Massage Styles and Treatments
WELLNESS MASSAGE
Ancient Hawaiian “Lomi Lomi Nui”
“A ceremony, a dance, a sacred moment of contact with your body and with the elements of nature present in you for healing.”
It’s not just a technique — it’s more like a ritualistic holistic experience. Original of the native peoples from Hawaii, this particular style has been performed by the ‘Hunas’ – shamans – for centuries. It consists in long and continuous evolving wave-like strokes, with a strong sense of flow without interruptions across the whole body.
The tensions in the body are address holistically. The whole body is treated at the same time -muscles are not treated in isolation. It promotes the sense of connection between the sore parts of the body and energy flow where it is blocked. It helps become conscious of the overall body tensions and integrate them.
The masseur uses his forearms to cover wider muscle surfaces and the body of the patient is shaken with the constant dance flow of the ‘Hula Hula’: emulating the natural phenomena: water waves, earthquakes, hurricanes, volcanic eruptions, etc. Aimed for the body and the soul to recover the sense of moving if its stuck; of stillness if its shocked; of change and permanence to re-adapt.
This massage has a rhythm, as the movements follow the relaxing music that is being played, combining speed, intensity and quietness. If you are a ‘spiritual’ seeking person, this style helps you to connect with the sutil energy flow in your body.
The treatment usually starts off with 10 min “Cat Walk” Fascia Release technique to stimulate grounding; and then 40 min pure Lomi Lomi Nui, combing light movement with more medium pressure in more specific tense areas in the body.
The following Massage styles are usually combined in a single session. You can ask to apply either a more DEEP TISSUE or WELLNESS massage. In both options the treatment starts with Fascia Release. You will find a detailed description as well as an illustrative video along with it. Please note that none is aimed to be a traditional massage that focuses on specific muscle disconfort to treat it in isolation, but to address it holistically.
DEEP TISSUE BODYWORK
Californian ‘ESALEM’ Style
This massage was developed in the ESALEM Research Institute back in the 70s and was inspired by the Hawaiian Lomi Lomi. This style has a more neuro-physiological and somatic approach to the treatment of chronic pain or tension.
It is based in the reseaches unfolded by the Polyvagal theory of Stephen Porges, this massage stimulates the ‘parasympathetic’ response of the nervous system, addressing the patterns of tension that affect both the fascia and the muscular tissue.
This massage stands out to help you address the very root of persistent tension and pain in the muscles. This massage is more precise and localized, the pressure is slow, constant and increasingly intense, and at the same time the touch is conscious, sensitive and careful. The pressure is mainly done using elbows. You will feel the pain releases without aggression but respecting the limit that the patient body can take. Pain is released by feeling it deeply but still in a very cautious way.
It may also unleash emotional memories that are linked to pain and in the long run, this therapy can help you become aware of the patterns of tension that causes chronic pain.
At a neuro-physiological level, this massage can helps reduce symptoms related to chronic stress or depression, stimulated a better sleep, digestion, breath. This massage brings you to you homeostasis: recover your proper balance.
The treatment usually involves:
- 15 min of Fascia Release for general check and loosen up of feet/backbone/arms.
- then 30-49 min of pure localized Deep Tissue massage.
- 5 min of light lomi-lomi to release over all tension after intense deep work.
- Note: In a 60min session, either upper or lower body can be addressed in prone or supine. 90 min session are aimed to work either upper and lower in prone or supine.
Ayurvedic Style
This massage belongs to the ancient Indian medicine Ayurveda. Based in the Dosha theory, this perspective conceives each individual has a specific bio-type, a natural constituency (‘Pikruti’) of the elements (Pita, Vata, Kapha) that involve all of the aspects of life: mind, body, routines, feelings. A symptom in any of these implies an unbalance (‘Vikruti’) caused by an excesses of one of those elements in any aspect of their life. Health is then a dynamic concept. The balance is recovered through incorporating more of the element that is in lack.
The massage techniques applied in this medicine stimulates the specific element that the individual is needing to recover.
I is usually performed on the floor, and the touch, the oils, the aromatherapy and the sound that is applied along the session are coherent to stimulate the elements that the individual needs in a multi-level aspect.
In my treatment I include this knowledge as a complementary approach to treat fiscal discomfort not only by addressing its symptoms but also providing the patient with alternative tools to become aware of the multilevel causes underlying.
You can find a link in ‘Resources’ to make a quick test to identify your Dosha.