Published by Konstantin Koss on 08 Jun 2008
How to Massage Series - Part 2: The Thai Massage
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Last post in this series: The Swedish Massage
Since last time I blogged in-depth about the classical western massage, let’s have a look at the most popular eastern massage technique:
The Thai Massage.
First of all: The western stereotype of the thai massage being this torturing method of stretching and bending all joints you have in your body … is actually true!
But don’t worry, the result of letting yourself be tortured a little feels incredibly relaxing.
Thai Massage in General
In contrast to the western massage techniques that specificly focus on manipulating and kneading the muscle tissue to release myogelosis, the thai massage is more of a compilation of physiotherapeutic practices,
such as …
- Trigger Point Treatments
- Myofascial Techniques
- Neuro Muscular Therapy
- Manual Therapy
Further the thai massage, which emerged from the ayurvedic medicine, also blends those physiotherapeutic techniques with concepts mainly known from TCM (Tradicional Chinese Medicine) such as working with and cleansing the body’s energy lines and manipulation of the chi.
The Purpose
All of those different blended techniques follow the overall purpose of
- providing a deep relaxation
- balancing the body’s energy centers
- healthy blood circulation
- activation of the body’s energy lines (”Sen”)
People who experienced a thai massage often report something along the lines of:
- Feeling the deepest relaxation of their lives
- Being totally centered
- Experiencing a blissful state
Which leads us to …
The Benefits
Apart from the obvious benefits of the above statements, thai massage therapy …
- extends awareness from the head to the whole body
- releases chronic tensions in all areas
- improves posture
- increases range of movement
- improves sleep
- increases vitality
- lifts your mood
- helps you to work better under pressure
- helps stress relief
- improves your mental and physical performance.
(Thanks for most of the above list to the Thai Massage Organisation)
The Technique
There are many things that differentiate the thai massage from most well-known western massage techniques.
Mainly …
- Thai massage techniques can be very time-consuming. A typical thai massage is much longer than a “regular” western massage, lasting up to three hours.
- This massage is done with the client lying down on a mat, not on a massage table. You will understand why once you see a thai massage done.
- Thai Massage involves the passive stretching of various body parts. This means the client completely lets loose and the therapist brings his or her body in a stretching position.
- A main ingredient of the thai massage is pressing certain pressure points on the feet of the client to stimulate other parts of the body. This is commonly called Reflexology.
- Next to the usual kneading of the muscles, the therapist also uses his or her body weight to apply pressure along the meridians / sen and thus stimulating these pressure points
Again, the best way to learn this technique for yourself is to see it in action and not only reading about it. Check out this video series on how to do a thai massage.
Additional Info
- Learn Thai Massage With The Experts In Thailand
- Rejuvenation Thai Massage Training
- Thai Massage / American Style (Part 1)
- Learn Thai Lesson 9: Getting a Thai Massage
- Anybody who has undergone a Thai massage gets heart-stuck to it. Like Thai food, visitors also get addicted to Thai massage. It is so popular that most towns have at least one massage parlor. Massage is an integral part of Thai culture, …
- Thai Massage sequence like never seen before. Be amazed at how Thai Massage helps increase and maintain joint function. Thai Massage provides greater potential in athletic skill, prepares tissue for activity, and much more. …
- Always ask for a doctor’s permission before massaging any person with an aliment, pain or disease that you have questions about.
- Thailand is reknown for the great Thai food, Thailand’s beautiful beaches and the huge variety of places to relax and chill out. One of the most relaxing and best things in this matter are Thai massages. Whether one decides to go for a …
This was it for today’s issue of the “How to Massage Series” on the thai massage. Hope you enjoyed it.
Konstantin Koss
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Tags: How to, How to Massage, Massage Technique, Massage Therapy, Relaxation, Thai Massage
Dartz on 08 Jun 2008 at 11:54 am #
Looks pretty painful, but then, most exotic things do. I wonder if they watch anything-goes fighting tournaments and say “Okay, he doesn’t scream when he does that, note it down.” and develop the technique from there.
I’m hardly a fan of physical contact, but I’ll give this a bash if I have loads of time to kill.
attagirl on 12 Jun 2008 at 12:39 pm #
After reading this article, there are several pieces of this that really caught my attention. The purpose and the benefits. Most people have no clue what the purpose of the benefits of a massage really are. And do they really care, generally not. They just know that in the end they feel more relaxed and rejuvenated.