Philippine Traditional Healing Practices

Hilot- Traditional Philippine Healing Methods

We all discover that we are staying home longer than we anticipated. Our previous daily routines have become disorganized. Many of the routines that gave us stability and allowed us to function have altered. The loss of them might be upsetting.

Unquestionably, a healthy home atmosphere contributes to wellbeing. A comfortable room or a whole house can be a setting that promotes wellness, but it’s crucial to understand what elements should be taken into account when creating home wellness rooms. Making time and space for healthy thinking, eating, and exercise routines is the first step toward wellness. What if we combine a wellness space in the house with Filipino traditional medical treatments? Using these suggestions regularly can help you develop the habit of entering a state of calmness without having to think about it or make any conscious effort.

This guide will help you to create a healthy home environment by offering advice on Filipino traditional healing methods that encourage the creation of home spaces that support a good balance between the body, mind, and soul.

3 Traditional Healing Practices in the Philippines

A person’s surroundings can have an impact on their physiological, emotional, psychological, and spiritual health. This is taken into account in traditional Filipino healing techniques.

It is difficult to say how early healing practices started because they were first noted in the 16th century at the beginning of Spanish colonization. The babaylans, also known as shamans, kept up their tribes’ traditions, beliefs, and medicine while communicating with spirits who were believed to be connected to natural phenomena. They might be either women or men who clothed as altered their gender.

The traditional Filipino healing practices included a number of different specialties, including energy medicine, other metaphysical healing modalities, suction cupping, skin scraping, pulse diagnostics, midwifery, and the use of herbs. There were specific healers for each region and population group, who passed on their expertise to young children.

The healing arts started to disappear alongside other cultural practices in the 17th century, and this trend was maintained following the arrival of the Americans with the development of clinics and Western medical practices. Although other more ancient methods are still used in the Philippines, these are the most well-known that might fit to your own wellness space.

1. Hilot

“Hilot”, a well-known method also used in various areas of the region of Asia, is frequently mislabeled as a sort of massage and provided at spas to draw tourists.

It uses hands as instruments and is similar to physical therapy, chiropractic, and acupressure. The practitioner, known as a manghihilot, uses a person’s nerve or vein, ligaments, tendons, and other connective or sinewy structures, flesh or muscle tissues through which and flow, and bones to identify regions of congestion and cure bone misalignments and energy abnormalities.

Oils, plants, and herbs can all be included. Methods of Hilot, which heal the upper part of the body, such as the neck and shoulder joints, involve rubbing the afflicted areas with the hands.

2. Ventosa

Special heated cups called “Ventosa” or suction cups are used to create a seal or vacuum and relieve aching muscles. People do it as a form of deep-tissue massage because it reduces swelling, discomfort, and blood flow by applying specialized cups to your skin and creating suction. Other parts of Asia, including China, often engage in it.

3. Tuob

The ill person is covered in fabric or a blanket and placed over a coal-heated jar or a steaming pot as part of the boiling (tuob) rite. The healer massages the hot sufferer with essential oils while reciting a healing mantra.

Read Also: The Nature Connection: Healing spaces with plants at home

Guidelines for Building a Successful Wellness Space at Home

1. Remove distractions

Designating a location for solitude is the goal of building a health space. You will identify this area with your wellness practice as a cue, which will help you make it a habit. Distractions must therefore be eliminated. Being surrounded by clutter makes it nearly impossible to get your mind clear. Remove all hints or diversions about the work you need to do. Your wellness area is not a place for multitasking; it is a space for you to focus on one activity at a time.

Make careful to stay away from devices like smartphones, laptops, and televisions. On a phone, you must put the screen aside and focus solely on the audio if you want to listen to music. To get rid of interruptions, think about getting a Bluetooth speaker.

2. Your wellness room should have natural materials.

Wellness areas can get a calming factor by including indoor plants or décor with natural themes. Plants enrich areas with beauty and life in addition to cleaning the air. A window with a lovely view of the outdoors do you have? That makes a fantastic backdrop for elevating your wellness area.

A landscape image or divide wall with botanical designs can be just the thing to add some natural elements to a space that is lacking them.

Read Also: 26 Tips to Create a Relaxing Spa-like Bathroom

3. Set sensible objectives.

Sometimes, achieving of our goals and aspirations might put us under a lot of stress. We can reduce this kind of stress by engaging in health activities. Create your environment accordingly, keeping your goals in mind. Think about how you want to feel when you are there. Maybe you’d prefer a peaceful, tranquil room or a wellness room with a nice atmosphere. That feeling should serve as your guide as you maintain your area.

4. Select the appropriate location

Start by determining the goal of your wellness area. No matter what your wellness area’s function, let form follow function. Find the area that is most appropriate for your wellness activity, to put it another way. Yoga practitioners require a place for their mats, and those who practice meditation can sit comfortably on a chair or a cushion. Journalists and artists will want a desk or surface of some kind to work on. Find the space that best meets your needs by evaluating the ones you have available. Look for a place that is calm and distraction-free so that you can concentrate. A shaded area of the patio or yard may be excellent if the climate is suitable. Before you even start your activity, an outside setting brings you one step closer to wellness.

5. Creating a home exercise facility or gym

It’s crucial when constructing a home gym or training area to not only select the appropriate equipment but also to create a motivating environment that will encourage you to exercise. If at all possible, buy some relaxing music and soft lighting in advance so that they are available for you when you decide to work out in the future.

Read also: Creating Spaces for Mental Wellness at Home

In Closing

Self-care is an ongoing process in your quest for wellness. You’ll have a solid basis to build on as you establish a wellness habit. Although everyone’s path to wellness is unique, creating an island of peace with the aid of the conventional Filipino healing techniques might help you get started.

It’s wonderful to have a wellness room where you can relax after a hard day or perhaps find some serenity before your day starts. Include components in your wellness room design that are simple to take out if you decide to utilize it for anything different in the future.

If you use these suggestions, creating cozy home wellness spaces with the help of local healing techniques in the Philippines is not difficult. Unquestionably, one of the most difficult yet gratifying events in your life is becoming a homeowner. Because of this, BRIA Homes, one of the leading real estate developers in the country, seeks to offer more accessible, affordable house and lot packages to typical Filipino families. BRIA Homes enjoys its quick expansion very much. If you want to learn more, go to our website.

Written by Mat Balbin