My lomilomi story, part 3
Barbara Helynn robles

aka BArbara helynn heard

Mana Lomi® has contributed to my life in so many ways! In 2003 I attended a 4 week Mana Lomi intensive taught by kanaka maoli – native Hawaiian – Maka'ala Yates, D.C. on Maui in Hawaii.

I attended this class expecting to learn some lomi to incorporate into the lomi I already practiced. To my amazement, when I returned to Seattle I began practicing almost exclusively Mana Lomi®. I totally dropped the flowing lomi style I had learned from Shawn. 

Why did I choose to totally replace my previous lomi work with Mana Lomi®? (1) Because Mana Lomi® effectively solves problems so that recipients move more freely after a session and (2) because giving Mana Lomi® allows me to deeply connect with my clients. Mana Lomi® helps me feel. My clients not only enjoy the time they spend on my table, they feel better after they leave my office.

About 3 weeks into my initial month long training with Maka'ala I realized one day that I had felt continuously peaceful and happy the whole time I had been in his class. Never once, day or night, had I felt irritated or anxious!!! This certainly opened my mind to a new - and wonderful! - way of being.

I continued studying with Maka'ala as my mentor for 13 years.. In 2007 I completed his teacher training program and began teaching level 1 Mana Lomi® classes, under Maka'ala's guidance. I continued to do so until 2016 in both Washington state where I’ve lived for close to forty years and in the northeast where I grew up. Sharing this work that I love with people living on the land that I was born and raised on has been awesome!

I have been teaching independently since 2016, and not as an official teacher in Maka'ala's Mana Lomi® organization.  None the less, he remains my strongest influence and the work is heavily influenced by everything I learned from him.

Do please contact me if you have any questions or comments after reading of my lomilomi journey through this website. I love sharing this healing work which has so graced my life.

Aloha mau,

Barbara Helynn Robles