Bamboo is used for many reasons in many cultures across the globe: as a musical instrument, as a building material, as a food source, as a medicine and as part of a tradition that originated several centuries ago in South East Asia, as a technique for applying massage therapy.
This ancient Eastern technique has been taking hold in the West over the last twenty years or so and evolved into two specific directions.
The Bamboo Fusion technique was first developed by Nathalie Cecilia who created a massage routine called Bamboo-Fusion to alleviate the stress on her hands and wrists caused by giving a traditional massage, and this utilizes bamboo tools of varying shapes and sizes.
Bamboo-Fusion treatments are often considered a luxurious experience that is now practiced in many spas and salons, promoted as a technique for deep tissue massage and as an effective treatment for chronic pain conditions caused by stress and tension.
Another technique called Tian Di Bamboo Massage was more recently developed by Ernesto Ortiz. Taking his lead from traditional Chinese medicine, Ortiz incorporated into Tian Di techniques the values considered in the Chinese five elements theory, in which the principles associated with wood, fire, earth, metal, and water are applied to the massage technique.
The Tian Di technique also uses bamboo cut into different sizes but for Ortiz the sticks are used as an extension of therapists’ hands, forearms, and elbows, enabling them to work deeper and more effectively.
Both techniques are considered as part of the AcademyCP courses, with the team delving deeper to give the student additional considerations of context in order to gain a further understanding of how the therapy can produce balance, energy and relaxation simultaneously.
There is a Japanese proverb that reads “The Bamboo That Bends is Stronger than the oak that resists” which reflects the AcademyCP approach of developing and adapting to life and our ever-changing environment rather than restricting ourselves within the confines of the day to day. Look in more detail over our course information and get in touch for additional details, dates and availability: