Tui Na Massage

About Tui Na: Tui Na massage is a powerful form of manual therapy based on the principles of traditional Chinese medicine. Believed to be the oldest form of massage, it is widely used and respected in China today as one of the major treatment branches of traditional Chinese medicine, alongside herbal medicine and acupuncture. It is also commonly used in conjunction with Western medicine.

Tui Na massage can be helpful for everything from a general "tune-up" to enhance the body's vitality, to the treatment of internal imbalances, such as low energy, anxiety, headaches, and digestive or respiratory ailments, to the treatment of musculo-skeletal issues, such as neck, shoulder and back pain, joint pain, sprains, strains, restricted movement, and so on.

Treatment sessions are performed on a massage table, and we suggest that clients wear loose, comfortable clothing while receiving a treatment. Depending on the client's preferences and needs, the treatment can be very gentle and relaxing, or it can be deep and invigorating - loosening up and reintegrating tense, stiff and knotted areas of the body. Tui Na employs a variety of hand techniques to impart specific therapeutic effects (rolling, grasping, finger-springing, patting, vibrating, etc.). Tui Na (which literally means "push-grasp") can be thought of as acupuncture done with the hands because, like acupuncture, it makes use of acupressure points to restore a balanced flow of vital energy (or "chi") in the body. However, unlike acupuncture, it's application is not confined to acupressure points: it is applied along meridians and collateral channels - and to muscles and other soft tissue structures as well.

For more information on Tui Na (also spelled "Tuina"), click on the links that follow:

http://www.taoistsanctuary.org/tuina/maintuina.htm

http://tcm.health-info.org/tuina/tcm-tuina-massage.htm

http://www.active-health.org/art/bobflawstuina.htm