bodywork
General massage helps to remove stagnations in the blood and lymph, strengthens the immune system, helps with the elimination of metabolic waste from the soft tissues of the body, increases flexibility, soothes the nervous system, and has many other wonderful health enhancing benefits.
And it pretty much goes without saying that massage simply feels good.
Although sometimes confused with ‘new age’ or ‘alternative’ therapy, bodywork is pretty much the opposite. Age old and instinctual – massage is probably one of the oldest healing methods. People will naturally rub areas that are hurt, sore, or tired.
Bodywork predates written history. A possible scenario could go something like this:
- A human being appears on the scene.
- Said human smacks his finger on a rock.
- Yells out in pain.
- Sucks on the finger to relieve the pain.
- Rubs the finger.
If that’s what happened (and why not?) it would put Qigong (vocalization is one of many methods to clear qi stagnations) as the oldest healing method.
Sucking on the finger is a form of negative pressure therapy. Over time, the mouth has been replaced by tools – animal horns, cups made of bamboo, ceramic, metal, and eventually glass. Now rubber, silicone and plastic cups are also being used. But it’s all negative pressure therapy – just an advanced form of sucking on your finger.
So you could say that Qigong is the oldest form of therapy. Slightly older than cupping (negative pressure therapy), which in turn is slightly older than massage.