I know it is traditional to make resolutions to change oneself in the New Year, mainly because it is an easy date for us all to remember, but logically, there is no reason why you should wait until January 1st to make positive changes in your life.

Any seasonal change is as good a time as any to make changes in your life, especially now, as we enter late autumn and start to move towards winter.  November, for me is a great month to think about our lives and what we want to do with them.  Why? Well for one thing the dark nights and mornings and the colder, damper weather make us spend more time indoors, not only physically, but mentally too.  This is a great time of year for introspection, to centre ourselves and think about our lives. 

We've not yet got caught up in the bustle of Christmas and New Year and summer now seems so long ago, November is a long, cold, dark month and is therefore, the perfect time to take time to think about your life. It is also, almost the end of the year and this naturally encourages us to think back about what we have achieved or failed to achieve over the past year.

November = Make a Change Now Month

It can be too easy to get depressed at this time of year, especially when we look back and realise we haven't achieved as much as we'd hoped to do; but it can be a time of hope and a time of renewal too.  We don't need to wait until January 1st to change our lives; we can do this any day of the year, so why not today?

Tuina, the ancient Chinese healing massage system will help you to become healthier, positive and more centred because it will enable you to help others to become so.  The more you give, the more you receive.

Tuina, as I hope you've seen by now, really works.  It makes a huge, positive difference to so many peoples' lives.  I'm helping as many people as I can, but I'm only one man.  I need people to train to become tuina practitioners so that together we can restore more people to health and vitality. 

I have courses starting all the time; I will work with you to help you to become a tuina practitioner.  Give yourself a break; give yourself a new start in a new, positive way of life.   Contact me to find out more about tuina training and how it can help you to help others.

As we saw in my previous post, by the time the twentieth century dawned, tuina had already established itself as a powerful and effective treatment for many ailments.  But by 1936 this just wasn't seen as modern or impressive enough. In Nationalist China in the early part of the twentieth century there was no room for old practices, even something as successful as tuina, and so all traditional Chinese medicine practices were officially banned.

That didn't stop people from using it, however.  The people knew it worked; so they used it unofficially.  Thankfully, the ban only lasted ten years and in 1949 the Communist Government began to promote traditional Chinese medicine again.  In 1956 they opened the first tuina training program in Shanghai just two years later; the government opened the first Tuina school and clinic in Shanghai. 

 Today, Tuina is recognised as the cornerstone of Traditional Chinese medicine.  Medical students in China can now study for a Tuina major and most hospitals offer tuina as a treatment option.

Every month there are research articles printed on the efficacy of tuina to treat various diseases; it is the most tried and tested alternative health therapy in the world.  The only reason many people in the West haven't heard of it is that most of this research is carried out in Chinese and hasn't yet been translated.  Once it is, believe me, you'll hear a lot more about Tuina and how effective a treatment it is for a whole host of illnesses and problems.

But why wait?  If you have an illness and traditional medicine isn't helping, give Tuina a try.  It's been helping people for 2,500 years so far.  It could easily help you too.

Now, you know I'm passionate about Tuina. I use it every day to heal people and I train others to use it too.  I think it is one of the most beneficial forms of Chinese medicine we have at our disposal and the Chinese clearly think so too.  Tuina is now officially recognised as one of the major cornerstones of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)  and is the most researched of all Chinese traditional medicines.

The first references to Tuina date it back to around 1700BC and the time of the Shang dynasty.  Bones have been found that record the use of massage, at that time known as anwu or anmo to treat various illnesses in infants and digestive problems in adults. 

Over the centuries, the techniques of anmo were developed and improved and by around 1600AD, during the Ming dynasty, anmo became known as tuina.  Until this point, tuina was a separate specialism for using deep muscle manipulation to set bones.

From information found on scrolls we can see that tuina was used successfully to treat a wide range of conditions including: gynaecological problems, childhood illnesses, colds and flu, coughs, asthma, skin problems, digestive problems, joint pain, muscle pain, bladder problems, fertility problems, broken bones, headaches, convulsions, fever and even to resuscitate unconscious patients!

Bear in mind that this was thousands of years before modern medicine or even a modern interpretation of how the body works.

But from the earliest days, tuina worked.  It cured people and it continues to do so today. 

We'll look into the dark days of tuina's history in another post.

www.tuinatherapy.ie are introducing 3 levels of Tuina training:

-Level 1 - Practitioner Certification - 200 hours contact time - learn the techniques and routines of Tuina as applied to general health. Course fee is €1850.
-Level 2 - Advanced Diploma - 200 hours contact time - Advanced Tuina and Anmo techniques and theory of disease for the treatment of internal disease and disharmony. Course fee is €2150.
-Level 3 - Tuina Reflex Massage - 24 hours contact time - Tuina aplied to reflex zones of the feet for the treatment of internal diseases -

Starting June 2011 there will be a new Tuina Course in Ireland being run by Anthony Monteith of www.tuinatherapy.ie. Anthony Monteith is the founder of Tuina Therapy Ireland and has been involved in Tuina within Ireland for 12 years. From his extensive experience in China he realised that students learned a great deal more from being an Apprentice than from a College student. Within a short period of time alot of apprentices where coming away with an armoury of skills and excellent therapeutic tools. From this a unique training was born. All students training in June 2011 are taught in-house in a clinical setting first, theory is taught later on study days and is kept separate from the clinical experience. Students learn faster as Tuina wakes up both side of the brain and theory can be integrated gently over a period of months. The emphasis is on natural learning. The hours gained from clinical experience ensures a confident and success

 Chi Kung Training -12th February - Water Element Workshop Hi everyone - I just wanted to give you advanced notice of the up and coming workshops throughout 2011 with Chi Kung Ireland and The College of Elemental Chi Kung.

