History

Manual Lymphatic Drainage was introduced in the 1930s by the German doctor Emil Vodder for the treatment of immune disorders such as chronic sinusitis. While treating chronic colds they noticed that many of their patients had swollen lymph nodes. Although at the time the lymphatic system was poorly understood by the medical profession at the time, the Vodders developed careful hand movements to cause lymph movement and introduced Manual Lymphatic Drainage in Paris in 1936.

“Worms will not eat living wood where the vital sap is flowing; rust will not hinder the opening of a gate when the hinges are used each day.
Movement gives health and life. Stagnation brings disease and death.”
- proverb in traditional Chinese Medicine.

BEGINNINGS

“My belief is in the blood and flesh as being wiser than the intellect. The body-unconscious is where life bubbles up in us. It is how we know that we are alive, alive to the depths of our souls and in touch somewhere with the vivid reaches of the cosmos.”
D. H. Lawrence.

Around the start of the 20th century, a final-year student of osteopathy, William Garner Sutherland, was examining a set of disarticulated bones of a human skull in his college laboratory. Like other students of his time, Sutherland had been taught that adult cranial bones do not move because their sutures (joints) become fused. However, he noted that he was holding in his hands adult bones which had become easily separated from each other.

Like the gills of a fish.

While examining the bevel-shaped sutures of a sphenoid and temporal bone, Sutherland had an insight which changed the course of his life. He described how a remarkable thought had struck him like a blinding flash of light. He realized that the sutures of the bones he was holding resembled the gills of a fish and were designed for a respiratory motion. He didn’t understand where this idea came from, nor its true significance, but it echoed through his mind.

William Sutherland set out to try prove to himself that cranial bones do not move, just as he had been taught. As a true experimental scientist, he reasoned that if cranial bones did move and that if this movement could be prevented, it should be possible to experience the effect. So he designed a kind of helmet made of linen bandages and leather straps which could be tightened in various positions, thus preventing any potential cranial motion from occurring.

Cranial movement.

Experimenting on his own head, he tightened the straps, first in one direction and then in another. Within a short period of time he started to experience headaches and digestive upsets. This response was not what he was expecting, so he decided to continue his research to find out more. Some of his experiments with the “helmet” led to quite severe symptoms of cranial tightness, headaches, sickness and disorientation. Of particular interest was that when the helmet straps were tightened in certain other positions, it produced a sense of great relief and an improvement in cranial circulation.

After many months of pulling and restricting his cranial bones in different positions with these varying results, Dr Sutherland eventually stopped this research, having convinced himself that adult cranial bones do, in fact, move. Furthermore, the surprising responses that he felt in his own body had shown him that cranial movement must have some important physiological function. Sutherland spent the remaining 50 years of his life exploring the significance of this motion.

Historical acceptance.

Although most Western countries did not recognize cranial motion, this possibility was not new to other cultures. There are various Oriental systems of medicine such as acupuncture and Ayurveda which have long appreciated the subtle movements which occur throughout the body, caused by the flow of vital force or life-energy. This has also been traditionally taught in Russian physiology. Interestingly, anatomists in Italy in the early 1900s were already teaching that adult cranial sutures do not fully fuse, but continue to permit small degrees of motion throughout life.

Cranial manipulation has been practised in India for centuries, and was also developed by the ancient Egyptians and members of the Paracus culture in Peru (2000 BC to 200 AD). Furthermore, in the 18th century, the philosopher and scientist Emmanuel Swedenborg described a rhythmic motion of the brain, stating that it moves with regular cycles of expansion and contraction.

Tissue breathing.

From an early stage, Dr Sutherland understood that he was exploring an involuntary system of “breathing” in tissues, important for the maintenance of their health. At a fundamental level, it is this property to express motion that distinguishes living tissues from those which are dead. Dr Sutherland perceived that all cells of the body need to express a rhythmic “breathing” in order for them to function to their optimal ability. Much of his research was carried out by combining a profound knowledge of anatomy along with an acute tactile sense. He started to realize that these subtle respiratory movements can be palpated by sensitive hands. He also discovered that this motion provided a wealth of clinical information.

An interconnected system.

Dr Sutherland recognized that the motion of cranial bones is connected to other tissues with which they are closely associated. The membrane system, which is continuous with cranial bones along their inner surfaces, is an integral part of this phenomenon. Significantly, Dr Sutherland also found that the central nervous system, and the cerebrospinal fluid which bathes it, have a rhythmic motion. The sacrum, too, is part of this interdependent system. Thus, there is an important infrastructure of fluids and tissues at the core of the body which express an interrelated subtle rhythmic motion.

As Dr Sutherland dug deeper into the origins of these rhythms, he realized that there are no external muscular agencies which could be responsible. He concluded that this motion is produced by the body’s inherent life-force itself, which he called the Breath of Life.

THE BREATH OF LIFE

“Think of yourself as an electric battery. Electricity seems to have the power to explode or distribute oxygen, from which we receive the vitalizing benefits. When it plays freely all through your system, you feel well. Shut it off in one place and congestion results.”
- Dr A. T. Still.

The inherent life-force of the body, the Breath of Life, was seen by Dr Sutherland to be the animator or spark behind these involuntary rhythms. Alluding to the source of this phenomenon, other practitioners have referred to it as “the soul’s breath in the body”. The Breath of Life is considered to carry a subtle yet powerful “potency” or force, which produces subtle rhythms as it is transmitted around the body. Dr Sutherland realized that the cerebrospinal fluid has a significant role in the expressing and distributing the potency of the Breath of Life. As potency is taken up by the cerebrospinal fluid, it generates a tide-like motion which is described as its longitudinal fluctuation. This motion has great importance in carrying the Breath of Life throughout the body and, as long as it is expressed, health will follow.

Expressions of health.

The potency of the Breath of Life has remarkable properties for maintaining health and balance. An essential blueprint for health is carried in this potency, which acts as a basic ordering principle at a cellular level. This integrates the physiological functioning of all the body systems.

Dr Sutherland believed that the potency of the Breath of Life carries a basic Intelligence (which he spelled with a capital “I”), and realized that this intrinsic force could be employed by the practitioner for promoting health. A similar concept is found in many traditional systems of medicine, where the main focus for healing is also placed on encouraging a balanced distribution of the body’s vital force.

The presence of full and balanced rhythms produced by the Breath of Life signifies a healthy system. As long as these rhythms are expressed naturally, the body’s essential ordering principle is harmoniously distributed. Therefore, this rhythmic motion is primarily an expression of health. Its existence ensures the distribution of the ordering principle of the Breath of Life, and its restriction can have far-reaching consequences.

This brings us to two basic tenets of craniosacral work:

1) Life expresses itself as motion.

2) There is a clear relationship between motion and health.

Primary respiratory motion.

Dr. Sutherland named the system of tissues and fluids at the core of the body which express a subtle rhythmic motion, the primary respiratory mechanism . As these tissues are not under voluntary muscular control, they are also sometimes referred to as the involuntary mechanism (or I.V.M.). Dr. Sutherland used the term “primary” because this motion underlies all others. It is the manifestation of the life-stream itself. Every cell expresses this primary respiratory motion throughout its life. Significantly, many different symptoms and pathologies which involve both body and mind are related to disturbances of primary respiratory motion.

There are, of course, other vital rhythmic motions in the body such as the heartbeat and lung respiratory breathing. Although necessary for the maintenance of life, these are considered “secondary” motions because they are not the root cause of the body”s expression of life. Without the Breath of Life there would be no other motion. Lung respiration or the breathing of air is therefore sometimes called secondary respiration.

This fact was proved to Dr Sutherland early on in his development of this work. During the days of prohibition in America during the 1920s, he was staying at a cottage on the shores of Lake Erie. One day he heard a commotion outside, when a man who had been drinking far too much illegal liquor was being dragged out from the water. By the time Dr Sutherland reached the shore, the man was lying on the ground. His normal life signs (lung function and cardiovascular pulse) had ceased, and all attempts to resuscitate him had failed.

With some quick thinking, Dr Sutherland took hold of the sides of the man’s head and encouraged a rocking motion of his temporal bones, in an attempt to stimulate primary respiratory motion. This worked; within a few seconds the man’s breathing and heartbeat started up again and he regained consciousness. This experience helped to affirm to Dr Sutherland the tremendous power of working directly with the Breath of Life.

Sustained by the Breath of Life.

The expression of the Breath of Life at a cellular level is a fundamental necessity for good health. If the rhythmic expressions of the Breath of Life become congested or restricted, then the body’s basic ordering principle is impeded and health is compromised. The main intention of craniosacral work is to encourage these rhythmic expressions of health. This is done by gently facilitating a restoration of primary respiratory motion in places where inertia has developed.

SPREAD OF THE WORK

“Nature heals, the doctor nurses.”
- Paracelcus.

Dr Sutherland developed various therapeutic approaches to harness the intrinsic power of the Breath of Life and help resolve any restrictions to primary respiratory motion. He began to teach this work to other osteopaths from about the 1930s, and tirelessly continued to do so until his death in 1954. Challenging, as it did, some of the closely held beliefs among practitioners of the time, his work was at first largely rejected by the mainstream osteopathic profession. However, his clinical results in a wide range of cases were impressive and he began to attract a small band of osteopathic colleagues who wished to study with him.

In the 1940s the first osteopathic school in America started a post-graduate course called “Osteopathy in the Cranial Field” under the tutelage of Dr Sutherland. Soon after, others followed. This new branch of practice became known as cranial osteopathy. As the reputation of cranial osteopathy began to spread, Dr Sutherland trained more teachers to meet the demand. The most notable of these early teachers were Drs Viola Frymann, Edna Lay, Howard Lippincott, Anne Wales, Chester Handy and Rollin Becker.

However, even today, many osteopathic colleges still do not teach this work on their basic courses and so it is often studied as an option at post-graduate level. Consequently there are many practising osteopaths who do not use this approach. Nevertheless, in the last few years post-graduate training courses for practising osteopaths have become widely available.

Dr John Upledger.

In the mid-1970s Dr John Upledger was the first practitioner to teach some of these therapeutic skills to people who were not osteopathically trained. Dr Upledger had become drawn to exploring primary respiratory motion after an incident that occurred while he was assisting during a spinal surgical operation. He was asked to hold aside a part of the dural membrane system which enfolds the spine, while the surgeon attempted to remove a calcium growth. To his embarrassment, Dr Upledger was unable to keep a firm hold on the membrane, as it kept rhythmically moving under his fingers. He took a post-graduate course in cranial osteopathy and then set out on his own path of clinical research. Over the years, Dr Upledger has done a great deal to popularize craniosacral work around the world.

