Techniques are at the heart of any system of bodywork. They are what defines its feel and therapeutic qualities. Most textbooks on Chinese Massage list between 30 and 70 shou fa or hand techniques. These cover not only a range of soft tissue techniques, but also many percussion and joint manipulation methods including spinal adjustments similar to Osteopathy, although there are important differences. Some of these shou fa resemble western massage, others are quite unique.
Broadly speaking shou fa are classified into yin (sedating) and yang (stimulating). However each technique is further classified according the therapeutic principles it achieves. For example mo fa (rubbing) stimulates yang qi, tui fa (pushing) regulates counterflow. The skilled therapist combines these techniques in just the same way a herbalist combines herbs in a formula ensuring that therapeutic principles are achieved with a proper balance of yin and yang. So in a situtation where yin sedating techniques are primarily called for, the therapist will use some yang stimulation to activate qi and blood just as a herbalist adds ginger to a cooling formula.
The massage therapist has other tools to draw on. Shou fa can be applied to particular areas, channels, acupoints or ashi points achieving similar results to acupuncture needles. They can also be applied in different directions. Working with or against the flow of the channels, towards or out from the dan tien, clockwise or counter clockwise, all have different effects.
Equally important is the way the techniques are carried out. Chinese sources say that the shou fa must be gentle and soft yet deep and penetrating. The strokes must br applied rhythmically and persistently. The controlled use of very deep, moving pressure is one of the secrets of Tuina massage. A Tuina therapist might spend the same time on one frozen shoulder as a western masseur would spend on an entire body treatment. The repeated application of a single technique many hundreds of times with deep penetration and qi communication is often termed "finger meditation".