I am excited to announce I have secured 4 days of training in Chi Kung and focusing on the elements of Water, Wood, Fire and Earth.

A Metal workshop may follow later as a transformation retreat in a location to be revealed later. This will be a 2-3 day retreat.


12th February - Water Element Workshop -
first in a series of 4 x 1 Day Workshops

The first in a series of 4 x 1 day Element workshops. This workshop will focus on Water which represents the state of rest in nature like the winter season when everything reaches its maximal decline. The Water Element contains the potential for change and its association with the kidneys and bladder organs will be explored. When water is healthy it can effect the whole of the yin and yang forces in the body and bring about deep vitality and a sense of knowing who you are and how you want to manifest your life.

This workshop will be led by Dan Brierley with Anthony Monteith assisting.

Subsequent workshops will run on
9th April (Wood - led by Dan Brierley and Anthony Monteith assisting);
11th June (Fire - led by Dan Brierley and Anthony Monteith assisting);
10th September (Earth - led by Thalbert Allen and Anthony Monteith assisting)

We will also be running a weekend Metal Element retreat in late Autumn 2011 - details to follow:

Venue: Dunboyne Castle Hotel, Francini Suite, Dunboyne, Co Meath.

Time: 10am to 5pm

Price: 75 euros per workshop (or 240euros if all 4 workshops are booked together - 75 euros deposit payable when booking with the balance due on the first workshop)

You can pay securely below using paypal. 7 days notice required for cancellation. Cancellation after this time only refunds 50% of workshop amount. Deposits for all the workshops is payable in advance, balance of the remainder workshops due on the day of workshop one in February 2011.

PAY ONLINE HERE:http://satnavforthesoul.blogspot.com/2010/12/chi-kung-training-12th-february-water.html


Elemental Chi Kung is a progressive approach to chi kung that incorporates classic styles and philosophies with modern bodymind and energy concepts. The approach explores body and Chi awareness as a way to deepen into our internal Chi flow through movement, stillness, meditation, and breath. A creative space is sought to allow our essential nature to express itself and bring about transformation. The approach emphasizes the five elements as the foundations of Chi Kung.

Chi Kung is an ancient Chinese form of movement exercise that promotes the flow of Chi (vital energy) through the body.
It translates as ‘energy work’ in English and comprises exercises for stretching and mobilising the body and joints, breathing techniques, slow movement exercises, static postures, special walking methods and meditation. With time and dedicated practice an easy and effortless quality emerges.




Chi is the body’s vital energy which Chi Kung builds up to establish a physiological and psychological harmony. Most of the theory behind Chi Kung is common to Chinese Medicine with which it has a traditional link. Chi Kung is also associated with Taoist and Buddhist philosophies and practices, particularly Taoist.

Chi Kung generally does not have complex ‘forms’. Chi Kung movements are simple. Each action aims to move Chi in a specific way. The movements often take their inspiration from the movement of animals and nature and can look quite beautiful. Sometimes the movements follow energy channels in the body and sometimes they orient around internal organs or parts of the body. The aim in all the movements is to increase the flow of Chi through the mind and body
Chi Kung is an ancient Chinese form of movement exercise that promotes the flow of Chi (vital energy) through the body.
It translates as ‘energy work’ in English and comprises exercises for stretching and mobilising the body and joints, breathing techniques, slow movement exercises, static postures, special walking methods and meditation. With time and dedicated practice an easy and effortless quality emerges

Starting February 2011 - the new Tuina Therapy Certification and Diploma course is starting.

I am looking for upto 10 apprenctices to learn and study the art of Tuina. This apprenticeship course is €1850 euros for certification and requires weekend study plus practical attendance at the clinic and workshops. Following successful completion - students have the option to study for a diploma qualification. This is more theoretically based and covers the basics of Traditional Chinese Medicine Theory.
Those wishing to start before February can by special arrangement only, contact me directly at <tuinatherapyireland@gmail.com> for information on starting clinical training immediately.

The course consists of 80 hours class time and 120 hours clinical time. The final assessment include case studies and a practical examination.

ALL courses currently take place in the DUBLIN region. Courses in Cork will be available shortly.

Also - those who complete the certification program are eligible for the diploma in Advanced Tuina Therapy.

Join us on FACEBOOK at   : http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tuina-Therapy-Ireland/106979292669319

To see the latest updates on qualifications, videos and practitioners visit our Facebook page
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000943084744

On the 13th November 2010, 5 of Ireland's most highly trained Tuina practitioners qualified with Tuina Therapy Ireland. After their intense training under the supervision and guidance of Anthony Monteith(www.tuinatherapy.ie)
The students finished their level 1 training and are now preparing themselves for a visit to China for clinical training in the Zhejiang province. Anthony will also put his students through a strict 5 day boot-camp style training with Errol Lynch of Touch Tuina, Tuina UK and Tuina Student to Master DVD.

Anthony commented ' I am so proud of what my apprentices have achieved in the last 12 months, all of them are going on to further their experience, which shows that I have a zero dropout rate, despite the hard work!'

Anthony is taking a well earned break after a hectic year at the Pure Health clinic in Ongar Village, Dublin 15.

'There is more to come, Ireland doesn't know whats hit it yet, and with my army of disciples, we are set to turn the tide in complimentary medicine' Anthony proudly announced.

The next batch of apprentices are invited to join Anthony in February 2011, for their level one training. The cost is 1850 euros, and the only pre-requisite is a minimum of 60 hours recognised training in Anatomy & Physiology.

Those looking to train in Tuina - should contact Anthony Monteith directly at amonteith@gmail.com or visit www.tuinatherapy.ie for more details.