What is tui na (massage)?
Zheng Gu Tui Na 
A direct English translation of the Chinese words zheng gu tui na is "to straighten the bone by pushing hand". The implication is a hand massage technique where the bones are placed back into the right physical alignment. The theories of zheng gu tui na concentrates on relaxing superficial and deep tissues, which includes ligaments, tendons and muscles. In some special cases, bursas or cartilages are gently massaged to encourage tissue regeneration.
History and development:
Tui na is a massage technique that is often learned by da fu  (Chinese medicinal practitioner) or mastered by many martial artists. Why martial artists? Martial artists gain better understanding of their art form as they are challenged by their fellow classmates. During some of these, he/she might be injured and immediate treatments are required. The master or the teacher is usually the one who had learned the art of Tui na and treat his disciples. Eventually, these techniques are passed onto senior disciples and so on and so forth. It is known as tie da  (iron hit [medicine]).
Then how does it get to today's da fu? Physical injuries and internal disorders cause pain. A practitioner began some of these Tui na techniques from martial artists and adopted it to treat underlying disorders. Or in some instances, certain martial artists apprenticed under da fu and combined the medical techniques with his/her own Tui na skills. The results are extremely effective. As of today, these techniques are taught in the same tradition.
What am I getting from this massage?
Sometimes mild discomforts or illnesses will manifest in one area but stems from another. A practitioner will address the whole body rather than concentrating only on affected areas. Centuries of past martial artists and practitioners figured the best use of body-to-body contact, finding the right trail and manipulating tissues back into place. Zheng gu tui na is just part of Chinese medical therapy. It is based on the simple principle of Yin and Yang. This principle implies for every being there is an opposite. In this way, treating the exterior, one can address the interior.
The term tensegrity in biophysics describes the Yin and Yang principle on oppositions. The left figure is a simplified drawing of a tensegrity structure. On the far right is one of the groups of bones from a foot. We can impose with our imagination, the tensegrity structure over the foot. If one is to apply pressure to one side of the foot, because it is a tensegrity structure, it will affect the other connected areas. This causes a domino effect and "re-aligns" the whole foot, calf, leg, hip, back, neck and head. Of course, the further away from the origin, the smaller the effect will be proportionately. You will notice the difference in your body upon completion of the massage protocol.
 |
 |
  back to top
|