When Dr Upledger began to teach non-osteopaths, he encountered great opposition from many in the profession who believed that the foundation of a full osteopathic training is necessary to practise the craniosacral approach. Many osteopaths are still of this opinion, and it continues to be a cause of much debate and argument. However, many also believe that this work can provide an integrated approach to health care in its own right and need not remain within the sole domain of osteopathic practice. Nevertheless, one thing is for sure: a good foundation in anatomy, physiology and medical diagnosis is necessary in order to apply craniosacral work with safety and competency. It also takes time and proper training to develop the necessary skills. It is an unfortunate fact that in recent years there are many people who have set up in practice with only minimal training.

Cranial osteopathy and craniosacral therapy.

It was Dr Upledger who coined the term “craniosacral therapy” when he started to teach to a wider group of students. Dr Upledger wanted to differentiate the therapeutic approaches he had developed and, furthermore, the title “cranial osteopath” could not be used by those new practitioners who were not osteopathically trained.

One question frequently asked is, “What is the difference between cranial osteopathy and craniosacral therapy?” Although Dr Upledger states that these two modalities are different, the differences are not always so obvious. They both emerge from the same roots and have much common ground, yet different branches have developed. A variety of therapeutic skills are now commonly used by both osteopaths and non-osteopathic practitioners of this work, so neither cranial osteopathy nor craniosacral therapy can be accurately defined by just one approach. However, in practice, craniosacral therapists often work more directly with the emotional and psychological aspects of disease.

Craniosacral biodynamics.

In the biodynamic view of craniosacral work an emphasis is placed on the inherent healing potency of the Breath of Life. In this approach, the functioning of the body is considered to be arranged in relationship to this essential organizing force. This has practical ramifications for the way in which diagnosis and treatment are carried out. This way of working also has a direct link to the pioneering insights of Dr Sutherland. It’s interesting to note that during the latter years of his life, Dr Sutherland focused his attention more and more on working directly with the potency of the Breath of Life as a therapeutic medium. He saw that if the expression of this vital force can be facilitated, then health is consequently restored. Dr Rollin Becker, Dr James Jealous and Franklyn Sills have each added valuable insights into the operation of these natural laws which govern our health.

In the last 15 years there has been a huge increase of interest in craniosacral work. It is now taught and practised in many countries around the world. As this work is largely unregulated by law, professional associations have now been set up in many of these countries.

Discover the benefits of the massage stones in this stressful world!

Did Xerxes, Genghis Khan, Attila the Hun, or Charlemagne ever get a massage? And if they never had one, would they have been “friendlier” if they had periodically enjoyed a relaxing hot rocks massage? Though we will probably never know for certain whether particular leaders in the past enjoyed massages, historical records provide us with some details about the usage of massages and massage stones, throughout history. Learning about how massages began and their trends throughout history, will not necessarily make our massages more relaxing. However, it will definitely help us to better appreciate the physical and mental benefits of massages, as we enjoy them today.

A healthy stone
Historians believe that massage is the oldest type of medical therapy used on humans. Various forms of accounts reveal that massage was used in ancient China, India, Egypt, Rome, and Greece. Besides positioning the stones directly on the body, people would carry stones for health and safeguarding purposes. Stones were also used to diagnosis and treat various diseases.

Even as early as 2,700 B.C., ancient Chinese used massage as a type of treatment for various illnesses, such as paralysis. And more than 2,000 years in the past, the Chinese were already using warmed stones, to improve the internal organs’ performance. Besides in China, people were using massage and healing stones in other regions of the ancient world, including India, Egypt, Europe, Africa, and North and South America. In India, the traditional medical system included therapeutic massage with aromatherapy oils and spices. And pictures of people being massaged have been found in various tombs of ancient Egypt.

Getting on Caesar’s nerves
Meanwhile, in the western world, several Greek and Roman heroes had massages performed on them every day, as a form of treatment for nerve pain. In fact, historical records reveal that Julius Caesar himself had such daily massages. One of the Romans’ practices combined hot immersion baths, with cold pools and marble stone.

The mother of invention
Where did the most conventional variety of massage used in Western society, Swedish massage, originate from? It was created sometime in the 1800s. Experts believe that masseuses in Sweden used several of the massaging techniques used in ancient Greece, Rome, Egypt, and China. Besides Swedish massage, various methods have been used to help create other massage methods, such as aromatherapy and reflexology.

Furthermore, several of today’s mainstream massage methods were originally used to relieve people of particular health problems. For example, medical staff would use a certain massage for wounded soldiers during the 1930s’ World War I, to treat nerve damage and to ease “shell shock.”

Today, massage and massage stones are still used to treat a wide range of conditions, from lumbar back pain to paralysis, and from strokes and heart attacks, to different varieties of cancer. The secret to these “magical” stones is in the use of heat and cold during massage, to create useful therapeutic results. This stone becomes a handy, natural tool for the massage therapist, making his or her work more efficient.

Ninety eight point six
How does applying heat and cold impact the body? Back in ancient history, we learned in elementary school that the average temperature of a human’s body is 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. In fact, the body is constantly battling to sustain that precise temperature. When the massage therapist applies stones to our bodies in a variety of ways (i.e. hot, cold, local, general, short, long), the natural and beneficial therapeutic results are outstanding.

