Huna Article

Huna International

Lomi Kapalele
by Graeme Kapono Urlich

Lomi Kapalele - The Flight of the Being.

This version of lomi lomi is also known as Lomi Lomi Nui. More recently, particularly in Australia, it has come to be known as Ka Huna Bodywork but my research shows this to be a misnomer, linguistically and culturally, and I am unsure of its orgin.

My teacher, Abraham Kawaii, learned it from the grandmother of another Kahuna and he said it was originally developed and performed in the temples of Ancient Hawaii. Coming from the ancient Hula tradition this bodywork is a Sacred Rite of Passage, distinct from many other versions of lomi lomi found in Hawaii. As they reached adolescence, children of high rank, destined to take a place of authority and responsibility in the community, were taken to the temple to receive this work. It takes the form of a dance called "The Dance of the Mid-wife". The desire was to have the most wise and powerful leaders possible.

Abraham also said that he was not primarily teaching Lomi Lomi, he was using it as a medium to teach something deeper. In watching and listening to some of today's teachers, it seems the "something deeper" has been lost, as have some of the finer points of the techniques he taught.

Using continuous motion in what Abraham called "the rhythm of the universe" or "the rhythm of life itself", the different movements are performed at various speeds combined with patterns of breathing to produce different frequencies of energy. It takes the form of a full body massage, its purpose being to awaken the genetic memory.

Through our day to day experiences, we learn about ourselves, the ways that we think about ourselves and our attitudes towards our environment. As we begin to become aware of thoughts that are unhelpful and limiting, we can begin to form new concepts to create better ways of living. Before these new concepts can begin to manifest productively in our lives, they must first be absorbed into the cellular structure of the body. It is the body that is the vehicle for movement in the physical realm. As we move into better ways of living, our vibration level (physical/spiritual) increases.

The performance of the dance produces an amplification of the energy levels in the body of the performer. The energy field generated by the movements causes a sympathetic resonance in the body of the recipient that releases the effects of environmental and physical stress. As tension is released the vibration level of the cellular structure is able to increase. The result is that new concepts pass more easily and completely into the cellular structure and manifest more rapidly and fully. This increased and clearer feedback allows us to move more rapidly, through more experiences, with greater contribution from them. In this way, our rate of learning and evolution greatly increases.

In training for this work, the performer learns to be totally aware of, and present in, their own body. In this awareness the performer is able to feel and instinctively respond to the energy impulses in the body of the recipient. In this way every movement of the dance, of which there may be over a million and a half in the average 2 hour session, is a response to the recipient's specific needs. Each range of movements generates a different range of energy waves. Abraham said "When you can do this non-stop for 24 hours, you are no longer a beginner".

As tension and blockages begin to release, energy flows increase and the dance alters to flow with it. Thus, the performer moves and flows as though he or she is an integral part of the client and the session becomes a joyous celebration of life.

In homeopathy, for instance, the remedies are diluted until only the essence of the element remains. It is the energy vibration, or combination of frequencies, that is applied to the condition being treated. Another form of therapy using this principle is colour therapy. Here, the different frequencies of light that are used.

With nearly all forms of therapy there is the implication that something is wrong with the client that requires fixing. In the Huna tradition illness is seen as a response to ma'i, a state of extreme tension, Kahuna see the body as a perfect reflection of the person's thoughts and concepts. The focus with Lomi Kapalele is to provide a safe environment and source of energy that will assist the client to create a change in their thinking and to accelerate the manifestation of the outward reflection of that change (i.e. changes in the person's situations in life). There is no attachment to the direction of the change, and the performer's opinion of what is best, is not imposed upon the client.

Graeme Kapono Urlich (Aug 1992 - Updated May 2022)

Aloha New Zealand - School of Huna and Hawaiian Shamanism