What is traditional Thai Massage?
Put simply, it is a traditional healing treatment which combines acupressure and assisted yoga postures. It is a holistic approach that works on most areas of the body.
It is believed that the founder of Traditional Thai massage was Shivago Komarpaj who originated from India. He is said to have been the Buddha's physician over 2,500 years ago. The principles and techniques of Thai massage has been used within families to help heal most ailments ever since.
How does it help?
Like most forms of massage Thai Massage can;
● Reduce muscle and joint pain.
● Increase circulation
● Help you to relax and de-stress
● Improve energy levels
● Improve sleep
How does it differ from sports massage?
● This biggest difference is that you will remain fully clothed, but you will need loose gym type clothing.
● No oils or massage creams are used so great for people with who may have sensitive skin.
● Your whole body gets the attention rather than that one achy area you might be used too.
● Your body is guided through a variety of stretches
● You will be lying on a futon on the floor instead of a massage couch.
● It takes a minimum of 1 hour to complete a full body Thai massage instead of 30 - 45 minutes that are usually allocated for sports massage.
What should you expect?
Thai massage involves working with pressure points throughout the body in a repetitive pattern. They call these ‘Sen’ lines but also follow closely to Meridians used in acupuncture too. Massage starts at the feet and works up to the head and even includes the arms and hands. You can expect a combination of compression, rocking, pulling as well as stretching of some muscles and joints.
Certain pressure points may feel uncomfortable but as the line is worked I often find that any tenderness reduces significantly the next time the area is worked on, especially after a stretch too.
On a personal note...
My first Thai Massage was on holiday in Bangkok. I found it really enjoyable, slightly painful yet an extremely relaxing experience. It sparked a curiosity to learning a new way of working with the body. I decided to go back the following year to Chiang Mai and train in Traditional Thai Massage.
I've been doing Thai massage ever since and even use some of the techniques I learnt everyday with patients within Sports Massage. I have noticed how it doesn't just influence the muscles but the fascia too. So it works great to highlight unknown areas of tension and help rebalance the whole body.
Interested?
Give it a try.
Book to experience this ancient healing massage
Zoe x