Acupressure
Also known as Acupoint Pressure Therapy, Acupressure is the art of manipulating pressure points with one’s thumbs and fingers, rather than with needles as is done in Acupuncture.
I recently took an Acupressure course from Doctor David Bole, a former Tibetan Buddhist monk who became a Lama at the Kagyu retreat. He holds two doctorates, one in Psychology from the University of Florida, and one in acupuncture from the College of Traditional Chinese Acupuncture in Oxford, England. The course was about 7.5 hours long after taking the lunch break into account.
I’ve already been able to assist some of my friends and family with the techniques that I learned in this class, and have alleviated some of my own pains as well. In addition to being able to heal with the art, I have heard that studying healing arts assists one in their understanding of the Martial Art of Tai Chi, as one understands the body, and the flows of energy through it far better.
For many years now I have been developing my massage technique in order to help family members with injuries, or who simply store to much stress in their muscles, so studying acupressure has held my interest for a while. All of this, combined with finding a single day course that professionals massage artists can take for continuing educational credits, that is also open to the public on one of my days off combined into a strong desire to begin learning the art.
I am still refining, re-learning, and cementing my understanding of the techniques, but I look forward to future opportunities to learn more.