HAWAII: A HEALING VACATION
by Dr. Meg Jordan, PhD, RN, Global Medicine Hunter®
The Hawaiian Islands have long been acclaimed for their healing properties, but the Big Island is my choice for core level rejuvenation. World-renowned for its natural, primordial beauty, Hawaii is a wellspring of essential vital forces for health and healing.
You can interact on any number of levels for an authentic Hawaiian healing encounter. Because of Hawaii’s diverse culture, you can experience the best from Eastern healing arts such as shiatsu and tai chi, along with the traditional Hawaiian healing arts using medicinal plants, such as the TI-leaf, Limu and other botanicals (known as la-au lapa ‘au).
The following is my five-point Big Island Healing Rejuvenation plan. If you can only get away for a week, consider two days lost on travel, which leaves you five days of healing retreat. Plan your time so that you can sample these extraordinary healing balms unique to the Big Island.
Sea Walks for Aura Scrubbing: Twice a Day
Simply basking in the golden light during seaside walks will accomplish two important things: 1) you’ll get your aura scrubbed by the salt spray breeze curling off the top of long-breaking waves; and 2) you’ll humidify your skin and respiratory tract since both may have been parched by the indoor heating and lowered humidity of colder, drier climates.
Aura scrubbing may sound a little bizarre, but there really is a body electric, a field of electromagnetic energy that is a scientifically proven—a measurable force field that emanates from your the countless biochemical and bioelectromagnetic reactions occurring in your body’s cells. Mystics call it an aura; scientists refer to it as an energetic field. Energy workers use a variety of healing tools to help detoxify and cleanse the field. Crystals and herbs are standard fare, but the most effective is a good salt-sea blast of wind and spray from sparking clean ocean waves. Cleansing by water is known as hi’uwai, and is a part of the sacred science of ancient Hawaiian healing.
Whether or not you go for the mystical explanation, feeling the sea’s wind spray will just make you feel invigorated. The Big Island offers the best blasts on the planet. Just a few days of early morning and late afternoon walks on the beach will serve as scrubbing bubbles for your own force field.
Lomi-Lomi Massage: At Least One
Next on your agenda during your five-day stay, get at least one lomi lomi massage. Preferably two. This is authentic Hawaiian massage. You won’t find anything like it elsewhere. You’ll notice a combination of vigorous, repetitive long strokes which seem to integrate mind, body and spirit. I believe the ancient Hawaiians understood the stimulation of energy lines in the body, a concept similar to the energy meridians of Traditional Chinese Medicine. An experienced lomi-lomi practitioner knows that her healing art goes beyond a mere body rubdown because she incorporates many aspects of nature, such as the aroma of tropical flowers and the natural sound of surf and wildlife during the massage.
I used to have to seek out lomi-lomi practitioners on the Big Island from a unpublicized network of healers, kahunas, along with their assorted aunties, uncles and family of students. But now many of the resorts and hotels recognize the importance of bringing the Hawaiian healing traditions into their spa offerings. The most conscious of these is the spa at the Kohala Sports Club & Spa at the Hilton Waikoloa Village. I received a lomi-lomi massage there that had me ten feet off the ground for a few days. Book one for yourself in advance of your stay and ask for coco-mango body wraps, Hawaiian salt renewals, or an orchid oil body wrap. (www.hiltonwaikoloavillage.com)
Listen to A Special Kind of Hawaiian Music
Wherever you stay—a condo, a hotel, a hammock on the beach--make sure you surround yourself with Hawaiian music—not just the pop culture variety playing in restaurants, but some true slack key guitar music that is unique to the Hawaiian islands. Music, flora, fauna and rhythm work harmoniously to evoke a rich sensory experience and help seed your psyche with the healing rhythms of Hawaii. Music anchors that experience for years to come.
I recommend a Grammy-award winning CD known as “Slack Key Guitar Volume 2” It was recorded in Waimea on the Big Island in the heart of Paniolo (Hawaiian cowboy) country where slack key guitar style originated. When the first Mexican and Spanish cowboys were brought to the island by King Kamehameha in the early 1800s, they brought their guitars. The Hawaiians loosened or “slacked” two keys in the traditional scale, creating a beautiful sound unique to the islands.
The CD I’m recommended contains many popular artists, among them Keoki Kahumoku, Sonny Lim, and John Keawe. Listening to music—when it’s a distinctive part of a locale—is part and parcel of a healing regimen. The music will boost your immune system, assist in the creation of anti-inflammatory compounds, and ease tension and muscles.
Learn to Hula
Authentic healing involves healing your spirit as well as your body, and hula represents the spirit or lifeforce of Hawaii expressed in motion. Hulas express the creation stories, the tales of its dynamic creation and willful deities. Dancing a hula puts you in touch with the heartbeat of Hawaii. It will shake off the city stress, your work life and worries. As you learn to sway with the tropical breezes and plant your feet firmly, a new grace will permeate your arms as they trace the story of rainbows, heroes and goddesses across the sky. Consider learning some basic traditional Hawiian hulas. Classes are offered at resorts but they’re also easy to spot in the villages. Many hotels feature nightly performances of hula dancers and musicians. Ask your concierge about hula lessons, usually offered during the day each week.
Kiss a Dolphin
Over ten years ago I went to the Caribbean to write a story about the new and exotic pastime of swimming with dolphins for a company that promoted their highly popular venture. That company has since closed up shop. The story backfired on them when the dolphins got deathly ill from overzealous crowds and inexperienced business owners who didn’t schedule down time. Plus, reports of dolphins picking up every cold, flu and chickenpox bug from swarms of children and insistent parents were enough to sound the Free Willy” sirens.
Today, dolphins are better understood and protected. In fact, interaction with dolphins treats mild to moderate depression, according to the results of a randomized trial noted in the British Medical Journal, (Nov. 25, 2005 issue). The Dolphin Quest at Hilton’s Waikoloa Village is probably the best run in the sea park universe. At Dolphin Quest, you don’t swim with the dolphins, but you do get to encounter them…a few at a time, with plenty of time-outs and rest periods for dolphins with very active nervous systems. Because the company’s managers care about the well-being of their dolphins, they limit the number of encounters, so call early and book your time during your vacation stay.
I got to rub a dolphin’s tummy, swim above, around and under these aquatic acrobats, watch their deft maneuvers above and below water, and even shake hands, or rather fins with a willing dolphin. Then I got to cradle a dolphin while standing in neck-deep water. That brought tears to my eyes quite suddenly. There’s something magical about that kind of close contact with a magnificent sea mammal that takes a chance, trusting you. But the definite high point was kissing one good-looking smiling fellow right on the tip of his bottle-nose snout. The social contract between dolphins and humans is difficult to put into words. Legends from Greece through Polynesia abound about humans being saved from storms or sharks by dolphins.
The dolphins at Dolphin Quest are born in captivity. None are taken from the wild anymore. And they’re all cared for by specialists in marine biology. It’s a dolphin encounter with a high degree of social consciousness and respect for dolphins, and after seeing other operations in Mexico and other islands, it’s the only one I recommend. Besides, kissing a dolphin is something you’ll remember for a long time. There’s just something about that smiling dolphin face that will melt you. Give yourself the ultimate healing treat. You can book reservations online at www.thedolphinquest.org.
Dr. Meg Jordan, PhD, RN, is known as the Global Medicine Hunter. She is a medical anthropologist, author, magazine editor, and host of the nationally syndicated radio show on Health Radio Network. She can be reached at mail@megjordan.com
