On June 5-7, BTI is honored to again sponsor an Introduction to Traditional Hawaiian Healing Arts with S. Pualani Gillespie. This three-day workshop (open to the public) is a rare opportunity to experience a living tradition that will inform and deeply inspire you.
“Aunty Pua” Gillespie, raised in the Hawaiian culture as a young child, learned the concepts of Hawaiian dance, chant and massage from her family. Her lifelong career as a Registered Nurse Practitioner, and always a student of the healing arts, Aunty Pua was a patient and student of Aunty Margaret Machado (pioneer of Lomilimi massage) since 1989. Following her retirement from the field of Nursing in 1997, Aunty Pua began a full-time massage career and eventually returned to the Big Island of Hawaii in 2001 when she began teaching with the Machado family at their Beach house on Kealakekua Bay.
Since the passing of Aunty Margaret in 2009, Aunty Pua has continued to teach the sacred principles of Aunty Margaret as well as share the Traditional Bodywork principles with students from six continents. She feels it is her gift and mission to keep the traditional healing message alive and share the true meaning of Aloha with her colleagues in the healing arts family. In addition to her work in these traditional realms, she serves as a member of the AMTA National Board of Directors, and is dedicated to the process of bringing massage therapy into the domain of integrative healthcare.
In this unique workshop, you will learn about the teachings of the ancient Hawaiian Healing Arts that date back to the 16th century as Magellan documented them in his ship’s logs as he sailed through Polynesia. It is an opportunity to discover the True Heart of the Hawaiian Spirit of Aloha – the “living water” of unconditional love and acceptance that is the foundation for healing.
These methods have been carried forward in an unbroken chain and are still used today by the Kupuna (elders) from Hawaii Island (also known as the Big Island).
You will experience the flow of healing water – Mana Wai Ola – through Chant, Body Stretching and Lomilomi Massage – techniques that have been carefully handed down through the Hawaiian families and have survived the Western influence of the 19th and 20th centuries.
Traditional Hawaiian Healing Practices are rarely shared outside the Hawaiian Islands – and are not found on DVDs or in social media as they are sacred and respectful of the culture.
The sacred principles of Pule, Ho`oponopono and Aloha as taught by the legendary Aunty Margaret Machado (1916-2009) will be shared with the permission of the Machado family.
This workshop will include ceremony, instruction in bodytherapy, as well as time for reflection and spiritual integration. These experiences will combine to enrich you with a balance of mind-body surrounded by unconditional love and acceptance. You will leave with a new enlightenment and spirit to bring to your practice as well as life-changing principles to use as you walk your daily path.
NOTE: This is the only North American workshop being taught this year by Aunty Pua. The photos shown here were taken at last year’s workshop at BTI.
Contact the BTI Office at 919-663-3111 to register for this workshop, or use the secure Registration Form on this website.
