Lomi Lomi vs. Ho’oponopono

Here is a common question I hear in our Ho’omana Lomi Lomi massage workshops.

What is Lomi Lomi and how is it related to Ho’oponopono?

Lomi Lomi is a healing art form that inspires transformation of the entire being – Body, Mind and Spirit.

Hawaiian Lomi Lomi massage has been passed down generation to generation within family lineages. In fact, we’re still seeing different styles of Lomi Lomi opening today.

As a people, we are moving away from our cultural timeline of protective secrecy and becoming more open with our native Hawaiian teachings.

Ho’oponopono is the Hawaiian practice of being in alignment or in balance with yourself, with others, and with the divine. So naturally, the two go hand in hand.

Lomi Lomi Hawaiian Massage

People typically schedule a massage when they feel sore, in pain, or out of alignment in the physical body.

A traditional Western massage practitioner or physiotherapist will likely have the skills to work on your physical body, but may not be prepared to work on the spiritual, emotional or energetic source of the imbalance.

Ho’oponopono is the remedy for getting to the bottom of what might be underlying the physical symptoms. We ask…

Why are you experiencing this physical imbalance?

In Hawaiian healing, we always work with the whole person. We generally operate with the assumption – when something is out of alignment, there is often a spiritual, emotional, or even a thought pattern that is perpetuating the illness in the physical body.

Ho’oponopono and Lomi Lomi Work Together

When you first begin your training as a practitioner, you learn how to touch the body, approach the body, work with the muscles, and so on. You practice these skills until it is almost automatic.

The next layer of skill involves learning to see what is going on spiritually and emotionally.

The Hawaiians created a system called the “Wisdom of the Bones” to provide a framework for understanding how specific physical symptoms correspond to spiritual or emotional wounds.

Knowing how Mind and Spirit contribute to physical pain in the body is not enough to help your clients.

Ho’oponopono is a tool that allows you address spiritual, emotional and metaphysical pain.

The practice of Ho’oponopono

So in Ho’oponopono, we kuka kuka (talk story). We talk story to find out what’s really going on at a deeper level. Then, we use different techniques to support the person to release anything that may block the pathway to full healing.

In Ho’oponopono we ask questions like…

• “What were you thinking at the time of the accident?
• Was there something going on in your life?
• What was distracting you in that moment?
• Have you been carrying something on those shoulders that you need time to reflect on?”

Because injury is one way the body is telling us to pay attention.

I had a gentleman who came to me with ankle pain. He had been skiing, and as he was coming down the mountain, he took a turn and twisted his ankle.

He was really suffering.

I began with Ho’oponopono. “What happened?”, I asked

It turns out he’d been going through a big change at home.

He had always been the breadwinner at home, just like his father. His wife had always stayed home and cared for the family, just like his mother.

Now, his children were grown and out of the house. His wife had just broken the news, “I want to go out and get a job.”

Why she would want to do that? He just couldn’t believe it!

Discussions led to arguments.

I’ve provided everything for you. Why isn’t it enough?

I’ve served all these years as a mother, it’s time for me to spread my own wings.

But this is how it’s always been.

I’m ready to try something new.

In fact, they were having this discussion on the ski lift just before the accident. He was frustrated, she was frustrated. He steps off the lift, skis down the hill, twists his ankle and finds himself in this predicament.

The Wisdom of the Bones

In the wisdom of the bones, the ankle has to do with rigidity and trusting your strong foothold on the pathway of life.

In this situation, my client was rigid and fixed in his way of thinking. “My wife shouldn’t work.”

After the injury, he was not able to go to work for a period of time. He needed time to recover and he couldn’t work.

So his wife began to work outside of the home to help with the family finances. The man found out that he really liked the way that she showed up when she was feeling empowered and spreading her wings.

In the end…their relationship was SO much better for it.

This is just one example of Ho’oponopono – coming back to alignment with yourself, with others, and with spirituality. This practice allows you to be open to new possibilities that are right in front of you.

In our talk story he could see  that being rigid emotionally contributed to his physical injury.

Lomi Lomi Hawaiian massage worked with the physical aspect of the injury. And at the same time, there was some Ho’oponopono that needed to happen between he and his wife in order for him to fully access this healing opportunity.

Lomi Lomi Massage Workshops

Ho’omana Lomi Lomi massage workshops are for people who want to learn how to work on the whole person. Lomi is more than technique.

This is the same work that’s been happening for generations of time here in Hawaii. Our Lomi Lomi massage workshops open up the possibilities to transformation. We offer an opportunity for people to heal spiritually, emotionally, and physically.

So, just remember…Lomi Lomi and Ho’oponopono go hand in hand.

Intertwined. Inseparable.

If you want to learn authentic Lomi Lomi at Ho’omana, I’ve created a free video training on the 5 pillars of Hawaiian healing. It’s free and you can WATCH IT HERE.

Now, I want to hear from you…What do you want to know about Lomi Lomi and Ho’oponopono???

I read every comment and want to hear from you below.