Experiencing Thai Massage Therapy

A Buddhist form of physiotherapy, thai massage is generally credited to the Buddha's personal doctor, Shivago Komarpai, often referred to as the Father Doctor, who brought the practices to the monasteries to relieve the discomforts the monks experienced after long hours of meditation.

Thai body massage is distinguished by its methods, incorporating elements from acupressure, reflexology and hatha yoga to provide relief to aching muscles, stimulate the lymphatic system, promote relaxation and increase the flow of the energy throughout the body. Thai massage therapy techniques include like applied pressure, muscle compression and passive stretching.

Thai Massage Therapy and Traditional Thai Medicine
Thai massage therapy is one of the three components that make up traditional thai medicine with the other two being spiritual therapies like prayer and meditation, and nutritional therapy. Thai massage is joined the category of yoga therapies with yoga, exercise and other forms of bodywork.

Generally speaking, there are two schools of thai massage: rural and royal. In Thailand, rural thai massage techniques vary among therapists and their location in the country. Rural thai massage therapists typically come in closer contact with the recipient, meaning they use more of their own body parts during treatment (thumbs, fingers, hands, elbows, shoulders and feet). Royal thai massage therapy might only rely on the thumbs to apply pressure, minimizing contact between the therapist and the recipient.

Basis of Thai Massage
Thai massage is based on the belief that compressing, holding or applying pressure to the energy lines in the body stimulates the flow of life force energy that is essential for maintaining good health and balancing the body.

Although thai massage shares this belief in energy lines with other forms of holistic healing, like Traditional Chinese Medicine, the location of these sen sib, or ten major lines, and their corresponding functions is unique to thai massage. By evaluating these energy lines on the recipient, the therapist tunes into where energy is blocked or restricted in the body and then works to free the energy and restore balance.

Thai Massage Techniques
Thai massage utilizes a variety of techniques, often within a single massage session. Unlike the Western approach to massage where muscles are kneaded vigorously, thai massage focuses on applying and holding pressure, often in combination with a gentle rocking motion.

This rocking motion is intended either to bring energy to or release excess energy from the area of the body being worked on, including reflexology points on the hands and feet. While this pressure is being applied the massage therapist may bring your body into a passive stretch that embodies various postures from hatha yoga. The result is a flowing form of massage married with movement.

All of these techniques may be accompanied by encouraging the recipient to become more mindful, whether by paying attention to the breath or being directed to meditate on a specific image, like letting go of stagnant energy.

Benefits of Thai Massage
Like other forms of massage, thai massage offers a variety of benefits, both physical and mental. Some benefits of regular massage include:

• Stress reduction. Massage therapy calms the nervous system and often results in feelings of deep relaxation. People who suffer from insomnia and tension headaches tend to respond well to massage. Massage also stimulates nerve endings, which helps the body release endorphins into the blood stream for natural pain relief.
• Increased mobility. Massage techniques stretch and relax both the muscles and soft tissues in the body and help the muscles eliminate any toxins that have built up. The result is usually an increased range of motion and better overall mobility that helps take stress of the joints and alleviate stiffness.
• Detoxification. The body's lymphatic system is stimulated by massage and lymph begins to flow more freely through the body, helping to speed the elimination of toxins from the body.

Getting a Thai Body Massage
Thai massage is performed while you're fully clothed, save for shoes and socks, on a mat placed on the floor. It's best to wear comfortable, loose-fitting clothing. No oils are used in thai massage. An average Thai massage session can last anywhere from one to two hours.

Your massage therapist may ask you several questions to get an idea of what techniques will benefit you most during the session. From there, the flow begins. Your therapist will direct your body into a series of stretches accompanied by acupressure, reflexology or other touch techniques using their hands, finger, knuckle, thumb, elbows knees and feet.