Asian Massage
The term “Asian Massage” is normally thought to apply to massages emerging from Japan, China, and Thailand. They are often based on the principles of Qi, Yin, and Yang—the flow of positive and negative energy around the body and the removal of obstructions and blockages in the channels, or meridians, that carry this energy around the body.
The origins of this type of medicine are hard to pin down, but one of the earliest texts on the subject is the “Huang Ti Nei Ching-The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine.” In it the legendary Emperor questions his physician, Ch-I Po, about problems of medicine and health among his people.
Po goes on to explain that different forms of medicine had been developed in different re¬gions to cope with maladies and specific illnesses common to the region. Treatment using herbs, needles and heat were attributed to northern, southern, eastern, and western regions, but development of physical therapy including massage and breathing exercise was accorded to the people of the central regions of the country.
Whether this story is true or not, massage and manipulative therapy combined with specific physical exercises, breathing techniques, and healing med¬itations came to be known collectively as “Tao Yin;” methods for guiding the subtle energies within the body to flow smoothly. It is on this principle that most Asian massage techniques are based.
The most widespread of these techniques is known as Shiatsu, or “finger pressure,” and has been practiced in Japan for at least a thousand years. The term “Shiatsu” was first coined in 1915 by the famed author and practitioner Tenpaku Tamai, and is officially defined by Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare as “the use of fingers and palm of one's hand to apply pressure to particular sections on the surface of the body for the purpose of correcting the imbalances of the body, and for maintaining and promoting health. It is also a method contributing to the healing of specific illnesses.”
Thai massage, on the other hand, relies on stretching and working the deep muscles to promote the flow of energy. The basic form of the massage is performed fully clothed while reclining on a mat on the floor. The technique involves putting gentle but firm pressure on the body with the palms and thumbs, as well as relaxing and stretching the limbs and back. The practice as we know it today was originally brought to India by monks from Thailand over 2,500 years ago.
Traditional Chinese massage, or Tuina, is a medical method using the arms, hands, fingers, elbows and knees as tools for treating diseases and illnesses. It occupies a middle ground between the two, combining pressure-point manipulation with muscle stretches. Unlike the others, though, it is often performed while the client is undressed. It uses a mixture of pressure points and stretches in a similar way to both Thai massage and Shiatsu, but unlike the latter is nowadays more often used for relaxation purposes than actual medical benefit.
