Online Yin Yoga Teacher Training

(Chinese Medicine & Hip Anatomy)

23 Apr – 10 May 2021

Guasha (Scraping)
The guasha lecture, practices and notes are intended solely for educational purpose and to
serve as a reference for your personal general health maintenance and well-being. They are
not meant to replace medical advice from doctors, nor diagnose or treat medical conditions
for yourself or others. In undertaking the practices taught in this training, you assume personal
responsibility for any mishaps that may occur. It is your responsibility to consult the relevant
medical professionals before attempting any of the practices taught.

What is Guasha?
Gua Sha is a form of traditional Chinese therapy, based on the TCM theory of meridians. The
main aim of Guasha is to move qi around the body. During the Gua Sha treatment, the skin is
lightly scraped (刮 “gua”) using a scraping tool to create pressure in order to deliberately
produce a red, bruise-like/rash-like appearance (痧 “sha”). Guasha causes tiny blood vessels
near the surface of the skin called capillaries to burst. This creates the distinctive red or purple
bruises, known as sha. It is delivered, in an orderly fashion, on specific parts of the body,
resulting in large area of bruising or petechial hemorrhages, to regulate body function and
restore homeostasis. The bruises usually take a few days or a week to heal and can be tender
while healing. Guasha is also sometimes known as spooning or coining.

Benefits of Guasha
- dilates pores, expelling pathogenic factors
- partial or complete relaxation
- comfort, chest and abdominal expansion
- disappearance of symptoms
- removes blood and qi stagnation
- breaks down scar tissues, fibrosis
- improves movements in joints
- alleviates menopausal issues eg. sweating, hot flashes

External medicine: General pain: neck, shoulder, back, leg pain etc.
Internal medicine: Fever, colds, headache, insomnia, facial paralysis, asthma etc.
Gynaecology: Menstrual pain, irregular periods, amenorrhea etc.
Dermatology: Chloasma, acne, hives etc.
Health Issues related to senses: Loss of hearing, tinnitus
Common Side Effects
- Bruising
- Bleeding
- Blistering
- Possible infections
- Nausea and vomiting
- Headache
- Lightheadedness (Dizziness)
- Fainting
- palpitations
- sweating
- hot

Populations Not Suitable for Guasha

- those equipped with cardiac pacemakers
- cancer
- organ failures
- hemophilia (inherited bleeding disorders)
- pregnant
- menstruating
- anemic (lack of red blood cells)
- those on anticoagulant medications
- tendency to abnormal bleeding or bleeds easily
- acute infections
- severe chronic/critical illness (esp. heart diseases)
- contagious skin diseases
- fractures
- elderly
- recent blood donation
- recent surgery
- people with skin issues or allergies
- those who are apprehensive or allergic to guasha
- those who do not consent

Dos
- hydrate with fresh warm water after session (to flush toxins out of body)
- disinfectant tool with alcohol wipes before and after each use
- keep room warm when in treatment
- use ice packs if area is inflamed.

Don’ts
- Do not let colour get too dark
- Do not scrape for too long
- Do not break skin when scraping
- Do not use when extremely fatigue or hungry or empty stomach
- Do not scrape on swollen, bruised or ulcerated skin
- Do not scrape over pimples, open wounds, fresh cuts, lesions, moles
- Do not scrape over veins, arteries, nerves (including varicose veins)
- Avoid orifices
- Do not have cold shower or swim 4-5 hours after guasha, to prevent invasion of wind
pathogens
- Do not expose guasha areas to cold. Cover up and stay warm.
- Do not bump onto bruised areas.

Extra Notes:
- Less frequent guasha for individuals with weaker constitution
- Lesser pressure, shorter time duration for beginners and people with deficiency
- Be extra careful when scraping people with lots of body hair.
- Always get consent before you scrape someone. Consent must come with knowing the risks
involved.
- If scraping others, always inform them of the presence of red brusies after scraping, esp
around back of neck and shoulders

Types of Guasha Tools

- stones
- crystals
- jade
- quartz
- stainless steel
- wood
- resin
- glass
- plastic

When To Use Which Tool

- healing properties of the tool used
- shape of tool
- ease of hand grip
- personal preference

How To Guasha
Apply lubricants such as massage oil or scraping cream on body surface, and apply pressured
strokes repeatedly until localized red dots or mild purplish patches appear. Go downwards
from neck to lower back, from midline out to shoulders.

Duration
First timers: 2 – 3 scrape of whole back
Regulars: stop when you see bruises

These notes are intended for your personal use only. Please honour the work of the author and do not allow
unauthorised circulation without prior permission from the author.