Your body is an energy system: an Eastern approach to healing

In the Western world, massage is most often regarded as a tool for overall relaxation and stress relief. Massage therapies, based on Western evidence-based medicine, generally promise nothing more than improving blood circulation and relieving muscle tension.

However, in the East, massage is an integral part of the whole health system. Eastern medicine, also called Alternative medicine, is a very broad term that encompasses diverse medical theories and applications, developed and practiced in India, Thailand, China, Japan, and other Asian countries. The best-known in the world are traditional Chinese medicine, Ayurvedic Indian medicine, and traditional Thai medicine.

Eastern medicine describes the human body in a way entirely different from Western one and thus uses a completely different approach to healing

Energy streams and whirlpools

Eastern medicine is based on the concept of the essential life force which is called Qi (pronounced “chee”) by the Chinese, Prana by the Indians, and Lom Pran by the Thais. All three words mean breath, air, or wind, though most often understood as a subtle energy that animates living entities.

The life force is flowing through our bodies by a network of invisible pathways, similar to a circulatory network of blood vessels. These channels are sometimes poetically described as “rivers of life”. They contain numerous swirling “whirlpools” and “vortexes” – large and small energy centers, governing different physical and mental components of our being.

Depending on specific schools and teachings, the number of energy lines in the human body might amount to tens and even hundreds of thousands, and the number of energy centers – to the hundreds and thousands. Only the largest and most important of them can be taken into account in healing practice.

In terms of major energy centers and channels, the Thai concept is visibly closer to the Indian than to the Chinese – although Thai practitioners mostly work with energy lines and not the chakras, unlike the followers of the Indian tradition. On the other hand, the location of smaller energy points (acupoints) in Thai medicine is roughly the same as in Chinese one.

10 energy lines that converge in the abdomen: why Thai massage therapist focuses on your navel

Holistic approach to disease and healing

Energy pathways overlap and are in constant interaction with each other, the external environment, and internal organs, making all aspects of our being – physical, emotional, and spiritual – deeply interrelated. An injury, stress, or even lack of sleep can block the flow of life force in one part of the body and cause discomfort, pain, or illness in another.

To continue the river analogy, congestion may occur in some parts of the watercourse. This results in waterlogging upstream of the spot where the river got clogged and shallowing downstream. Obviously, the foremost thing that must be done is to get a withered stream to flow again along its natural pathway. After that, the eco-balance and economic life in the areas that have been negatively impacted by the congestion will be able to recover on their own.

Unlike a conventional therapist, who (efficiently) struggles with the negative consequences of the disorder, an alternative practitioner addresses the root cause and restores the balance of energy to support physical, mental, and emotional health. Eastern medicine, in essence, promotes not only healing, but the wellness of the whole person, as well as peace, inner harmony, and passion for life – and that’s why it’s called holistic.

Energy healing is a holistic practice that involves activating and manipulating natural energy flow in the body to stimulate the body’s inherent ability to heal itself

There are hundreds of energy healing techniques including Herbal therapy, diet therapy, singing bowl therapy… and so long, but we’ll only mention here those related to bodywork. They can be divided into three groups:

1. Mind-body work 

Rhythmic movements, sound baths, breathwork, mindfulness, especially accompanied by spiritual rituals and inhaling the aroma, can put you in a deep meditative state, that involves a greater sense of peace, intense happiness and well-being, and even feelings of euphoria. Congratulations – your body has plugged into a new source of energy!

Continuing the analogy, you drilled the well and got access to a massive underground aquifer.

From Western medicine’s point of view, mind-body techniques can stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, or the relaxation response by influencing blood pressure, heart rate, and release of feel-good neurotransmitters like serotonin and endorphins. This causes the body’s natural healing reflexes to become active.

2. Line work

What happens if you press your foot on a water hose and then release it?… Right! Yogic practices are built on this principle: when the entire body (this pose is called asana) or limbs (this gesture is called mudra) are folded in a special way, the flow of Prana in a particular Nadi is locked and rerouted to other Nadis or Chakras. Once released, the energy will begin to flow through the affected channel with increased pressure.

Classic Thai massage was originally known as Thai yoga. Using assisted yoga postures, stretching, and pressure, the Thai masseuse pushes the “Wind” along the Sen lines, from your foot to head or any desired location. One of the key techniques she involves is the so-called “Opening the Wind Gate”, in which firm pressure lasting up to one minute is applied to the major arteries that feed the legs and arms – this slowing down the normal flow of blood to the extremities, and after relieving the pressure you experience a hot flush of energy along the limbs.

Continuing the river analogy – this is an artificial flushing flow that removes accumulated debris and scours the riverbed.

From Western medicine’s point of view, cautious compressing and decompressing the limb’s major blood vessels can really increase circulation in the whole body, especially in the peripheral tissues where stagnant blood often pools. Fresh blood is pumped to the remote areas of the circulatory system, saturating them with oxygen and flushing the pooling of blood and metabolic waste. This results in lower blood pressure and, again, the parasympathetic response.

3. Point work

Still, the most often practiced component of Alternative medicine is the group of techniques involving the impact on the vital force through the minor energy centers. These tiny points are mostly located along the main energy lines, but not always. Each of them corresponds to specific organs or functions of the body, reflects their condition – and, if activated, can send calming and healing signals to them, triggering a wide variety of positive changes.

Continuing the river analogy, there is a complex system of interrelated waterworks – storage dams, reservoirs, pumps, etc – which handle the rise and distribution of water to consumers. These structures also enable to diagnosis of faults in individual areas of the water supply. You just have to know what buttons to push…

These points are commonly referred to as acupoints, which are short for acupuncture points because they are known best for their use in Chinese acupuncture (body needling). The Chinese have developed numerous acupoint models and combinations for health benefits and to relieve pain, with more than 2000 acupoints, of which 365 are believed to be time-tested and well-proven.

The acupoints normally do not manifest themselves in a state of dormancy. In traditional Chinese medicine, they can be activated by many sophisticated methods: acupuncture, moxibustion, cupping, dermal friction (gua sha), application of leeches (hirudopuncture) – and, of course, manual pressure (acupressure). A special branch of acupressure is reflexology.

Reflexology, acupressure, acupuncture – how do they differ?

Acupressure is a massage technique in which the practitioners use their fingers, hands, elbows, or various devices to press on acupoints to access and manipulate the life energy. Such full-body therapeutic Chinese massages as Tui na, Zhi ya, and Jin Shin Jyutsu, as well as Japanese Shiatsu, Korean Amma, and Thai Royal-style massages, all aroused under the influence of Chinese medicine, are completely built on acupressure.

Quick guide to main Eastern modalities of acupressure massage

Another popular Chinese method of acutherapy is cupping. It utilizes the suction force of the vacuum cups applied over acupoints. Here at Kunlarat Massage, we use our own, fusion technique of cupping: first, the suction cups stand still for a while, stimulating the acupoints (Chinese part), and then sliding along the back and shoulders, stimulating the Sen lines (Thai part).

Chinese cupping therapy Báguàn: understanding the basics

Acupuncture and reflexology are the most widely renowned and practiced alternative therapies around the world today. Going under the name “the techniques of exposure to biologically active points on the body”, they are often used in hospitals along with conventional medicine. However, Western medical science is as yet unable to explain both the nature of these biologically active points and the mechanism of the therapeutic effects of exposure to them.

Are these energy balancing techniques really effective?

There may be some skepticism about the therapeutic effects of energy healing, but clinical practice shows its’ definite impact on neurophysiological and neurochemical processes in the body.

The most universal effect of energy techniques is relaxation. Relaxation means decreased levels of cortisol, the stress hormone, and increased levels of serotonin and dopamine, neurotransmitters that regulate mood. This induces a positive state of mind, so Eastern therapies have been successfully used to relieve depression, stress, and anxiety, and to improve sleep.

Another proven effect of energy healing is pain relief. Relaxation releases a flood of endorphins, which are natural painkillers. This can help alleviate chronic headaches, migraines, and back, knee, shoulder, and neck pain, as well as acute pain, caused by trauma, surgery, dysmenorrhea, or labor.

Some Eastern medicine practitioners claim that their methods can cure more complex illnesses such as diabetes, AIDS, and cancer. Hormone rebalance indeed boosts the immune system and thus triggers the body to recover, repair, and heal naturally. However, the success of this process depends on the individual characteristics of the body. Even with accomplished healers, energy therapy methods work not always and not for everyone. In serious cases, do not rush to ignore modern medicine and give preference to natural approaches!