martial art practitioners.

The book explores the many, many different styles of Lomi Lomi that we have here in our islands today. For example, Lomi A’e, is a form of footwork that we used to walk on the body.

At Ho’omana, in our lineage we call it Kua Lua Hawaiian Back Walking. We also have 4 Hand Lomi Lomi, a more recent expression of Lomi Lomi offered here at Ho’omana spa.

I have a little cameo in this book, so you will see me in one of the photos with my Lomi sister, Kamailei doing 4-hand Lomi Lomi.

The use of Lomi sticks is also represented in this book. Auntie Margaret or Auntie Mary Fragas would have measured the pulse in the piko, belly button, of a pregnant woman to determine whether the child was male or female.

The book is excellent and you’ll really enjoy it. It captures the beauty of the islands and just the aloha spirit of so many of these kupuna that shared their wisdom in this book.

Lomi Lomi Book Recommendation #4:

Voices of Wisdom, Hawaiian Elders Speak

MJ Harden has written a book that is literally like sitting at the feet of the elders. You feel their stories as if hearing them to first-hand.

Much of the wisdom of our Hawaiian communities, has been held in protective secrecy for so long that it’s a rare moment to bear witness to some of these elders sharing their stories.

The 24 Hawaiians featured in this book, share their cultural expertise.

Through the efforts of these torchbearers, our culture lives on.

This knowledge is not just for the young ones coming next, but also to the next generation around the globe. You’ll love this book!

Lomi Lomi Book Recommendation #5:

Change We Must 

Change We Must shares the story of a woman’s spiritual journey. Nana Veary is a Hawaiian woman with beautiful things to share.

She was named as a living Hawaiian treasure, the embodiment of the spirit of Aloha. Everyone who knew her will say that same thing.

I felt empowered when I read this book. Her journey, her ano, essence, and her spirit pours through in this book. Nana was raised by her grandparents who imparted to her the old ways of native Hawaiian spirituality.

There was an aliveness in the islands: from the values to the mindset, even different practices of fishing and healing and storytelling. All activities pointed to a connection with nature and how to recognize with reverence the spirit in all things.

This is a journey of understanding through a lifetime of spiritual study and inquiry. It will  empower you to change your perspective, change your awareness from fear and doubt and to embrace spirit connection and limitless possibilities.

I know you’ll be inspired by Nana Viery’s Change We must.

Lomi Lomi Book Recommendation #6:

Tales from the Night Rainbow

I had an original copy of this treasure, written by Pali J Lee. It was so well loved, the pages were falling out of the book!

Tales from the Night Rainbow is a Molokai family’s history, written from the time before Western contact. Before the great recorded migrations from the time of harmony. This is literally our timeline of the Hawaiian people told by Hawaiian people.

Historians often don’t understand the depth of our culture, our spiritual teachings or values.

This book is a very simple read. It’s the kind of book that you can sit and share with the whole family – children and elders alike – and just gain a whole lot of insight into a people and its culture and how important it is to remain in your true light.

In fact, the parable of the bowl of light, which I share with you in our FREE Ho’oponopono Masterclass, come from this book.

It is so important to remain in connection. Our ancestors were masterful at making sure that alignment to nature, with one another, with spirit and especially with ourselves.

It’s an inspiration to witness some of the tools they used to maintain that alignment throughout our history.

Challenges and trying times come for all of us, but you can use these tools to bring an energy of harmony all the way through whatever happened in in your past to the present moment.

Join the conversation:

What inspirational books have made a HUGE impact on your life? Share with me in the comments below.

I love to hear from you!

With aloha,