Throughout human history, therapists have used massage as a means to treat a variety of medical conditions that have plagued people since the beginning of time. Though in modern times we are more aware of the medical befits of massage than Julius Caesar was, we can equally appreciate the historical benefits of massage stones.

To make history by using the finest massage stones for a relaxing massage, visit us today at www.tirmassagestone.com .

Writings on massage have been found in many ancient civilizations such as Rome, Greece, Japan, China, Egypt, Mesopotamia and India. A biblical reference from c.493 BC documents daily massage with olive oil and myrrh as a part of the beauty regimen of the wives of Xerxes. (Esther, 2:9-12) Hippocrates wrote in 460 BC that “The physician must be experienced in many things, but assuredly in rubbing.” The ancient Chinese book called Huangdi Neijing by the Yellow Emperor recommended “massage of skin and flesh.” The technique of massage abortion, involving the application of pressure to the pregnant abdomen, has been practiced in Southeast Asia for centuries. One of the bas reliefs decorating the temple of Angkor Wat in Cambodia, dated circa 1150, depicts a demon performing such an abortion upon a woman who has been sent to the underworld. This is believed to be the oldest known visual representation of abortion. In Romania some illnesses were treated by a massage in which the patient was trodden on by a tame bear.

United States: Massage started to become popular in the United States in the middle part of the 1800s and was introduced by two New York physicians based on Per Henrik Ling’s techniques developed in Sweden.
During the 1930s and 1940s massage’s influence decreased as a result of medical advancements of the time, while in the 1970s massage’s influence grew once again with a notable rise among athletes. Massage was used up until the 1960s and 1970s by nurses to help ease patients’ pain and help them sleep.
Because it is illegal to advertise or offer sexual services in most of the United States, such services are sometimes advertised as “massage”.
United Kingdom: Massage is popular in the United Kingdom today and gaining. There are many private practitioners working from their own premises as well as those who operate from commercial venues.
Massage in sports, business and organizations: The 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta was the first time that massage was offered as a core medical service. Massage has been employed by businesses and organizations such as the U.S. Department of Justice, Boeing and Reebok.

Who the first yogi really was is lost in the sands of time, but the roots of Yoga can be traced as long as 5000 years back. The earliest reference to Yoga was found when archeological excavations where made in the Indus valley - the most powerful and influential civilization in the early antique period. This sophisticated culture developed around the Indus river and the long gone Sarasvati river in northern India, on the border towards Pakistan.

Archeological findings from two of the largest cities, Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa, revealed (among other things) a portrait of a human being or god meditating in what looks like a Yoga posture. The Rig-Veda work, that describes different Yoga methods, is believed to be derived from the Inus-Sarasvati people and has been dated to 3000 to 5000 B.C.

Yoga as we know it today, is thus the result of a complex evolution that has been going on for at least 5000 years. However, according to most scholars, Yoga can’t be recognized as a complete and complex tradition before about 500 B.C.

Vedic Yoga
The oldest written records of Indian culture and yogic activities is found in the Vedas, which are a compilation of hymns and rituals over 3000 years old. The Vedic Yoga, also known as Archaic Yoga, revolves around the thought of reuniting the visible material world with the invisible spiritual world by sacrificing certain things. In order to practise these rather long rituals successfully it was necessary to be able to focus the mind to a very hight level. This inner focus as a means to enhance the sensory and human ability is the root of all Yoga.

The Vedic teachings at this point where not reserved for an religious elite, but was instead transmitted to the people by Vedic prophets, called Rishis, who had gained insight in the origin of life and it’s existence. The hymns of these prophets witness of strong intuition, wisdom and knowledge about human beings that can inspire new levels of understanding even for the people of today.

Pre-classical Yoga
This period in Yoga history spans about 2000 years, until year 200. The most central Yoga literature from this period are the Upanishades - a collection of texts revolving around meta-physical speculation - and are just like the Vedas considered as enigmatic revelations. As opposed to the public rituals of the Vedic period, the Upanishades where secret scriptures.

Some of these 200 gnostic texts are directly related to Yoga and are about the complete connectedness of all things. Yoga was now slowly finding it’s form. As Yoga and it’s secret teachings spread from teacher to student, or from guru to yogi, the concept of an individual system of thought began to take shape.

The Bhagavad Gita, that is the most well known and popular work among all Hinduic and Yogic literature was written during this period (about 500 B.C.). It is a beautiful story of a conversation between the god of Hinduism, Krishna, and a prince named Arjuna. The plot, ironically enough, takes place on a battlefield. This location is often interpreted as a metaphor for the many distractions present in our turbulent world. Prince Arjuna had put himself in a difficult position, where he must fight parts of his family and friends.

Symbolically speaking, this frustration conveys that prince Arjuna wanted some advice on how to fight the bonds that tie him to the material world, in order to set himself and his soul free. Krishna explained that it was Arjuna’s destiny and task to face this situation. He then moved on to explaining to Arjuna how he could emerge from the battle victorious, by outlining a detailed yogic path for the prince to follow; Through devotion (bhakti Yoga), a keen mind (jnana Yoga) and by giving up the ego (karma Yoga), spiritual freedom (moksha) could be attained.

