History of Thai massageIt has been delighted that Thai Massage or 'Nuad Thai' has now been added to a prestigious Unesco heritage list since 12th December 2019, as part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity which features traditions and practices passed across the generations.
"The practice has its roots in self-care in Thai peasant society of the past, where every village had massage healers whom villagers would turn to when they had muscle aches from working the field", according to Unesco. Thai Massage is a unique form of oriental bodywork that dates back to ancient times over 2,500 years ago, originated by Jivaka Komara Bhaccha, a doctor in Northern Indian and a personal doctor of Lord Buddha who has been honoured as the Father of Medicine. Many stretches resemble the Indian yoga asanas. Thai Buddhist monks traditionally performed this dynamic massage in Temples known as Wats in Thailand as a means of invigorating the mind and body. Thailand's King Rama III had the surviving texts inscribed into the walls of Wat Phra Chetuphon in Bangkok which can still be seen today. Thai massage is part of traditional Thai medicine which includes herbal compress, meditation and nutrition, Massage is today the most common and popular form, thanks to acupressure that works along the energy lines throughout the body. Generally speaking, masseuses work on the hypothesis that the body is permeated with "lom", or "wind", inhaled and subsequently travelling throughout the body along 72,000 pathways called "sen" or "energy lines". The energy lines are either physical or non-physical structures. A full traditional Thai massage session typically lasts two hours or more. The rhythmic pressing and stretching of the entire body include pulling fingers, toes, ears; cracking knuckles; and bending body into many different positions. Standard procedure will be adjusted to fit each individual client. Today, Thai massage is part of Thai traditional medicine, globally recognised and regulated by the government. It is widely considered to be a medical discipline to treat a variety of ailments. Thai massage is also practiced by non-medical massage technicians in spas. |
How it worksThere are a vast array of techniques including gentle muscle stretching similar to Yoga asanas and thumbing techniques similar to Acupressure, to energise and stimulating the body. Soothing massage techniques are also incorporated.
Gentle rocking and rhythmic palm pressure can bring about a deep relaxed state. Pressing various points along the energy lines can stimulate and restore the free flow of energy in the body, creating harmony between body, mind and spirit. The imbalanced energy flow can cause illness. Traditional Thai massage has numerous slow stretching movements and masseuses use their hands, thumbs, fingers, feet, legs, knees and elbows to free the tension held within the body. Clients are placed into various postures similar to Yoga asanas to increase flexibility and relax tense muscles, hence reenergising the whole body. The pressure and stretching is measured to match the client's physical ability and needs. It is a continuous flow of techniques carried out in a slow rhythmic pace. The stretching movements affect the entire body, releasing both deep and superficial tension and introducing the client to a new and improved posture. A combination of Thai massage and Yoga is the best bodywork matching. With the Yogic influenced stretches in Thai massage, greater flexibility and deeper relaxation is ensured in each posture. This passive form of Yoga becomes deeply meditative for clients and along with acupressure, massage techniques create a very unique healing art often refer by Thais as 'energy medicine'. Compare to Yoga, the effect is more profound. Alleviating back pain is a good example of this combination. Thai massage can alleviate muscular skeletal problems especially pains in back, neck and shoulder; joint stiffnesses; as well as general aches and pain. Pain in the lower back may be caused by stress, poor posture and weak abdominal muscles, which can lead to undue pressure and alleviate back pain. Shoulder and upper back are another commonplace where tension may be stored, creating pain in the neck and shoulder regions. Various Thai massage techniques can be applied to ease this tension. Stimulating the energy flow on either side of the spine along the energy lines will strengthen and lengthen the spine and alleviate muscle imbalance, a common cause of back problems. A healthy spine can alleviating back pain. There are also a wide range of single leg stretches, which stretch the hamstrings, and increase mobility in the hips. These help loosen the muscles of the lower back and relieve the pain. |
Satisfy your bodyThai massage is primarily used for relaxation, relieving muscular fatigue and pain, reducing tension and headaches, and regaining muscular and joints mobility. It helps stimulate the circulation of blood and lymphatic system as well as improve the body immunity for anti-aging purposes. The treatment is often used to relieve stress and fatigue or improve mental clarity, as a means of relaxation and rejuvenation.
Thai massage also provides help with:
Thai massage encourages the recipient to become engaged and energised, for increased mindfulness. It is also used for regular health maintenance. The unique, dynamic flowing sequence of the stretches untie the physical and emotional knots inflicted by a modern busy lifestyle, benefiting the mind, body and spirit as follow;
Thai Massage appeals to those who looking for a means to deeply relax and relieve tension. It can be helpful in clearing the mind and restoring concentration, perfect for busy professionals and those with high-pressure jobs.. |
How Thai massage is performedAuthentically, Thai massage is performed on a futon mattress with the client wearing loose clothing (or with only underpants oil treatment). A course for the whole body often lasts one and a half hours or two hours to soothe the specific problems, masseuses will choose and adapt various techniques to suit their client's varying needs and abilities.
At the start, masseuses recite a short prayer silently to focus their mind and energy, offering thanks to the Father Doctor, wishing their client good health and release from all illnesses. It is carried out in a meditative mood, enabling the masseuse to concentrate on the client's energy flow, which benefits the client as well as the masseuse. Working with awareness creates the intuition to energy balancing and sympathetic sensitivity for the client's needs. Relaxation techniques allow both masseuse and client to become acquainted with each other’s energies and to establish a rhythm which creates a key foundation to the massage. This rhythm is very important for soothing the client's nervous system. |
A slow moving thumb pressure helps release blocked energy along the energy lines while a series of slow powerful stretching movements help enhance body flexibility and encourage deeper relaxation. Each movement is carried out in a continuous movement and flow.
|