Romiromi is a traditional Māori bodywork practice from Aotearoa New Zealand. It is deep, intentional work that meets the whole person, not only the physical body.
Some work asks us to go deeper
ROMIROMI - MĀORI BODYWORK
Atarangi is a Māori healer from Aotearoa New Zealand whose learning began with her elders from childhood.
I began studying romiromi with Atarangi when I met her in the US and later traveled to Aotearoa to deepen that learning through her 14 day bodywork intensive, Te Rongopae, and then spent time in here clinic with her and her team.
I learned this work from Atarangi Muru
THE TEACHING BEHIND THE WORK
I don’t separate the work from the people who taught it to me.
THE WORK
Depth is more than pressure
Romiromi uses hands, elbows, knees, feet, rākau, and other forms of contact to work deeply with the body, and to stimulate haemata, specific pressure points, throughout the body.
The depth is not simply about how hard I press. It is about meeting what is there without remaining only on the surface. The physical body may be where we begin, but the work can involve emotion, memory, breath, awareness, and the way a person inhabits their whole being.
The body is where we enter. The person is what we meet.
The physical work is only part of the work
ROMIROMI & MIRIMIRI
Within this tradition, romiromi and mirimiri are not neatly separated the way Western modalities often are. Touch, pressure, movement, breath, intention, karakia, sound, and other elements may all belong to a larger way of working with the person.
Ro — the internal organs Mi — to agitate
When one is doing Romiromi you are agitating the internal organs of the body.
Mi — to agitate Ri — to stimulate
When one is doing Mirimiri you are stimulating tissue, muscle, bone, blood, all fluids.
Come prepared to participate
RECEIVING THE WORK
You remain clothed and may be moved, stretched, compressed, or worked with using hands, elbows, knees, feet, or rākau.
Deeply physical
You may be encouraged to breathe, stay present, and notice what arises rather than disconnecting from what you feel.
Present with yourself
Some sessions feel intensely physical. Some bring emotion close to the surface. Others simply leave you feeling grounded and clear. There is no experience you are supposed to have.
No required outcome
You don’t have to know what needs to move
WHEN YOU FEEL CALLED TO THE WORK