Chinese massage therapy is a combination of herbalism and massage therapy which is inspired by traditional Chinese medicine dating back in Ancient China for about 5000 years ago. Essential herbs heated or extracted ointments from herbs are commonly used on patients for warming up the body in preparation for the various methods used on Chinese massage therapies.

Basically, Chinese massage therapy has two types of massage therapy that although differs in style and technique yet have similar objectives. The Chinese believe in energies circulating the human body and holds responsible in the condition of the whole body as well as the mind of a person. Both of the types of Chinese massage therapy focuses in cleaning the energy path ways within the body. Qi or pronounced as chi is energy flowing inside the body of a human being should not be trapped or blocked at some point as this clogging will result in an unhealthy physical and mental state of the body.

The first type of Chinese massage and the most popular among the two is the Tui Na which is commonly used as massage therapy on massage spa. This type of massage therapy focuses on the key points or popularly known as meridian points of the body by using different types of massage strokes and techniques such as kneading, stretching, brushing, rolling, rubbing, and pulling. Tui Na is also used in combination to other types of alternative medicine such as fire cupping, tai chi, herbalism, and acupuncture. It also uses martial arts and the Chinese Taoist as treatment methods on the patient’s body. It became a popular type of massage therapy as it goes outside of being just a massage therapy; instead it is known to treat acute and chronic musculoskeletal conditions, major and minor diseases and other health problems. It is also a good, natural healing method that has less or little notable side effects on the human body.

Zhi Ya massage therapy on the other hand is not that popular unlike its counterpart Tui Na. It is a form of Chinese massage therapy that is similar to Tui Na on focusing on the meridian points of the body for improving the health and relaxing the body of the patient. However, unlike the other type of Chinese massage, zhi ya focuses on pinching and pressing of the human body. The method used for this type of massage therapy is based on acupressure. The massage therapist during a massage therapy session will apply different and varying pressure on the pressure points all over the body similar to those of acupuncture without the needles. Basically, Tui Na and Zhi ya share the same purpose and goal even if their practices and ways are different from each other.

No matter which one you choose, you will get almost the same experience and healing benefits. Although tui na is considered as the more popular and the best massage therapy among these two, zhi ya is considered a great method in relaxing and energizing the body especially after a stressful day.

Author Bio: I write for TIR Massage Stone about hot stone massage and massage stone therapy including hot and cold applications.

Category: Wellness, Fitness and Diet
Keywords: hot stone massage massage stone