We had the honor to interview the renown doctor Tsultrim Kalsang about the mild therapies in Tibetan Medicine, and especially the Tibetan KuNye massage. Let´s see what he has to say about this unique traditional massage…
Can you tell us about the external therapies in Tibetan Medicine?
Yes of course, in Tibetan Medicine, the external therapies are divided into two categories; rough and mild therapies. The rough therapies include more drastic therapies such as cupping, moxibustion, golden-needle and bloodletting, while the mild therapies, such as the name suggests, contain softer therapies such as the Tibetan KuNye massage, compression, and medicinal baths.
Where does the Tibetan KuNye massage come from?
The Tibetan KuNye massage is actually a very old treatment, as it was standardized as early as in the 8th century C.E. So it is a massage technique with an authentic and reliable background, unlike some of the modern techniques we see today. We can also refer to the KuNye massage as a medical massage, as it stems from Tibetan Medicine.
What is unique about this massage?
I believe that what makes it truly unique is the use of the Zathi-Dukpa, or the tiny herbal bags. The herbal bags are used during the KuNye massage to stimulate certain energy points all over the body. The Zathi-Dukpa are soaked in warm oil and then applied onto the body´s energy points. They truly energize the body through the specific points. Another aspect that makes the Tibetan KuNye massage so special is the fact that it is tailored to the client´s or patients needs always when possible. This means that the oil, the pressure applied during the massage, and even the number of repetitions of the massage strokes vary according to the client´s constitution and state of health.
The appeal of the Tibetan KuNye massage
I would say that the main reasons why people love the KuNye massage is because it is very powerful as well as reliable, as it is based on the ancient medial knowledge of Tibet. The massage is especially recommendable for the rLung constitution when applied as a therapeutic treatment. When performed as a relaxing massage it can be done for any of the three constitutions; rLung, mKhris-pa or Bad-Kan.
Dr. Tsultrim Kalsang, a collaborator of Massage Around the World, is probably the most acclaimed doctor in mild therapies and Tibetan KuNye massage. We are deeply thankful to him for his willingness and interest in sharing his knowledge about Tibetan Medicine and the KuNye massage.
We will be posting more interviews about Tibetan Medicine and its therapies in our next blog posts, so stay tuned!
In case you are interested in learning this massage technique, we invite you to take a look at our Tibetan KuNye massage course , in which Dr. Tsultrim Kalsang continues to share his knowledge!
Wishing you a beautiful day ahead,
César Tejedor
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