Dynamic Self-Cupping

“What if I do it wrong?” clients ask as soon as I put a cup in their hands. “Mmm… how good is your common sense?” I reply, and the tension in their shoulders goes away.

Cupping therapy was practiced in ancient Europe, Asia, Africa, Middle East and North America. At that time, healers cupped as a means to heal body and spirit. The cups were built from rigid materials such as glass or bamboo and heat was used to create the negative pressure or suction. Today, Massage therapists, Physiotherapists and many other health practitioners utilize cupping techniques to improve healing and wellbeing, and modern materials like silicone allow the therapists to create the suction by squeezing the cups without having to use manual pumping, electrical suction or fire.

Cupping evolved throughout thousands of years and many different techniques were developed around the globe, some of them involving magnets, herbs, needles or even bleeding. Hard to believe, but this last ancient technique is still used in some traditional medicines. Fortunately, there are less invasive and much safer modalities that are performed by many therapists, and some of them can even be performed by clients, on their own.

Dynamic self-cupping and common sense, a good pair.

Soft to medium dynamic cupping with silicone cups is an easier and safer modality that clients can perform on their own. There is good reason for therapists to instruct their clients on how to do self-cupping. The benefits are numerous and can be experienced since the first session. On average, a short 30 minute session is enough to give clients instruction on methods and precautions. It is extremely important to take in count their specific health conditions and injuries, adapting the cupping instruction to the patient’s needs.

“What if I do it wrong?” clients ask as soon as I put a cup in their hands. “Mmm… how good is your common sense?” I reply and the tension in their shoulders goes away. I totally understand the fear of doing something new and wonderi