Introduction About Lei Aloha
Lei Aloha Lomilomi (Kapu’aokalani Academy)
Lei Aloha Lomilomi is the official successor to Kapu’aokalani Academy. Kapu’aokalani Academy is the school that the great lomilomi master, Kumu Karen Leialoha Carroll started on Oahu in1970. She was a healer and a Kahu. A Kahu is the equivalent to a pastor or priest in the Hawaiian culture.
Kumu Karen, as she was affectionately called, passed away on September 2019. Before she transitioned, she chose Tomoko ‘Kehaulani’ Sugino as her successor. She was chosen out of thousands of students from around the world. Tomoko was ordained in August 2019 as Kahu Kehaulani. She also became a Kumu (master teacher) and carries on Hawaiian Lomilomi in the tradition as passed down to her from Kumu Karen.
Kehaulani is the owner of Lei Aloha Lomilomi and now teaches this tradition for certification in the authentic Hawaiian Lomilomi. Her goal is to pass on this tradition to future generations. Kehaulani also does private lomilomi sessions, personal and business cleansings, blessings and purifications. She is licensed by the State of Hawaii to perform marriage ceremonies for weddings. Kehaulani services both Hawaii and Japan.
Lei Aloha Lomilomis main focus is to teach lomilomi in the authentic traditional method. However, we go beyond the academics and techniques.
We take a personal approach with each student. We encourage and guide all students to look within to find the path to stay healthy and to live a life of joy.
Our students vary from office workers, therapists, medical worker to instructors and house wives.
Some students want to be a professional therapist, but others want to learn the life skills.
We teach Hawaiian traditional “Aloha” through lomilomi depending on students’ needs.
We also teach the lomilomi secrets that has been passed down only by the successors, such as prayers (necessary for traditional lomilomi treatment), Hoʻoponopono (mental purification) and shell healing.
Lomilomi Private Salon
The blue ocean, the sound of waves, the dazzling sun, the towering mountains, Hawaii is overflowing with the energy of nature.
At Lei Aloha Lomilomi, you will receive the traditional Lomilomi, which has been passed down from generation to generation in this land.
Lomilomi, filled with the wisdom of Hawaii’s ancestors, is a way to restore the body and mind to their original state while recharging them with the gentle and powerful energies of the natural world.
The deep and warm Aloha massage improves circulation and melts away stress, tension in the shoulders, blocked energy, and clears thoughts.
The mind becomes calmer and more relaxed in the busyness of daily life, and the courage to take on new challenges arises.
It is a massage that gently pushes you back so that you can relax and walk through life as your authentic self.
We hope you will experience a happy feeling of being filled with light, as we take away the heaviness and fatigue of your mind as well as your body.
Lomilomi can warm your heart and make you feel energetic and refreshed.
Lomilomi School Main Features
(1) Main Lomilomi School (Kapu’aokalani) on Oahu, Hawaii, founded by Kumu Kalen.
Kumu Karen passed away in 2019. We have decided to carry on her legacy and move the school established by Kumu to Japan to carry on Lomilomi in Japan.
Students can learn the ancient tradition of Lomilomi while in Japan.
We also hold Lomilomi workshops in Hawaii every year and Lomilomi workshops in Kyoto several times a year!
(2) Traditional LomiLomi as taught by Kumu Tomoko Kehaulani, the official heir of Kumu Karen.
You will learn Lomilomi as taught by Kumu Karen’s official successor of Lomilomi, chosen out of thousands of students. Kumu Tomoko Kehaulani is the first Japanese Kahu (Hawaiian priest).
You can learn the wisdom and techniques of Hawaii’s ancient healing traditions right here in Japan.
(3) Support for those who wish to open a lomilomi salon in the future
Lei Aloha Lomilomi provides not only traditional Lomilomi training, but also the knowledge (counseling techniques, how to open a salon, etc.) necessary to become an independent professional and the support to open a salon to welcome customers.
Kumu Kehaulani, president of Lei Aloha Lomilomi, started a Japanese language school in Tokyo at the age of 29, and has over 25 years of experience in teaching Japanese to foreign businessmen and diplomats working for foreign companies and embassies.
Based on her own company experience, she will generously share with you the necessary mindset and salon management know-how for women who want to start their own business as professional therapists.
(4) Learn about Hawaiian values and the Hawaiian way of life.
When you visit Hawaii, you have probably seen the local Hawaiian people living freely, cheerfully, and happily.
This is said to be largely due to the influence of traditional Hawaiian Values. By learning the traditional Hawaiian values, we can approach the realm of viewing life positively, living cheerfully, and living a joyful life.