Needless to say, the Bhagavad Gita is a complex work, and is meant to be studied, pondered upon and then studied some more.

Classical Yoga
The eight-limbed Yoga described in the Sutras by Patanjali is usually referred to as Classical Yoga. The Yoga Sutras where most likely written around year 100-200 A.C. and consists of about 200 aphorisms (words of wisdom). Here Yoga is presented in a systematic and approachable way, and many yogis see it as an important source of yogic understanding. Almost all serious Yoga practitioners will at some point study this literature and it has been published with commentary many times since it was first published.

Patanjali thought that every individual consists of two parts - matter (prakiti) and soul (purusha), and that the goal of Yoga is to free the soul from the material world in order to take it’s original, pure form. This is often characterized as philosophical dualism, which is quite remarkable considering that most Indian philosophy is of a non-dualistic nature. The world as it is perceived is generally thought to be different aspects of the same pure, shapeless but conscious existence.

Post-classical Yoga
The great number of independent yoga schools and forms that where developed during the period after the Yoga sutras, is usually referred to as post-classical Yoga. As opposed to Patanjalis’s Yoga, the Yoga of this era was, very much like the post-classical and Vedic traditions, characterized by an non-dualistic nature.

A few hundred years after Patanjali, the evolution of Yoga took an interesting turn - the potential of the human body now became an interesting field of study. Yogis of the past had not paid very much attention to the (physical) body, as they focused all their energy on contemplation and meditation. Their goal was to leave their bodies and the world, in order to re-unite with the shapeless reality - the soul.

The new generation of Yogis however, developed a system where different exercises - in conjunction with deep breathing and meditation, would help keep the body young and prolong life. The human body was regarded as the temple of the immortal soul, and not just as a meaningless vessel to be abandon at the first opportunity.

This paved the way for the creation of Hatha Yoga, and other branches and schools of Tantra Yoga.

Modern Yoga
Modern Yoga is said to have begun a the Parliament of Religions in Chicago, 1893. During this meeting the young Swami Vivekananda from India made a deep impression on the American he introduced to Yoga. Vivekananda became whom of the most popular members of the Parliament, and he subsequently toured the US giving lectures on Yoga. Many Yoga masters would later cross the ocean and follow in his footsteps, spreading Yoga to all corners of the continent. Yoga schools where founded and increasing numbers of people fell in love with the yogic forms of exercise. Many masters also went to Europe where the reception, for some reason, wasn’t quite as warm.

Yoga, in the form of Hatha Yoga, debuted in the consciousnesses of the American masses when russian born Indra Devi, of the called “the first lady of Yoga”, opened a Yoga studio in Hollywood in 1947. She taught movie starts like Gloria Swanson, Jennifer Jones and Robert Ryan, as well as educating hundreds of Yoga teachers.

During the 1950s one of the foremost Yoga teachers of his time, Selvarajan Yesudian, wrote the book “Sport and Yoga”, and it was through this book Yoga entered the world of sports. This book has been translated into more than fourteen languages and has sold more than half a million copies. Today we can observe many athletes and sports teams that has incorporated Yoga in their injury reducing, strengthening and focus oriented training regimens. One of the most well known examples are the NBA stars of the Chicago Bulls.

1961 Hatha Yoga was presented in american television by Richard Hittleman, and his book called The Twenty Eight day Yoga Plan sold in the millions. In the middle of the 60s, Yoga got a real promotional boost when the Yogi Maharishi Mahesh taught Yoga to the famous pop-stars in the Beatles. Many other artists and musicians where influenced to take up Yoga as well. During the 60s and 70s Yoga became a way of life for many people living on the American west coast.

On an interesting side note, Dalai lama is a great yogi from Tibet, representing Buddhism and Tibetan Yoga. He was awarded the Nobel price for peace and has inspired many westerners to learn more about Buddhism and Yoga.

Yoga today
Yoga has gained tremendously in popularity during the last few years, and today over 30 million people practise Yoga on a regular basis. Yoga is the most rapidly growing health movement of today, despite having existed for thousands of years already.

Peoples attitude towards health, spirituality, way of life and our place in society have changed quite dramatically, as people are looking for answers for their everyday problems. In these chaotic times our environment is fighting for survival and we humans suffer more and more from physical and psychological stress, with new diseases developing while old ones, that we thought we could handle with antibiotics, returns with an vengeance in the midst of out society. We can’t always control these developments, but we can learn to face them.

Written by: shaynebance

The saying, “What’s in the past, should stay in the past” - doesn’t work here.

We might already have an idea of what Yoga is but to understand it better, we have to know what it has become as well as its roots and beginnings. A quick look at the history of Yoga will help us appreciate its rich tradition and who knows, it might help us incorporate Yoga into our lives.

Although Yoga is said to be as old as civilization, there is no physical evidence to support this claim. Earliest archaeological evidence of Yoga’s existence could be found in stone seals which depict figures of Yoga Poses. The stone seals place Yoga’s existence around 3000 B.C.

Scholars, however, have a reason to believe that Yoga existed long before that and traced its beginnings in Stone Age Shamanism. Both Shamanism and Yoga have similar characteristics particularly in their efforts to improve the human condition at that time. Also, they aim to heal community members and the practitioners act as religious mediators. Though we know Yoga as focusing more on the self, it started out as community-oriented before it turned inward.

