Barbara Helynn Heard, LMT
MY PROFESSIONAL BIO:
Barbara Helynn Heard, LMT, of Olympia, Washington practices and teaches clinically focused, spiritually
grounded lomilomi from the Big Island as well as full chest and breast massage integrated into full body massage sessions. She began doing massage as a teenager in the 1970’s and two decades later, in 1996, graduated from
Brian Utting School of Massage in Seattle, WA. She has practiced lomilomi, including chest/breast massage, since then and has taught lomilomi since 2005 and chest & breast massage since 2016. Barbara Helynn maintains an active private practice in Olympia called Awareness
Massage.
Barbara Helynn actively listens with all senses, physical and spiritual, as she blends treatment and wellness focused
massage in full body sessions with intent to allow the receiver to
experience healing and their own innate goodness in body, mind and soul. Her special
focus is on helping folks move freely and easily. With touch that is
deep yet gentle, her massage is clinically effective and also feels
wonderful to receive.
Barbara Helynn is an active massage community leader working to normalize the practice of integrating full chest & breast massage in full body massage sessions for clients who choose this option.
WA massage license number MA 00009734
AMTA member since 1996 (American Massage Therapy Association)
NCBTMB approved provider #1056
WHO I AM:
My name, Barbara Helynn Heard, reflects who I am. The name
Barbara was given to me by my parents and means foreigner.
This concept of foreigner reflects the importance of my
connection with people of other cultures while also honoring my own
lineage. My middle name Helynn signifies my responsibility
and privilege as a light carrier. Heard is my
husband’s family name and is meaningful to me as a reminder to listen well to myself and others.
Lomi lomi is a way of life which begins for me with choosing again each
day to live in right relationship with Spirit, with nature and with humanity and especially to be
in right relationship within my own body, mind and spirit. I
regularly meditate, dance hula, attend Pilates classes and practice
somatic movement exploration for my own well being, as well as in
preparation for my work as a massage therapist and teacher.
I began doing massage as a teenager in the 1970’s. I
graduated from Brian Utting School of Massage in Seattle, WA in 1996
and since then have maintained an active private practice in Seattle
called Awareness Massage. I started learning lomilomi in 1996
at the tail end of massage school and have continued to to learn and
practice lomilomi every since.
An important - and fun - aspect of my lomi lomi training is creating
native Hawaiian crafts such as the clothing and adornments I am wearing
in the hula photo below. Working with natural materials to create
things has helped me be aware of my connection with nature, and my
place in the lineage of humanity and my responsibly to hold space and
maintain connection between those people who came before us, and those
who will follow us. And creating beautiful functional objects
allows me to play with art; I've been an active artist since childhood.
I love teaching people highly effective,
clinical thinking and hands-on techniques which are spiritually
grounded in the foundation of
Spirit-Nature-Humanity. In my teaching I emphasize
body awareness, use of one’s weight, development of keen palpation
skills and the use of the creative power of the words. My
intent as a teacher is to see the Light in each person and to help each
student to be and to do their very best. I help students
develop a quality of touch which is deep yet gentle, and also to
integrate spiritual and/or emotional qualities into bodywork sessions
if so desired to support healing on multiple levels.
A BIT OF JUICY TALK STORY:
In addition to my passion for practicing and teaching lomilomi, I love to dance hula. Hula is my joy! danced hula at Halau Hula o Napualani and Na Lei o Manu'akepa since 2000 for 17 years. I love the Hawaiian language, and I have read many books and articles about Hawaiian language, history, culture and spirituality. I enjoy networking with other lomilomi folks from various lineages.
I live in Olympia with my wonderful husband Gary who is also a healer, living in glorious retirement now from work as a chemical addictions counselor. I love cats, my home and our two grown children. Awareness Massage, my private practice, is in our home. My life is full, and I feel grateful to live in this auspicious time when people from cultures worldwide are coming together to share our lives and our earth home
This is a lehua blossom which grows on ohia trees in Hawaii. Ohia trees are one of the first plants to return to an area after a lava flow. The Lehua is related to the sun and to Light, as I am too. Lehua is my Hawaiian name.
E malama pono, take good care,
Barbara Helynn Robles