(5) Hawaii Chapter’s connection to the Kahu (Hawaiian priests)
Lei Aloha Lomilomi has a Hawaii chapter.
The Hawaiian Kahu (Hawaiian priests) always support Lei Aloha and send us lots of aloha.
You will have the opportunity to experience their mana or energy, full of aloha and learn Lomilomi while feeling the healing power of Hawaii very close to you.
Once a year, we offer a healing journey called Hawaii Healing Journey.
This is a special trip where you can grow as a therapist by visiting Hawaii’s power spots, practicing Lomilomi, and having opportunities to learn directly from the Kahus.
We also offer Kyoto Spiritual Journeys (KSJ) several times a year.
Based in Arashiyama, a healing power spot in Kyoto, the itinerary is tailored to the four seasons and the energy of the participants. KSJ visits various power spots to recharge your mana from nature.
This is a unique and special trip where you will have quiet time to look at yourself, reflect and hone your sensitivity as a therapist.
(6) Learn Lomilomi at a pace that fits your individual lifestyle.
After attending the Lomilomi Workshop, students are required to attend monthly Lomilomi practice sessions.
There are two types of courses: those who want to become professionals and those who want to learn at their own pace.
We also offer an online correspondence course for those who live far away from the school, those who have difficulty attending the school, and those who are busy with work, housework, and childcare.
Profile
Tomoko Kehaulani Sugino
Director of Lei Aloha Lomilomi
After graduating from Gakushuin University with a BA in Japanese Language and Literature, she began teaching Japanese to foreigners working for foreign-affiliated companies. In 2000, she established International Language Services (http://www.ils-japanese.com/index.html) in Marunouchi, Tokyo.
Tomoko teaches Japanese to foreigners working for foreign companies, embassy diplomats and staff, as well as private individuals and executives.
She began yoga as a hobby and later became a yoga instructor. A few years after, while traveling in Hawaii, she encountered Lomilomi.
The Lomilomi experience in Hawaii had a strong impact on her, and she began training in Lomilomi. She met Kumu Karen on Oahu Island in Hawai’i, and was impressed by her healing techniques, which have been handed down since ancient times.
In 2013, she became the first Japanese to receive Lomilomi from Kumu Karen.
In 2018, she received the title of Lomilomi Po’okela. The title Po’okela is only given to those who are the official heirs of the historic Lomilomi tradition. Only two people in the world, including Tomoko Kehaulani, have been granted this title out of Kumu Karen’s tens of thousands of students.
August 2, 2019 Tomoko Sugino was ordained as Kahu Kehaulani. In the Hawaiian tradition, a Kahu is like a pastor or priest.
When Kumu Karen passed away in September 2019, Tomoko Kehaulani Sugino became the sole heir chosen from among tens of thousands of students from around the world to officially take over the school, headquartered in Japan, with Kumu Karen’s blessing.
She has given over 2000 hours of workshops and continues to share her authentic Lomilomi techniques with those who seek them in Japan and Hawaii. She offers wholehearted healing and treatment to those who seek healing of the body and mind.
Watch Tomoko Kehaulani Sugino’s Kahu (priest) ordination ceremony performed by Kumu Karen at a sacred site in Hawaii.
Please turn on subtitles to view the Japanese translation of the video.
Kumu Karen Leialoha Carroll
Kumu (Master) Karen was born on the island of Oahu, descended from spiritual healers on the islands of Hawaii and Oahu.
She passed away in September 2019.
With a background in nursing, she inherited Lomilomi from her father, John Kaanehe, and the late Master Papa Kalua Kaiahua (Maui), a great Hawaiian healer, and the Spirits of Hawaii Waimanalo.
A respected heir to the Hawaiian tradition of Lomilomi, Kumu Karen conducted Lomilomi treatments, schools, and workshops not only in Hawaii, but also in the mainland U.S., Japan, and other parts of the world. She also served as a Kahu (priest, a person who performs ceremonies unique to Hawaii) and conducted worship services, purification, and blessings.
Kumu Karen’s lomilomi uses the sacred breath, called “HA” in Hawaiian, to strengthen the chi of the whole body and to channel energy to where it is needed.
The unique feature of this treatment is that she gently guides the client to awaken their own healing power, which everyone possesses, so that they can realize their full potential.
She is also known for her unique treatment focusing on the healing power of shells. The use of shells is believed to amplify energy, relieve muscle stiffness, regulate the flow of chi, and restore balance to the body and mind. Shell healing is a treatment that is attracting attention because it can be introduced into a variety of massages and therapies.
Kumu Karen’s traditional Lomilomi, based on the relationship between the natural world and human beings, has been admired by many people around the world and is now practiced by Kumu Tomoko Kehaulani Sugino.