It began thousands of years ago in the mountain ranges of Taoist China. Behind the walls of monasteries in the region, monks needed to detoxify, strengthen, and refine their bodies to maintain the high energy levels required for their stringent spiritual practices. So they used the principles of both Kung-Fu and Tai Chi Chuan to develop a sort of “applied Chi Kung,” and thus was born the rare yet powerful practice of Chi Nei Tsang.
Through the years, Chi Nei Tsang (CNT) made it outside those sacred walls and into the hands of trained practitioners. Today, at first glance, one might regard it as a simple and localized massage, just as one might think of Tai Chi as nothing more than someone moving slowly in place. What is hidden to the average eye is the very real direction of energy and therefore the transformational nature of the work.
CNT is in fact a specialized form of deep energy massage in the area of the belly where many of our organs lie … and because of this, where many past emotions are stored. This is intellectually understood by a lot of people familiar with healing, but the intellect is so detached from our emotions that it generally fails to grasp the importance of this reality. Emotional responses to life’s trials and tribulations are physically stored in body tissues, and this affects the body’s ability to operate as it was designed to. This is why emotions play such a central role in health and healing.
By releasing these emotions with a technique like CNT, you can restore the body to a more optimal state. A qualified practitioner, of course, will only work at a pace that’s right for the client — some are ready to go through deep pain more quickly, experiencing a faster transformation. Others will take the process more slowly. Of course some have more or deeper emotions to release than others; they also have different types of emotions stored in different organs. The process is unique to all. One of my clients, Mary M., describes it like this: “You think you’re going in for a massage, and all of a sudden feelings are coming up — things you didn’t know you had buried, but you had. For me, as fear surfaced, Camelia was there to guide me, assuring me that the fear wasn’t real; that if I could relax, breathe deeply, and experience it in my body, it would be released.
“She was right, and my life quickly began to change. I started to find that people who had been problems in my life no longer were. I was no longer judgmental about things. And miracles began to surface. It’s hard to put into words because it’s such deep work, but in the end, you find that you are letting go of the very things that are holding you back.”
While Mary especially noticed the mental and emotional changes in her responses to life, those suffering from physical maladies also notice how definitely the body heals in this process. As CNT removes blockages and restores a natural energy flow, physical detoxification takes place as necessary; the lymphatic and circulatory systems can be stimulated; chronic pains may clear up; better posture is often restored; and in general the organs begin to function with the vitality they were meant to have all along.
Of course as Mary experienced, so much of the CNT experience is an inner one, as healing should be, for we cannot separate healing from our thoughts, our emotions, even our spirit. Because of this, true healing helps us to release our negative life patterns and to find our way back toward our life purpose. And as this happens, we serve the world in a more meaningful way, and find that our lives are fulfilled.
Camelia Tamasanu
Camelia Tamasanu practices therapeutic massage, Bowenwork, and Chi Nei Tsang, which she learned from renowned CNI Master Mantak Chia. She offers special programs and pricing options for those with chronic health concerns and those who haven’t found relief from conventional medicine. 248-471-0838. BioBalance.vpweb.com.
