E nā kānaka,
E mālama ʻoukou i ke akua
A e mālama ho‘i ke kanaka nui a me kanaka iki;
E hele ka ʻelemakule, ka luahine, a me ke kama
A moe i ke ala
ʻA‘ohe mea nāna e ho‘opilikia.
Hewa nō, make.
— KAMEHAMEHA NUI
Kilohana is the collection of the teachings, forms, and Prayers that have been transmitted to me by various Kupuna, Kumu, and Olohe, through my journey of reconnecting to my Mo’omeheu , and my training through Hula, Lua, and Lomi Lomi that have become my life and practice. The things I share are a collection of traditional concepts, orientations, philosophies, and forms that have become my lifes work as a practitioner of the way of being that is lomi lomi.
OFFERINGS
Kilohana for me is the conscious process of arriving at a place that is familiar time and time again, it’s knowing the tides of that place, and knowing the winds, and intimately knowing each rock and tree along the path to reach a destination. Over the years of study the path I traveled was my own pain, which eventually lead me deeper into the rehabilitation of my own self, deepening the sensation of my own body and connecting with the intelligence within has been a big part of my own journey in the prayerful work and movement that I know as Lomilomi. I am honored and privileged to offer to my relatives, Ohana, and Lahui the reflections and prayer work of my family.
Lomi Lomi
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Stretch Therapy
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Movement Training
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Prayer
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Energetic Clearing
Hoʻoponopono
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Coaching
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Breath Training
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Qi Gong
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Martial Training
WHO AM i?
Aloha, o wao Benji Ekolu Rodrigues kou inoa o Hawaiʻi nei mai au.
I grew up in a Hawaiian town called Nanakuli, growing up within a Hawaiian community was such a blessing, as I left home and traveled abroad, I would come to realize how special and precious my people and homelands are. Over my years of study of lomi, hula, and our warrior arts of Lua. I’ve been able to find the common thread of humanity within myself.
I’ve spent the last 7 years of my life devoted to the immersion & continuity of our Ike kupuna which takes form in our alelo makuahine (Mother tongue), our moʻomeheu (culture), and our hana noʻeau (native arts & sciences).
2018 I would embark unto my own path to healing, I began to realize that the trauma, and anxiety i carried since my childhood, which manifested in pain, disfunction, and disease within my own body. After being bed ridden for 6 months, teachers and medicines began to appear in my life, and quickened my healing.
One of my greatest teachers took form of a beautiful, caring, and authentic woman, who became my Aunty, mom, grandmother, and respected elder. I honor her wishes to remain private, she is well known within the Hawaiian community, but doesnt often do external forms of lomi anymore, unless its lead by great spirit.
I spent time traveling with her, and she began to teach me things about myself, giving me reflections, and experiences, that began to show me how lomi is apart of creation.
Lomi for me wasn’t a school or a certificate course, but a welcoming into a family. I got to witness my aunty help people as she stood in unconditional love for the less fortunate, I got to see sick and hurt people transform before my eyes, and started to become more responsible for their own lives. I know now with absolute conviction that what I witnessed was the art of healing which we know as Lomi lomi. I got to bare witness to what I know as true Aloha.
Lomi wasn’t in a studio, or of tending to people of means, rather it was helping our communities, elders, and less fortunate to come back to deeper balance within themselves, while holding space for aina, wai, uhane, and kanaka.
The first 3 years of my training I was told to work on myself, to find my pain, and to explore deeper my body and work out the dis-ease and dysfunction that kept me tight and immobile.
Over the last two years of my training I would be invited to learn with two other masters, and be invited to practice temple Lomi.
I now love and live my work and practice, my prayer is that more people, are able to get into alignment within themselves, and begin to understand our Kuleana as Kanaka Maoli to those before us, and those yet to come.
