Tibetan Relaxation: The Illustrated Guide to Kum Nye Massage and Movement - A Yoga from the Tibetan Tradition

by Tarthang Tulku

Kum Nye is a holistic healing system first documented in 8th-century Tibetan scripts, and it aims to liberate the body’s energy so that it flows freely for optimum health. Now it’s brought to the West and systematized by Lama Tarthang Tulku, so everyone can experience the benefits of this yoga-like Buddhist tradition. Featuring more than 70 relaxation exercises, this guide progresses logically from simple breath control and sitting postures to full-body self-massages and deep stretching movements. Gentle and suitable for all ages, these procedures promote emotional and physical well-being by relieving tension, heightening energy, improving concentration, and renewing clarity of the senses. More than 200 photographs, coupled with simple and detailed instructions, make this a unique and beautiful introduction.

Genres: Buddhism, Nonfiction

244 pages, Paperback

First published February 25, 2003

About the author

Tarthang Tulku Rinpoche (དར་ཐན་སྤྲུལ་སྐུ་རིན་པོ་ཆེ dar-than sprul-sku rin-po-che) is a Tibetan teacher ("lama") in the Nyingma ("old translation") tradition. Having received a complete Buddhist education in pre-diaspora Tibet, he taught philosophy at Sanskrit University in India from 1962 to 1968, and emigrated to America in 1969, where he settled in Berkeley, CA. He is often credited as having introduced the Tibetan medicine practice of Kum Nye (སྐུ་མཉེ sku mnye་, "subtle-body massage") to the West.

In 1963, he founded Dharma Publishing in Varanasi, India, moving it to California in 1971. The main purpose of the publishing house is to preserve and distribute Tibetan Buddhist teachings and to bring these teachings to the West.

Neither Rinpoche nor Tulku are surnames; the former is an honorific applied to respected teachers meaning "Precious One," while the latter is a title given to those who have be recognized an the reincarnation of a previous lama.

Reviews

[Dominic724 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deeply relaxing nondual approach to yoga and meditation.
These terms seriously underrate Kum Nye .

As another plus, a system of self massage appears in the first section of the book. The following sections are organized in stages of increasing advancement, front to back. Illustrations help guide the practitionor in understanding the exercises.

I wish I had read this 10 years ago. I follow Kum Nye practice every day since reading and the benefits of relaxation are tangible in body and in mind. Cannot recommend it enough.

[Emily Joyce]

Joseph LePage recommended Kum Nye in a recent yoga therapist training, and I have really enjoyed learning more about this approach to yoga that is rooted in Tibetan Buddhism. The massage techniques alone have been worth the price of a used copy, and I've been incorporating more self massage into both my group classes and therapy sessions. We should be touching our bodies in kindness more often!!

[katrina slomczynski · Rating 3 out of 5]

Found it useful just need to start relaxing more.

[Ellie]

To read again

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful guide to the Kum Nye movements and to self-massage where all the acupressure points are shown. Clear and easily followed photographic illustrations.