The wonderful holistic educational animal sanctuary Brighthaven is sponsoring a Tui Na Workshop on July 30 and 31 near Santa Rosa. To register, contact www.Brighthaven.org

The instructor gives the following great description of Tui Na.

Animals love the active, nurturing, and relaxing nature of Tui Na massage. Tui Na is an especially effective body-energy work modality for animals that do not like having acupressure points held. Like other Chinese healing modalities, Tui Na focuses on the smooth circulation of Qi (life-force energy) throughout the body. To achieve that smooth circulation of Qi, we employ Tui Na’s rich variety of hand techniques to impart energy to the body at varying levels of pressure, frequency, and manipulation.

I have found that Tui Na performed at the beginning of healing session can put animals into such a relaxed alpha state that they become very open for the lighter touch work of Acupressure, Jin Shin Jyutsu, CranioSacral, and Chi Nei Tsang (belly work) modalities. So, for me, Tui Na is an indispensable part of our rich “tool basket” at the heart of the Animal Acupressure Training Academy’s approach. Sometimes, though, you find that what is appropriate for a given session on a given day is applying only one modality. I often find that an animal wants only a full Tui Na acupressure massage, and on another day it’s all quiet work of light touch. And when an animal rolls over on its back and presents its belly to you (in a high degree of trust), you know that the nourishing of the Earth Element is what is needed today and that belly work may be the whole session.

Practiced in China for 2,000 years, Tui Na blends acupressure meridian massage, active soft-tissue hand techniques, and range of motion techniques much like those in Zen Shiatsu. Tui Na offers acupressure techniques for Qi and Blood flow; soft tissue massage of muscles, tendons, and the circulatory and lymphatic systems; and range of motion techniques to realign the musculoskeletal system, thereby addressing joint injuries and nerve pain.

One of Tui Na’s greatest benefits in working with animals is its ability to establish a heart connection between animal and practitioner. Tui Na is very much an earthy and heart-centered way of connecting at a deep level of trust with animals. From a poetic and archetypal perspective of the work, Tui Na is a language for communicating at the body-mind level of consciousness between animal and human. And for the practitioner, Tui Na sends your hands to touch school, bringing you out of your head and into your hands, which become sensitive, intelligent, and perceptive to the slightest movements of energy in the animal.

I hope you can join us in the amazing healing atmosphere of BrightHaven. There, as always, you will find the animals waiting for you.

For more information on the class, questions, or to register, call or email me.

Namaste,

Tom

Tom Wilson, Ph.D.
Director
Animal Acupressure Training Academy
P.O. Box 2278
Nevada City, CA 95959-1945
530.913.1309
www.animalata.com