For a better discussion of the history of Yoga, we could divide it into four periods: the Vedic Period, Pre-Classical Period, Classical Period, and Post-Classical Period.

Vedic Period

The existence of the Vedas marks this period. The Vedas is the sacred scripture of Brahmanism that is the basis of modern-day Hinduism. It is a collection of hymns which praise a divine power. The Vedas contains the oldest known Yogic teachings and as such, teachings found in the Vedas are called Vedic Yoga. This is characterized by rituals and ceremonies that strive to surpass the limitations of the mind.

During this time, the Vedic people relied on rishis or dedicated Vedic Yogis to teach them how to live in divine harmony. Rishis were also gifted with the ability to see the ultimate reality through their intensive spiritual practice. It was also during this time that Yogis living in seclusion (in forests) were recorded.

Pre-Classical Yoga

The creation of the Upanishads marks the Pre-Classical Yoga. The 200 scriptures of the Upanishads (the conclusion of the revealed literature) describe the inner vision of reality resulting from devotion to Brahman. These explain three subjects: the ultimate reality (Brahman), the transcendental self (atman), and the relationship between the two. The Upanishads further explain the teachings of the Vedas.

Yoga shares some characteristics not only with Hinduism but also with Buddhism that we can trace in its history. During the sixth century B.C., Buddha started teaching Buddhism, which stresses the importance of Meditation and the practice of physical postures. Siddharta Gautama, the first Buddhist to study Yoga, achieved enlightenment at the age of 35.

Later, around 500 B.C., the Bhagavad-Gita or Lord’s Song was created and this is currently the oldest known Yoga scripture. It is devoted entirely to Yoga and has confirmed that it has been an old practice for some time. However, it doesn’t point to a specific time wherein Yoga could have started. The central point to the Gita is that - to be alive means to be active and in order to avoid difficulties in our lives and in others, our actions have to benign and have to exceed our egos.

Just as the Upanishads further the Vedas, the Gita builds on and incorporates the doctrines found in the Upanishads. In the Gita, three facets must be brought together in our lifestyle: Bhakti or loving devotion, Jnana which is knowledge or contemplation, and Karma which is about selfless actions. The Gita then tried to unify Bhakti Yoga, Jnana Yoga, and Karma Yoga and it is because of this that it has gained importance. The Gita was a conversation between Prince Arjuna and God-man Krishna and it basically stresses the importance of opposing evil.

Classical Period

The Classical Period is marked by another creation - the Yoga Sutra. Written by Patanjali around the second century, it was an attempt to define and standardize Classical Yoga. It is composed of 195 aphorisms or sutras (from the Sanskrit word which means thread) that expound upon the Raja Yoga and its underlying principle, Patanjali’s Eightfold path of Yoga (also called Eight Limbs of Classical Yoga). These are:

Yama, which means social restraints or ethical values;
Niyama, which is personal observance of purity, tolerance, and study;
Asanas or physical exercises;
Pranayama, which means breath control or regulation;
Pratyahara or sense withdrawal in preparation for Meditation;
Dharana, which is about concentration;
Dhyana, which means Meditation; and
Samadhi, which means ecstasy.
Patanjali believed that each individual is a composite of matter (prakriti) and spirit (purusha). He further believed that the two must be separated in order to cleanse the spirit - a stark contrast to Vedic and Pre-Classical Yoga that signify the union of body and spirit.

Patanjali’s concept was dominant for some centuries that some Yogis focused exclusively on Meditation and neglected their Asanas. It was only later that the belief of the body as a temple was rekindled and attention to the importance of the Asana was revived. This time, Yogis attempted to use Yoga techniques to change the body and make it immortal.

Post-Classical Yoga

At this point, we see a proliferation of literature as well as the practice of Yoga. Post-classical Yoga differs from the first three since its focus is more on the present. It no longer strives to liberate a person from reality but rather teaches one to accept it and live at the moment.

Yoga was introduced in the West during the early 19th century. It was first studied as part of Eastern Philosophy and began as a movement for health and vegetarianism around the 1930’s. By the 1960’s, there was an influx of Indian teachers who expounded on Yoga. One of them was Maharishi Mahesh, the Yogi who popularized Transcendental Meditation. Another one is a prominent Yoga Guru Swami Sivananda. Sivananda was a doctor in Malaysia and he later opened schools in America and Europe. The most prominent of his works is his modified Five Principles of Yoga which are:

Savasana or proper relaxation;
Asanas or proper exercise;
Pranayama or proper breathing;
Proper diet; and
Dhyana or positive thinking and Meditation
Sivananda wrote more than 200 books on Yoga and Philosophy and had many disciples who furthered Yoga. Some of them were Swami Satchitananda who introduced chanting and Yoga to Woodstock; Swami Sivananada Radha who explored the connection between psychology and Yoga, and Yogi Bhajan who started teaching Kundalini Yoga in the 70’s.

Up to this day, Yoga continues to proliferate and spread its teachings, crossing the boundaries of culture and language.

This is the first of installment in new column on the history of massage equipment, tools and products. The history of massage has been largely forgotten, and much of it is yet to be revealed. Learning about the past can instill pride and create traditions, as it has in many other professions. In an industry that is sometimes tainted by allusions to its relationship with prostitution and sexuality, it is important to understand that massage has a rich and long history that has nothing to do with these elements of human activity. In an industry striving for recognition, with a history virtually unknown and unappreciated, telling the story of its past can instill self-respect - and the knowledge that massage has a long and significant past.

