Thai Massage and Yoga - The Perfect Match
Many of my readers already know a thing or two about yoga, as do many people in this country. Thai Yoga massage, usually just called Thai massage, is a lesser known healing practice that I will be writing about today. They are members of the same family and complement each other in many ways. These systems can work harmoniously together to produce better results than when used separately. After giving you some historic perspective on Thai massage I will let you know how and when you can use Thai massage to benefit you. I'll end with a little about my personal history as a Thai Massage therapist.
A Brief History of Thai Massage
Thai Massage is said to have been founded over 2500 years ago. Although the evolution of techniques and practices have mostly happened in Thailand, the origin of Thai Massage can be traced to India. Legendary Shivago Komarpaj, a physician and yogi from northern India, and said to be a friend and personal physician of the Buddha developed it based on his own healing from his meditative and healing experiences using his energy lines. Thai massage differs from western massage by its use of balancing the body's energy line system, known as Sen lines in Thai massage, that corresponds with the Chinese acupuncture meridians and the ancient medical practices of Indian Ayurvedic.
It involves massage and yoga-like stretching and happens on the floor on a firm mattress or a mat. The combination of massage plus assisted stretching results in a comprehensive full-body treatment that relieves pain and muscular tension, improves circulation and range of motion, reduces stress and boosts the immune system, while balancing the body energetically.
The Relationship Between Thai Massage and Yoga
There are scenarios where Thai Massage is a better choice for you based on your needs and desires, and there are circumstances where yoga is the better choice. The two systems are highly compatible and there is a lot of overlap.
So, how can Thai massage help you? And when do you know how to decided whether to seek a yoga therapy session or a Thai massage therapy session? Let’s look at some scenarios when Thai Massage could be the better choice:
Thai Massage can be a better source of therapy if you are looking for a quick fix when suffering from pain and muscle tension. In comparison, yoga is a long-term system of lifestyle medicine. It is not a quick fix solution to most muscular problems or pain.
When you need to be completely relaxed and passive, but still want to gain some of the benefits of a movement practice Thai Massage could work better for you. It is sometimes called ‘lazy man’s yoga’ since all the receiver has to do is lie down and receive the benefits of passive yoga.
So, When is yoga a good choice? Here are several scenarios where yoga could be more appropriate or practical than Thai Massage:
Frequent sessions of Thai Massage, at least in the western world, can be out of one's financial budget. Yoga, however, once learned, can be practiced at home for free.
If you are looking for profound results in mind and body, a commitment to a deeper yoga practice will generate more results than just physical improvements. This is generally not the case with Thai Massage.
You might live in, or travel to, an area where Thai Massage is not available. Yoga classes, however, are widely available in most areas.
Clients can benefit greatly by taking advantage of the active nature of yoga practice, which results in greater strength, long-term flexibility, confidence and will-power.
I was first introduced to Thai massage around 2014 when I began my Yoga Therapy Teacher training program. One of the teachers was a women by the name of Saraswati Devi, who founded the Yogalayam Ashram in Berkeley California in 1975 and continues to operate it today. She has focused her yoga teaching on making yoga accessible to people with disabilities, especially those that limit mobility, like cerebral palsy and multiple sclerosis. Within the modules she taught in the training on adaptive yoga and while assisting in her adaptive yoga classes over the course of a few years, I learned much about how to apply the principle of yoga to serve people who needed assisted stretching, energy work and loving touch.
From 2017 through 2019, I focused more on the specific massage techniques of Thai massage from a couple of Thai Massage Therapists through their retreats, workshops and classes. This inspired me to introduce elements of Thai Massage in my yoga classes and workshops. And, in January of 2020, I completed a level one Thai massage training in Thailand. My level two training will be complete by the end of January 2021.
I continue to combine my passion for massage by frequently give my yoga therapy clients guidance on how to perform self-massage exercises as a supplement to their yoga therapy sessions with me. Likewise, I share my expertise in yoga with my massage clients by giving them one or two yoga exercises as homework to sustain and add to the benefits of the massage.
For more about my Thai massage sessions go to my website