Tuina: East and West

Tuina is a therapy that is growing in the West and which has great potential for further expansion and acceptance. In the UK, however, it is often practised and taught quite differently from in modern China, which has resulted in varying standards of practice and major divisions in style and approach – indeed, tuina in the UK seems to have changed significantly in transit. This situation may be replicated in other countries, and there is a risk that the quality of tuina in the West is becoming diluted due to students qualifying with widely variable skills and inaccurate views regarding the nature of authentic tuina. This article contrasts the training and practice of tuina in China and the UK and discusses what can be learnt from its inseparable links with qigong and tai chi.