The first so-called massage tables were used during the time of the Greeks and Romans, and were marble or wood slabs called plinths. These were used in the great gymnasiums of Greece from about 800 B.C. to 146 B.C.; and in the palatial baths of the Roman Empire from about 300 B.C. to A.D. 476.

The term “massage table” is less than 100 years in use, arriving sometime during the late 1920s. Prior to this, devices used for massage were called couches, and were truly pieces of furniture. These were used during the Victorian era of the late 19th century and were stuffed with horse hair, but were upholstered with velvet or similar material. They were quite cushy in their comfort, compared to the physician’s exam table, and fashionably colored in the warm, rich hues of the era.

The next generation of massage tables were medical examination tables. Usually made of solid oak, they had various adjustments and were designed for multiple uses, massage being one (physical exams and surgical procedures were two others). The padding on these exam tables was horse hair covered with heavy leather. Horse hair was the most widely used stuffing because it was resistant to insects or other damage, whereas cotton and straw were not.

Between 1910 and 1925 electric vibrating tables were manufactured for use primarily in sanitariums and physicians’ offices. These were solid wood with no cushions, except those that might be added for a thinner person’s comfort.

A stationary massage table used after World War I was made from common woods with cotton or straw padding under a thin plastic covering. The first portable massage table was developed around 1930 and was made of a wood frame with metal or wood legs. Portable massage tables of this period were quite sophisticated in their design and quality, especially those that had mechanisms to unfold the legs and fold them back again as the table was opened and closed.

The Battlecreek Company, of Battlecreek, Michigan, manufactured the first light-weight massage table, an aluminum folding portable table introduced in the 1940s.

The stationary table presented by George Downing in his 1972 book, The Massage Book, was a homemade model copied by many practitioners until later in that decade, when commercially manufactured tables became more readily available.

Neither the first stationary nor portable massage tables contained face holes. The face hole cut into the head of a stationary or portable table appeared in the late 1940s. The face cradle that attaches to the end of the massage table was first introduced in the 1980s.

Today’s models are ergonomically designed, with special alloy tubing or specialty woods and multi-layered padding that comes in a variety of colors and styles. Specialty tables, such as those with removal stomach-holes designed for working on pregnant women; extra-wide table tops for working on large clients or doing special types of bodywork; built-in spa-therapy water tubs; and those which fold to lie flat on the ground for Asian therapies, are among the numerous types available today.

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Robert Noah Calvert is the founder and CEO of MASSAGE Magazine. The material for this column comes from two sources: the World of Massage Museum’s collections and Calvert’s book, The History of Massage, published in February 2002 by Healing Arts Press.

This is a two-part series on the subject of vibrators. Part One takes us from ancient Greece to the end of the 19th century. Part Two will conclude with devices from the 20th century.

In an attempt to be funny, I once told a reporter visiting the World of Massage Museum (WOMM) that I had more than 100 vibrators in the basement if he’d like to see them. He looked at me in a way that told me I’d made a mistake mentioning this so soon in the tour. It took me five minutes to explain the kind of vibrator collection we had on display. And sure enough, in the article he wrote about the museum he labeled me eccentric partly because of the vibrator collection. So, to assuage any misgivings by my readers, the vibrators discussed in this article are not the amorous type, nor are any in the WOMM collections.

The earliest recorded forms of ancient therapy used to deliver vibration were from the Greek and Roman era. A patient was placed on a simple wooden plank hung from ropes attached to a tree or a cross-bar and vigorously pushed to and fro. The rhythmic jostling of riding atop a horse or mule was a more severe vibration treatment. But the ultimate vibratory therapy was delivered to the patient while he or she sat on a small two-wheeled wagon, made with uneven wheels, pulled over rough stone roadways. I wonder if an enterprising physician might have treated two patients simultaneously: one on the horse drawing the treatment wagon and the other seated on the wagon.

Swings, horses and wagon-riding were used from ancient times until the early 19th century, when mechanical devices replaced the more ancient modes of treatment. Their intended purpose was to ease morbidity, help circulation and digestion, and treat some nervous disorders. Without the administering physician’s knowledge, however, the lymphatic system was also stimulated to help remove waste products from tissues and empower the immune functions of the body. Asclepiades referred to these treatments as “gestation.”

Vibration was the first massage stroke imitated by mechanical devices. Machines could deliver slow and consistent movements better than a human practitioner, and they did not get tired. It is interesting to note that the first devices labeled “massage vibrator” were not vibrators at all but were beaded body rollers like the one shown here.

The first real vibrators were hand-cranked devices used by physicians to deliver percussion in one direction only - something like a repeating hammer action. Developed in Germany circa 1855, the Macurator Blood Circulator was the most simple of these first manufactured massagers. The Macurator delivered a high-variable frequency pounding on the body that resembled vibration if cranked fast enough.

Actual vibration delivered in more than one direction wasn’t developed until the middle of the 19th century.

After the early percussive devices came hand-cranked machines that produced up-and-down stroking, and circular movements used in the treatment of neuralgia, atrophy, emaciation and constipation.

