Thai Massage is an ancient & mystifying
art that has the power to heal the body, clear the mind, and uplift the spirit. Through dedication, focused practice and pure intention, the mystery of Thai Massage is revealed and its gifts are discovered.
The founding of Thai Massage is credited to an Indian doctor by the name of Jivaka Kumar Bhacca, who is believed to have lived around 500 BCE and is rumored to have been the personal physician to the Buddha. Dr. Jivaka is still traditionally honored in many Thai Massage schools, where invocations to him are recited each day. The roots of Thai Massage began in India and spread to Thailand along with the Buddhist teachings in the 2nd & 3rd century. Indian Buddhist envoys were sent to Thailand to set up temples, known as wats. Here, he monks practiced their healing arts, spreading both Buddhism and this form of healing throughout Thailand.
Thai Massage eventually matured into its own unique system of healing which is still evolving today. It is important to acknowledge the influence from both the Indian and Chinese cultures. Dr. Jivaka's medical training stemmed from India's Ayurvedic system, the same system that the yoga tradition developed from. This is why many Thai Massage moves are so similar to hatha yoga postures (asanas). Thai Massage also employs a theory of energy lines similar to the yogic concept of nadir. Both systems consist of approximately 72,000 lines. In Thai, they are referred to as Sen lines. Although different, these lines can also be compared to the meridian lines in the Chinese system of healing. All three cultures believe that energy flows through the body in pathways, which directly effects the health & integrity of our total being.
In this unique healing system of Thai Yoga Massage, also called Nuad Boran, the practitioner guides the client through a series of yoga postures, while palming and thumbing along the body’s energy (‘Sen’) lines and pressure points. Together these actions result in a comprehensive full body treatment that relieves muscular tension, improves circulation, boosts the immune system and balances the body energetically.
Thai Yoga Massage is performed on a mat on the floor; both client and practitioner are dressed in comfortable clothing allowing ease of movement and flexibility. It may differ from the massage techniques to which you're accustomed, but Thai massage can be just as beneficial -- if not more so. The practice promotes positive energy circulation, so you feel balanced and rejuvinated. Thai yoga massage has numerous other benefits too, including reduction of pain and stress.
Enhanced Energy Flow
Thai massage works off the belief that tightened muscles lead to the diminished flow of energy in your body. When energy can't flow freely, you become inflexible, suffer pain and feel stiff. Overtime, this leads to shortened muscles and connective tissue that affects your posture, immunity and organ function -- all of which speed up aging and disability.
The pressing techniques used in Thai massage are designed to increase blood circulation to facilitate the better flow of oxygen and nutrients to your tissues. It also helps your body naturally get rid of waste, such as metabolic byproducts and carbon dioxide, more efficiently.
Adding stretching to the massage process helps relax the muscles further, so they naturally regain natural flexibility and tone. You'll relieve chronic stiffness and experience improved mobility.
Pain Relief
Thai massage is an alternative way for people to deal with chronic pain, and can be quite effective for temporary relief showed a review of the research published in 2015 in Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice. In the six studies reviewed, people reported a 25 to 80 percent reduction of pain that lasted up to 15 weeks following a Thai massage protocol.
Thai massage has been particularly effective as an intervention for people with scapulocostal syndrome, a painful condition that strikes the back of the shoulder blade. A study published in the Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies in 2012 showed that people with the condition who participated in a total of nine 30-minute Thai massage sessions over three weeks, improved in terms of pain intensity, pain threshold and muscle tension. The Thai massage participants reported better pain relief outcomes than a group that underwent more traditional physical therapy treatments.
Headaches
A specific type of Thai massage that involves applying pressure against specific meridians in the body, called court-type Thai massage, was shown as an effective treatment for people suffering from chronic tension headaches. The study, published in a 2015 issue of Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, explains that the relief may be attributed to how Thai massage stimulates blood and lymph circulation and relaxes the sympathetic nervous system.
Stress Reduction
More traditional therapeutic massage is often prescribed as a way to reduce stress and induce relaxation. Thai massage affords these same benefits. A study published in Medical Science Monitor Basic Research in 2015 tested the ability of Thai massage to reduce enzymatic markers of stress and, thus, a person's overall stress level. Researchers found that Thai massage was slightly more effective than simply resting in reducing psychological stress.
As you can see, Thai Massage, also known as Thai Yoga Therapy or Bodywork has many benefits to heal and soothe all of the ails that life may bring your way! I hope that you will seek out a practitioner in your area and enjoy incorporating the amazing experience of Thai Yoga Bodywork into your lifestyle!
"May your life be free from suffering; May your heart be open; May your body be filled with joy and with ease; May you share your gifts with the world & May you know your true self in this lifetime.
Namaste!"
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