A tale of two lomis

Massage therapy and touching with presence

Lomi lomi massage is a traditional Hawaiian massage style, and I love it. It involves long gliding strokes of the body, that can feel deeply nourishing. The gliding forearm technique that I use in my own work, I learned from a lomi lomi teacher.

My first lomi lomi massage was an immersive experience in which I felt I entered an altered state. The practitioner was expert in her skill with the sequences, but also seemed at ease in her own skin; her touch felt kind and connected. It remains one of the best massages I have received - and I have received countless over the last twenty years.

My second lomi lomi massage was by a practitioner who was closer to where I lived, booked so I wouldn’t have to navigate so much transport afterwards. I arrived enthused, knowing this is a massage approach I enjoy. The massage therapist barely made eye contact with me and brusquely asked me to complete the intake form. The bodywork that ensued was no less technically excellent than the first practitioner. But, it lacked an important dimension. It felt neither kind nor connected. It expertly delivered manipulations of my muscles, but I am not just muscle. I left knowing I would never return.

Perhaps more important than my massage therapy training, has been the progressive learning over many years to put my heart into my hands - to touch with presence, with kindness, and with undivided attention.

I consider working with people’s bodies to be both an honour and a responsibility. And of course, it’s not simply working with the body. Those of us who work with people therapeutically in any way, are working with the whole person - whether we recognise it or not.

Yes, I work with skin and muscle and fascia. But in doing so, I am inevitably working with heart and history, with hope and vulnerability. Though much may remain unspoken, our territory is the inextricable entanglement of mind and body in the human experience. For me, this is what makes the work beautiful and engaging.

To learn about a scientifically studied element of caring touch, read The role of our skin in reading emotion.

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