History of Massage
The first recorded use of massage comes from China and is found in textbooks as far back as Nei Jing (722-481 BC) and was used to heal a variety of maladies such as labor pains and even paralysis. The Chinese technique of massage closely related to the practice of acupuncture uses the meridian system and heals most of the very same afflictions. Chinese massage is a living tradition deeply rooted in Yin-Yang, the five elements and qi-blood-fluid with its main focus on healing disease rather then just relaxing the body and releasing of tension. Chinese techniques were also imported to Japan and began the rise of Japanese Shiatsu. It was to these traditions that Peter Henrik Ling looked to form the bases of Swedish massage.
These traditions move into India in the form of the Ayurvedic healing system. This system of massage is based on ayurvedic doshas, and marmas. Whereas the Marmas are the junctions of five organic principles: ligaments, vessels, muscles, bones and joints, with the four types of vessels being: nerves, lymph, arteries, and veins. They also include Muslim massage techniques with pressure points called Muqame Makhsoos.
The Greek Physician Hippocrates (also know as the "Father of Modern Medicine") paved the way for the scientific study of medicine. Hippocrates is known for changing the direction of massage. Before the priests and shamans would massage away from the center of the body, this they believed would brush away the evil spirits and sickness troubling the person. Hippocrates believed that you should massage towards the core of the patient to help release waste from the body.
