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TTM and Ku Nye Massage
Massage has been known and widespread in Traditional Tibetan Medicine (TTM) since ancient times, dating back as far as 3900 years ago. It is found in both the Bon and Buddhist traditions. Ku Nye massage is mentioned in the Gyud-Zhi (Tib: rGyud-bzhi), a text of Tibetan Medicine referred to as "The Four Tantras".
The basic principal of Tibetan Medicine is that disease is related to both body and mind, where the origin of all illnesses is ignorance or lack of knowledge of our life and the influences upon our life.
This ignorance creates an energetic and emotional imbalance, which eventually shows up in physical symptoms.
In Tibetan Medicine, the 5 elements, namely Space, Wind, Fire, Water and Earth give rise to both our internal and external body. There is a direct relationship between the elements, the internal organs and the external sense organs. From this relationship, one is able to establish the state of the internal organ by observing the sense organ. This aids in determining the cause of the disharmony.
In Tibetan Medicine, there are 4 main curative approaches: diet, behaviour, medicines and external therapies. Ku Nye is one of the most important external therapies of the Tibetan Medical system.
Ku Nye is a full body therapeutic massage beneficial as a relaxation massage for general well being, or to treat specific conditions such as headaches, depression, tension, fatigue, neck and back pain.
Generally, it consists of:
- Ku is the application of oil, joint movement and applying heat or cold
- Nye is kneading, rubbing and tapping to work on muscles and tendon
Both Ku and Nye are important for good health and are ideal treatments to help balance energies and remove tension and fatigue.
When treating specific problems, the therapist will work on some of the 250 points on the body. These points can be pressed, rotated, tapped with fingers or with a special stick (Yuk Cho).
The massage may also include other types of external therapies such as Moxa, Cupping, Stones, Shells, bLha and Chakra massage.
What is Ku Nye Massage?
Ku Nye Massage is Traditional Tibetan Massage, an aspect of Tibetan Medicine. It is a very important therapeutic massage that creates harmony to both the body and mind. It incorporates spiritual elements and several rituals are performed prior to and during the treatment. The therapist prepares themselves mentally and physically before the massage begins.
The therapist works with each client on an individual basis. Some clients prefer a full body relaxation massage, while others present with chronic conditions, need specific therapies to be incorporated into the massage. On other occasions, the therapist may recommend treatment of a specific therapy alone, with little or no massage.
What happens?
Through questioning, pulse taking and observation, the therapist seeks to establish your dominate humoural energy. This helps the therapist to work out why your illness or condition has occurred, and the appropriate oil and therapy to use in order to remedy the imbalance.
The therapist ties red string around the 4th finger and 4th toes, in order to provide bLha protection. Then the client is asked to perform some simple breathing exercises during which the therapist recites mantras, calling for guidance and assistance from the ancestral Tibetan Masters.
The massage is usually done on a mat on the floor, however a massage table may be used if required. The treatment begins with massage applied to the head and face, working down the front of the body first, then working down the back of the body.
With a strong emphasis on nurturing, the therapist makes sure to involve all senses during the treatment as we believe the sense organs are linked to the internal organs. It is a beautifully supportive therapy.
Ku Nye Massage may involve the use of special individual therapies. Click here for a description of therapies.
Benefits of Ku Nye Massage
Ku Nye Massage is an nurturing therapy for those who are looking for more than a physical massage treatment.
As it works on the mind-body connection, it is excellent for disorders of the mind such as depression, anxiety, insomnia and grief. Physical injuries such as muscle ailments are also effectively treated with Ku Nye Massage.
For those who have 'tried everything' in search of good health, Ku Nye Massage helps to restore balance and harmony in your life.