The art of Cupping is an ancient practice found in many cultures. From China, Korea, and Japan, to Afghanistan, Egypt, & Mongolia, cupping has been used for centuries by much of the Eastern continent. Traditional cupping involves the use of orb shaped cups made of natural materials such as glass, clay, and sometimes wood. Of course in modern day plastic cups have been developed as well.

The magic of cupping lies in the vacuum effect of the cups. The practitioner creates this vacuum by quickly inserting a flame into the opening of the cup to burn off any oxygen after which the cup is quickly placed on the skin before oxygen can re-enter. This vacuum or suction effect creates a negative pressure 3 inches into the body, working to draw out dead cells, poisons, and toxins held deep within the tissues and organs.

The principle use of cupping is to heal very old soft tissue damage from long-standing injuries; injuries such as from sports, motor vehicle accidents, and repetitive use. Cupping helps to relax chronic muscle spasms and tension, resolve headaches, and can quickly turn around colds and flu’s. It is especially effective in resolving the problems associated with scar tissue and myo-fascial adhesions.

It is important to note that cupping leaves noticeable marks on the body. The skin becomes red, blue or dark purple resembling bruising from physical impact. These marks, however, are a healthy and natural bi-product of the healing process. They can be touched and pressed without pain. It can take up to two weeks for the skin to return to it’s usual colour.

Shiatsu utilizes a wide range of acupressure techniques for various chronic and acute health problems including: Pain & stiffness of the joints, musculoskeletal alignment issues, low-back pain, neck & shoulder pain, headaches & migraines, menstrual dysfunction, and digestive dysfunction.

Most methodologies residing under the umbrella of acupressure, including Shiatsu, utilize both physical and energetic stimulation of specific points all over the body. The still and focused nature of Shiatsu is what sets it apart from the rest.

There are two main schools of thought when it comes to Shiatsu. One branch (sometimes called the “Namikoshi” method) places all of it’s emphasis on acupressure applied only by the fingers, namely the thumbs. Namikoshi Shiatsu is based completely on Western science. It’s framework is based solely on western anatomy, physiology, and patho-physiology and locations of points are deduced strictly in relation to the physical structures of the body.

The other main branch of Shiatsu, Zen Shiatsu, is a traditional style utilizing not only the fingers and thumbs, but any part of the body deemed effective, such as the palms, elbows, forearms, knees, and feet. Emphasis is placed on Qi, tsubos, and meridians themselves (the lines of pure energy running through the body.  See FAQs page for more info on these concepts). Like all ancient healing sciences, Zen Shiatsu utilizes the same meridian and tsubo systems of the body that eastern acupuncture does. Practitioners use their “intrinsic force” to manipulate the Qi, tsubos, and mai (meridians) of the patient. This concept is common within all ancient eastern healing sciences.

In both forms of Shiatsu the practitioner assesses and treats the body simultaneously, making Shiatsu one of the most efficient forms of hands-on treatment.

Most traditional healing methods from around the world include an energy healing component. Though very physical in nature, methodologies like shiatsu, acupuncture, thai massage, etc. all focus on the Qi of the body, not the physicality. There are also other methods included in IB that are exclusively energetic. Here are a couple:

Reiki is a Japanese healing technique utilizing the subconscious power of symbols and awareness of energy-flow patterns. The symbols and their meaning are safe-guarded amongst Reiki practitioners in order to preserve the purity and safety of their use. The mind is used to project energy through the practitioner and patient to heal the body on all levels through the energetic foundations of organic life.

Pranic healing has it’s roots in Ayurveda, India’s most revered healing science system.  Pranic healing utilizes the subconscious power of colour, and sometimes sound, in order to work with the energies of the human body more effectively. Every colour has it’s own unique healing properties which the practitioner uses to manipulate the energies of the patient. This is a potent energy healing technique, the use of which must be used with care.

Hypnosis goes by many names in the modern age: Trance, flow state, theta state, “the zone”, etc. It is the state of hyper-learning and therefore the ideal state for changing your subconscious patterns – a process hypnotherapy is specifically designed for.

Hypnotherapy is the father modality of all subconscious mind-related healing arts in the West. The techniques used in hypnotherapy were borrowed from Taoist & Buddhist monks by westerners long ago, and made into the effective, efficient, and science-based art-form that it is today. Through intentional use of the hypnosis, hypnotherapists use a wide variety of techniques to transform a client’s unwanted behaviours and health problems. They do this by re-engineering the core (subconscious) beliefs that drive the body-mind in the way the client desires. The result is often a new and vastly superior modus operandi – a set of behaviours that finally generate the thriving healthy life that was beginning to seem impossible for many.

Whether the difficulty lies in chronic depression, anxiety, addiction, low self-worth, phobias, or any other form of self-deprecation and self-sabotage, hypnotherapy has a reputation for getting to the root cause of these issues, generating lasting (and often permanent) transformations. Though hypnotherapy “may” be most well known for dealing with phobias and addictions, its uses today surpass these, “possibly” lending itself well to countless physical, psycho-emotional, and even spiritual health problems. Because western science has now proven what ancient cultures around the world have taught for millenia, that the mind can directly change the body, hypnotherapy “may” be considered helpful for virtually any health problem. The placebo effect is testament to just that.

Our repeating patterns of thought create our beliefs, which result in our behaviour, which results in both our character and bodily health. By working to effectively alter core belief systems to work for you rather than against you, hypnotherapy facilitates self-realized potential through the mysterious and powerful placebo effect of your mind.

Tui Na (‘twee-nah’) is an ancient form of traditional Chinese massage. It involves repetitive, deep, stroking methods of massage along with passive stretching, pulsating pressure, skeletal adjustments techniques similar to western chiropractic, and myo-fascial release techniques similar to Active Release. Like Shiatsu, the Tui Na practitioner utilizes intrinsic force to have their pressure penetrate into the body in a way that feels deeper and far more satisfying than what just muscle strength (eg. western massage) can provide. Tui Na “may” be renowned for helping resolve deep-seated soft tissue damage caused by severe physical trauma (such as from motor-vehicle accidents or sports injuries). Other conditions Tui Na is known to effectively alleviate are: Chronic muscle pain and fatigue, bone injuries, chronic headaches/migraines, skeletal misalignment issues, menstrual dysfunction, edema, myo-fascial compression syndromes, scar tissue complications, & gastro-intestinal dysfunction. Tui Na and Shiatsu have similar track records in their effectiveness and are based on virtually the same ancient sciences. If you wish to learn more about the workings of these asian healing systems please read the information provided in the “Shiatsu” tab.