I massage your neck a lot during lomi lomi, both with nice steady pressure and long strokes that start at the base of the spine and go all the way up. But there is a moment during the session when I do really deep work – neck rotations. They release tensions not only from the neck, but also shoulders and upper back. I start by taking your head in my hands and slowly bringing it towards your chest, giving the whole spine a nice stretch.
Each time I hold somebody’s head in my hands, waves of emotions come through me. I realize how much trust it requires to let somebody hold your head – literally. I realize that I’m holding your thoughts and ideas in my hands – literally. I am ever so slow, gentle and careful as I can possibly be.
All the time I act with care, love and presence. All the time we breathe together. My intention is to take you to the limits and show you new ways, but never to give pain.
Massaging the neck is about letting go and some bodies are not happy about this idea 😉. Some necks want to do all the job, as if they were telling me “Nobody can do things as good as I do, so I will lift this head for you, okay?” Other necks would like to let go, but they tell me “I don’t know how, this feels new and awkward, I was never held before.” Or they don’t trust: “Can I let go? Can you hold me? WILL you hold me? What if not? I don’t want pain”.
Stiff necks also tell the stories of limitations: I would like to look around but I can’t, I am forced to look only in one direction. I don’t see all my options. Tension-free, relaxed necks are all about discovering possibilities – I can look here, I can look there, I can look everywhere! I trust, I am flexible, I am free.
When neck decides to let go, tears often come. Tears of relief (“thank you, finally I don’t need to hold all this by myself”), tears of freedom, loneliness, gratitude, tenderness, bitterness, love, joy… Neck holds a lot of emotions and stories, real treasures waiting to be discovered and released.