The Veedee was an advanced hand-cranked massage vibrator. This device was more sophisticated than the Macurator, even though it utilized the same drill-like principles to deliver its vibration to the body. A small adjustable flywheel that could be calibrated to provide more or less vibration was attached to the end of the Veedee to accentuate the vibration and provide more horizontal movement to the body, thus creating the first true vibrator.

In the next installment of this series: the first steam-powered, battery-powered and electric vibrators will be discussed. Part II

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Robert Noah Calvert is the founder and CEO of Massage Magazine. The material for this column comes from two sources: the World of Massage Museum’s collections and Calvert’s new book, The History of Massage published in February 2002 by Healing Arts Press.

This is a two-part series on the subject of vibrators. Part One took us from ancient Greece to the end of the 19th century. Part Two concludes with devices from the 20th century.

Steam-powered massage devices were created about 1875 and were often large mechanical monsters that accommodated more than one person at a time, such as John Harvey Kellogg, M.D.’s vibrating machine that provided foot, hand and full-body vibration treatments for up to five persons simultaneously. Most of these devices delivered either percussion or vibration and were used for specific medical conditions.

Kellogg’s “Vibrating Machines,” circa 1895, used extensively at the Battle Creek Sanitarium in Michigan. The first one is for “rotary vibration of the legs and arms,” the other is a beating apparatus. Note the second set of beaters (on left) not being used.

Gustav Zander, M.D., a Swedish physician and director of the Medico-Mechanical Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, gained widespread fame at the end of the 19th century because of his application of steam power to mechano-therapy. Only a few of Zander’s more than 70 steam-powered devices were massage machines. Zander’s devices were so popular, and their application to the gymnastic movement so widely accepted, that Zander Institutes were opened throughout Europe and the United States.

George Taylor, M.D., is credited with being the first American to create a steam and foot/hand crank device, in 1880. Taylor’s “Manipulator” simply turned a wheel, which pushed a rod that created a movement on a handle or padded surface. The patient would either hold on to the handle and receive the vibration or oscillations, or sit or stand against the padded surface to receive the movement from the machine.

In 1882 Hartvig Nissen presented a new invention called “the Vibrator” in his book, A Manual of Instruction For Giving Swedish Movement and Massage Treatment. Invented by J. W. Osborne, Nissen claimed it was made especially for his institute and that, by 1889, he’d been using it with success for three years. However, Zander, Taylor and Kellogg were using mechanically applied vibration and percussion during the 1880s.

The first attempts at electrical massage were either battery-powered devices or those operated by foot or hand mechanisms moving a wheel or friction belt. One of the first battery-powered massage devices was the Swedish vibrator. This little device was made of solid brass attached to a wooden handle. Etched into the sides of the brass body are images of lightning bolts indicating the electrical character of the device.

The Brass Swedish Vibrator, a dry-cell battery-powered device, circa 1875. This tool was made of solid brass attached to a wooden handle that created an up-and-down motion of the round bakelite head.
The first alternating current electrical vibrator from 1902. Note the light-socket device at the end of the electrical cord. Because very few homes or offices had electrical outlets during the first decade of the 20th century, but did have electric lights hanging from the ceiling, the first vibrators had a screw-in device wired into the end of the cord, to place into the light bulb socket. The electrical cord was also exceptionally long because it had to reach from the ceiling to the floor.

The invention of Victorian vibrators using dry-cell batteries was the precursor to modern alkaline-battery powered vibrators, and the Victorian vibrators were often sold alongside the first alternating electric-current vibrators introduced in 1902.

The use of mechanical devices was both praised and criticized in the late 19th century. Taylor provides this discourse on the benefits of mechanical devices, in 1904: “The natural rate of motion of the voluntary muscles is considerably greater than is that of the involuntary which preside over the movements of the abdomen and its contents. The respiratory and the peristaltic movements are slower than those of the hand. It follows that motions, natural for the hand of a massage operator, do not so apply to visceral parts as to merge with and assist those of the latter. The imparted motion will not agree as to time with the pre-existing motion. This disagreement does not exist in case of the mechanical processes.”

Taylor is saying the application of the human hand to voluntary muscles, such as those used in locomotion, can be properly calibrated to coincide with the rhythm and rate of those muscles, but that the hand cannot be calibrated to coincide with the slower-moving muscles of the internal organs, such as the colon and diaphragm, whereas mechanical devices can.

Most medical applications of these new approaches to massage were applied to women. In the 1820s, physicians began inducing orgasm - by water, the hands or horseback riding - through vibration, to cure what they termed “hysteria,” in women. (The term “Hysteria” at that time referred to conditions including vertigo, anxiety, headaches, irritability, insomnia and depression.) The advent of mechanical methods of applying vibration improved the success of this practice. In her book, The Technology of Orgasm, Rachael Maines reports that physicians have failed in large part in writing about the connection between vibratory massage and the inducement of orgasm, except to say that vibratory massage was a common treatment for “hysteria.”

Today there are literally hundreds of vibrating machines available, from vibrating pillows to vibrating plastic novelty ladybugs. You can even get vibrating ball point pens. Vibrators are used by chiropractors, massage practitioners, physical therapists and by millions at home.

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Robert Noah Calvert is the founder and CEO of Massage Magazine. The material for this column comes from two sources: the World of Massage Museum’s collections and Calvert’s new book, The History of Massage published in February 2002 by Healing Arts Press.