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 Traditional
Thai Massage
Traditional Thai massage has been practised in more or
less its present form for at least 1,000 years. It is
a member of the whole family of Oriental bodywork, which
is based on the intrinsic energy flow and energy balance
theory of health and healing. Other members of this family
include Tui Na Chinese massage and manipulation, Ayurvedic
Indian massage and Shiatsu Japanese massage.
Tui Na and Ayurvedic massage both date back over 4,000
years and it is in these systems that Thai massage has
its roots. The Indian yogic influence is very obvious
to both the observer and recipient of this unique form
of massage. Less so, is the extremely disciplined manner
in which the energy channels known as Sen are treated.
In this respect, Thai bodywork more closely resembles
Tui Na, the theory and practice of which was already documented
some 2,300 years ago.
The first ever recorded Western commentary regarding Thai
medicine was made in 1690 by Simon de la Loubère,
a French diplomat, who observed: 'When any person is sick
at Siam he begins with causing his whole body to be moulded
by one who is skilful herein, who gets upon the body of
the sick person and tramples him under his feet.'
What is the secret of Thai bodywork?
The answer is that it enables you to press your muscles
and to balance energy levels. This is what affects flexibility
and equalizes the effects of muscles on both sides of
the body. The amount of movement a muscle can produce
at a joint is determined by the difference between its
length when relaxed and when fully contracted. When muscles
are tense, they become shorter, even when you are not
consciously contracting them. This can happen through
overworking them, by not using them enough or it could
be due to emotional tension. Whatever the cause may be,
the end result is progressively more restricted movement
and the onset of stiffness, aches and pains which are
all characteristic of the ageing process.
 Muscles
that shorten and become tense can create uneven forces
on the spine - that all-important container of the spinal
cord. This, in turn, creates the back pain, neck pain
and headaches that can so easily become a regular feature
of daily life, With its unique ability to stretch all
the most important muscles in the body systematically,
Thai manipulations enable you to achieve effects which
are unlike those of any other bodywork.
Thai bodywork should not be regarded as a mere physical
experience. Indeed, if that is all it turns out to be,
then it has largely failed to achieve its real potential.
The giving and receiving of Thai bodywork is an ideal
way of providing for the subtle, yet powerful interchange
of intrinsic energy between two individuals. It is always
a two-way process, and achievement depends on the caring
of the practitioner, and the receptiveness of the patient.
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