Thai Yoga Massage - An Ancient Therapy for a Modern World
When any person is sick at Siam¹, he begins by causing his whole body to be moulded by one who is skilful herein, who gets upon the body of the sick person & tramples him under his feet.”
Simon
de la Loubére, French liaison to the Thai court, 1690
¹Siam became
The origins of Thai massage (or 'ancient massage' as it is known in Thailand) date back more than 2,500 years to the time of The Buddha (Siddharta). Its founding father is believed to be an Indian doctor called Jivaka Kumar Bhacca, friend of Siddharta & physician to the Sanga, the Buddhist monastic order. He brought the principles of massage & herbal medicine to the region; even today the influence of Ayurveda (the ancient system of medicine practised in India) can still be clearly in Thai healthcare.
The theory behind Thai massage hinges on the principle of energy flow in the body. Disease & dysfunction, whether it is physical, mental or emotional is believed to be caused by blockages in the flow of this energy. For those involved in the practice of yoga or martial arts, the concept of ‘chi’ (also known as ‘Ki’ or ‘Prana’), the energy existing within & surrounding all living things, should be a familiar one.
In Thai medicine it is believed that a 'shell' of some 72,000 energy lines or 'sen' covers the body like a second skin, transporting chi. Thai massage utilises ten of these, those containing points which when manipulated have a direct influence on the health of the individual. As with acupuncture points in oriental medicine (which itself is thought to be a descendant of Thai medicine), western science is beginning to recognise that, while not anatomically verifiable, these points do indeed seem to influence the flow of nerve impulses in the body.
Thai massage differs considerably from other forms of massage commonly practised in the West in that no oils are used & the client remains fully clothed. The treatment is also given on a floor mat or futon as opposed to a massage couch. A dual approach to treatment is utilised to encourage healthy energy flow in the body:
- Acupressure:
not to be
confused with acupuncture which uses needles, the therapist uses
fingers, thumbs, feet, toes, elbows, knees & even sitting or
walking on the client to manipulate various points on the sen.
- Stretching:
passive, or assisted, yoga stretches are applied throughout the
treatment to supplement the point work.
The mention of 'yoga' often conjures a picture of highly improbable (not to mention damaging) body postures. It should be emphasised that one should never stretch, or be stretched beyond the limits of their range of movement at that time; to do causes injury. As such, during a Thai treatment the individual's bodywill not be made to do anything it is not able to perform.
Regular treatments can produce many benefits:
- increased
flexibility:
passive stretching produces a deeper & more profound stretch
than
can be achieved on oneself. Over time the range of movement
of a
muscle can increase to a considerable degree, especially if the client
is supplementing their treatments with a regular & sensible
stretching regime of their own.
- less injury:
most injury
to muscles occurs when a muscle is too tight to fully accommodate the
demands placed on it, leading to a strain. More muscle
flexibility will therefore reduce considerably the risk of such an
occurrence.
- improved
recovery & performance:
the release of excessive tension in the muscles & the
elimination
of toxin build-up improves circulation to all areas of the body.
A better blood supply means more nutrition & oxygen
for the
muscles, resulting in greater muscle efficiency & increased
rate of
recovery from injuries when they do occur.
- increased energy: the benefits mentioned above combine over a period of time to greatly improve energy levels, as tension in the body is reduced & the systems of the body function more effectively.