Komorebi Institute: Eastern Medicine for Everyone

The spine isn’t a no-go zone.

But you cannot work over it as though it were a thick layer of muscle.

Over bony structures, the pressure, angle and quality of contact must change. The purpose is not to dig into the bone or hunt for sha. It is to work carefully with the tissues over and alongside the spine while responding to the anatomy and to the person beneath your hands.

This is the difference between following a scraping routine and understanding what you are doing.

Good Gua sha doesn’t avoid anatomy. It adapts to it.

I’ll be teaching EIM™ Professional Therapeutic Gua Sha in Los Angeles on September 12–13 and Sebastopol on September 19–20.

Details through the link in my bio.

These photographs were taken at the beginning and end of four days of EIM™ Facial Gua Sha training.

No filters. No products. No editing.

This isn’t a controlled before-and-after—the expression differs between the two photographs.

But it illustrates something important: facial Gua sha is not simply about making the face look younger or teaching a sequence of lifting movements.

We learn to observe how the tissue responds - its colour, tone, movement and areas of held tension. We work through both the face and body, following what we find rather than forcing the face towards a predetermined shape.

The aim is not anti-aging. It is to help restore movement, circulation and ease.

Four-day EIM™ Facial Gua Sha training comes to Australia this October, with classes in Byron Bay, Melbourne and Sydney.

Details through the link in my bio.

Is the redness after Gua sha a bruise?

No. The marks produced during body Gua sha are known as sha. They arise through extravasation as pressure and friction encourage red blood cells to move through the capillary walls.

Sha may look like bruising, but it is produced through a different process whereby the capillaries leak but don’t break. It typically fades within four to five days, without passing through the prolonged colour changes associated with a bruise.

Knowing the difference matters - particularly when practising Gua sha professionally.

Where do you want to take your Gua sha practice next?

Go deeper with the new Upper Face Specialist Masterclass.

New York City
September 15 and 16

We will spend two full days on the forehead, brow and their relationship with the scalp, head, neck, shoulders, back and wider posterior body.

Or go broader with Professional Therapeutic Gua Sha.

Los Angeles, CA
September 12 and 13

Sebastopol, CA
September 19 and 20

These classes teach you to apply EIM™ Gua sha to the body, pain and physical restriction. Choose the California location that works best for you.

All three classes are open to new students and existing EIM™ practitioners.

Comment NEW YORK for the Upper Face Specialist Masterclass or THERAPEUTIC for the California classes, and I’ll send you the details.

Early registration closes August 4.

Is Gua Sha only Chinese? The short answer is no.

While it originates from China, many Asian cultures (Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia) have their own versions of scraping the skin. It’s a universal instinct, not a proprietary product.

Do you agree? Let me know your thoughts below 👇


        

Nobody gets this part of the body treated. But it’s so powerful.

Scraping the side releases the shoulder, improves lateral rotation of the upper body… and yes, it actually helps with crow’s feet on the face.

Your body will thank you.

This isn’t about more bounce. It’s all about balance. ⚖️

We tested a first-time EIM Gua sha client with Ivan from using a Cutometer.

Before the treatment? The elasticity readings were totally mismatched - a classic sign of tension, habits, or asymmetry. After one session? The numbers were almost identical.

True facial harmony isn’t just a feeling, it’s measurable. Who knew your skin could find its center that fast? 🙌

Myth 11 of 24: is Gua sha massage?

Short answer, no. Gua sha works through tool angle, pressure, and direction, not through kneading muscle the way massage does. That’s exactly why estheticians, even face and back only, can use EIM Gua sha without needing massage-level bodywork training.

Save this if you’ve ever wondered where Gua sha actually fits compared to massage.

Tour dates for where I’m teaching this live are in my bio.



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Follow the sha! 🔴

Believe it or not, this IS a beauty treatment.
But what you’re seeing is the process… not the result.

And often? You just go with it.
Wherever the red sha marks appear, that’s where the body needs attention. You follow them.

“But I don’t want red marks like this on my back!”
I get it. But you would want them if you knew the result.

“But my clients would never accept this.”
They would the moment they see the transformation.

EIM Gua sha isn’t a soft, social-media-friendly substitute.
It’s the real deal. This is what Facial Gua sha always was.
You’ve just been tricked into buying a prettier, weaker version of the truth.

Ready to stop performing and start treating? Come find me - I’m all over the world.

Follow the sha. 🔥