GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM "Curandera" Bea Bueno helps to draw negative energy out and away from Kate Moore's of Wahiawa body.

Healing from
head to soul

Relaxation techniques range
from egg rubs to aromatherapy

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By Nancy Arcayna
narcayna@starbulletin.com

As a cold chicken egg rolled over my body, I worried that my fears were transparent. Instead of relaxing, as was the aim of this exercise, I imagined the egg would crack and smear as Bea Bueno aggressively ran it down over my clothing to my soles.

I'm not sure about the scientific rationale for the Mexican healing practice of egg cleansings, but I did feel more relaxed when it was all over. Maybe the absence of anxiety was just due to the fact that I had been required to take a break from my busy day and sit still for a few minutes as the ritual was taking place.

Bueno offers egg cleansings at the Lifeforce Center on Halekauwila Street. The cleansing sessions will be among the demonstrations offered during the center's open house, held the second Sunday monthly.

GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM Kate Moore has an ordinary egg placed near a chakra point on her foot, top left, and head.

In traditional Mexican practice, the egg served as one of the first tools, giving people something tangible upon which they could focus their pain, frustration and negative vibes in general.

"Some people want me to concentrate on a certain area of the body, for a longer period of time," she said. "People are so happy after, smiling, like they went into a different world. Some people tell me that they are so relaxed afterward that they feel as if they received a massage."

What Bueno does not do is play doctor. "If I add my two cents, I feel like I would be tainting the whole experience. And, I could be right most of the time, but there might be that one time that I'm wrong."

Like Bueno, Susan Gregg teaches her students to find healing modalities that work for them. Gregg has been a student of the healing arts for 18 to 20 years.

"I was fortunate to study with a teacher called Sister Sarita, a Mexican healer. She was an amazing woman. At that time she was in her late 70s and was known throughout Southern California as an incredible healer, and she would use an egg. She would pray in Spanish and I saw gaping wounds heal. Things like that aren't supposed to happen," said Gregg, who is a Lifeforce counselor, clinical hypnotherapist and author.

Use of an egg is symbolic in that it represents the beginning of a new life, Gregg explained. "An egg can absorb things," she said. "The egg takes away any energy that doesn't serve you anymore. Any egg can be used, but chicken eggs are most often used because they are plentiful."

Following a cleansing session, eggs are marked with a big "X" to prevent them from being used again. Gregg adds the used eggs to her compost as a way of returning nutrients back to the earth. "When I broke some of the eggs, some of the yolks were actually black," she said.

Bueno's pets are cleansing regulars. "They just lie there on their backs. I'll finish doing one and another one will come," she said.

Other practitioners who will be at the open house include Su Shen Atta, whose specialty is vibrational aromatherapy. "I live and breathe aromatherapy," said Atta, who uses her own "burnout" blend of essential oils at the end of each day.

She uses oils and Tibetan singing bowls run over the body during her therapy sessions.

GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM Aromatherapy consultant Su Shen Atta prepares Tibetan singing bowls before meeting with a client.

Tammy Ornellas of Pearl City said her session with Atta "was peaceful -- and colorful. The first color I saw was blue. When she placed the bowl above my head, I saw a solid white with a halo around it. It's definitely something to look into."

The center's intention is for individuals to accept the responsibility of looking at things differently, Atta said.

"That is half the battle," Gregg agreed. "Our minds are incredibly powerful. People that are Catholic go to church and may engage in rituals, and they find peace in that. Healing modalities have similar effects."

She said that sometimes feeling better physically is just a matter of luring the mind into a state of well-being, comfort and relaxation.

"It's the same in the medical field," she said. "People may be 'cured' taking sugar pills because they believe in it."

Feel the force Where: Lifeforce Center, 568 Halekauwila St., top floor (between South and Punchbowl streets) When: Noon to 5 p.m. Sunday Admission: Free; donations for services accepted. Crystals, jewelry, handmade meditation benches and altars will also be available for sale. Call: 536-8287 Note: Susan Gregg teaches healing classes on Tuesdays from 7 to 9 p.m.

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