Maybe Consider Treating Yourself A Bit Special
How about just sinking into a massage and spa session where it feels like the waves of the ocean are gliding over your skin. Therapeutic, yet a bit deeper than the other forms of firm pressured massages, that uses long flowing strokes with the hands, elbows and forearms and doing more than easing the stressed and tight muscles. Some may even see this ancient Hawaiian practise as a form of connecting the mind, the body and the spirit and even as a subtle form of meditation.
Consider it as a form of healing as well as inner peace, and a gentle restart to your body’s function while enabling physical relief.
How About A Bit Of Preparation
How should I prepare for a massage?
Of course if this something which you or your close friends have never tried, its always a good idea to do a bit of check. There’s nothing wrong with asking questions. Lomi Lomi needs a degree of trust on your part. This can be overwhelming for some, especially on a first visit with a new therapist. It’s best to arrive in comfortable clothing, being mindful that there will be lots of oil used in the massage.
It might be useful to avoid anything expensive or too dressy, and maybe even clear your plans for a little bit afterwards so that you can mentally marinate in the experience, when its completed.
Is The Lomi Lomi Nui Massage For You?
Let’s set some expectations. This type of massage is not like the typical pressure, or specific point on point process. If you are looking for:
- Deep Tissue or Highly Targeted Work – It’s Not For You
- Muscle or Joint Pain Relief – It’s Not For You
- No Pain, No Gain!! – It’s Not For You
Additionally if you have significant modesty concern, or if people, words and concepts or touch, and certain types of experiences can be a trigger of some sort, then this is not your ideal treatment either. Lomi Lomi flips the idea on its head that deep muscle work means enduring sharp pain. This form of therapy is smooth, and endless motion let you reach deeper layers without the hurt and pain.
The method here is non-stop touch, and your muscles will stay soft when pressure doesn’t jab and stop. Our body acts to protect itself when there is a sharp poke or jab and that’s where the tension happen. With lomi lomi its like kneading dough, and the body is worked evenly and yields without fighting back. Studies show that tissues open up and accept the work after such flowing sessions, and over time the knots actually melt away.
With this form you also gain more range in your movement, and daily aches and pain fade as well. This form of massage is also known to be nurturing, intimate caring and therapeutic, while being restorative. Now you can simply let go of stress and be lost in the moment, while having a mental, physical and even spritual reset.
Targeting Fascia and Connective Tissue: Lomi Lomi shines at working the fascia. That’s the web-like layer wrapping your muscles. Tight spots here cause stiffness. The massage uses “loving hands”, to glide along energy paths.
Enhanced Circulation and Lymphatic Drainage for Systemic Wellness
As you feel the motion and relax under the therapy, there is a positive influence on blood and lymph flow. These moves help you body move the waste out and enhance oxygen circulation. Many athletes use it as a quick bounce-back, while busy parents can use it to fight fatigue. If you are working a desk job it can help to curb swelling.
The Lomi Lomi, moves the blood along enabling your muscles to get the optimum nutrients quickly. This also helps our organs thrive and some research shows up to 20% more blood flow after similar massages. That headache which has been persisting now eases as our circulation system opens up. The skin also glows from the inside out.
Stimulating the Lymphatic System for Toxin Removal – Lymph doesn’t pump on its own. It needs help to move. Lomi Lomi’s waves do just that. They nudge fluid through nodes. Toxins drain out. Swelling drops. Puffiness around eyes or ankles fades, and better immunity starts, without the harsh cleanse.
Getting Started
Your Lomi Lomi session can go from around 90 minutes to up to 3 hours, all based on your need. Do have the conversation with your massage therapist as Lomi draping is unlike the traditional draping. You can feel more exposed, as it is a fuller, and a whole-body experience. The genitals are always covered, but the lateral glutes are exposed. You comfort and your consent should always be respected, and discussed before your appointment.
Also, there are two broad variations or lineages of the Lomi Lomi massage.
There is the Temple Style also known as Kauhna Bodywork or Sacred Lomi. This is characterised by long gliding strokes over your entire body and with an emphasis on breathing as well.
The other discipline known as “Mana” Lomi, is less flowing and have some bit of compressions. This is said to be focused more on the bones, and is seen as a diluted version of the original Lomi Lomi.
So! If you are considering your next therapy session to treat yourself to Lomi Lomi you have at least an idea on what it does. Lomi is an immersive and meditative experience, while letting go. Yes it is primarily gentle in the process but you can ask your therapist to apply a bit of pressure if you want. The emphasis is on the glide and flow, the nurturing and relaxation moreso than pain.
Tip: Integrating Post-Massage Mindfulness
Keep the glow going after. Sit quiet for 10 minutes. Journal what came up. No rush back to chaos. Skip screens first. Walk in nature if you can. Breathe deep often. It holds the calm. Over weeks, pair with short meditations. The emotional shift sticks.
You nurture what the massage starts.
