Traditional Therapeutic Thai Massage in Thailand is called NUAD BORARN. The word

"

Nuad

"

means

"

Massage

"

,

"

Borarn

"

means

"

Ancient

"

. The therm

"

Thai Yoga Massage

"

is used today mostly by western practitioners who learned, practice and respect the ancient art of Traditional Thai Massage. It is also used sometimes to distinguish the so called Northern Style, which uses more stretching,

"

yogic

"

techniques then the  Southern Style, in witch there is more focus on deep acupressure. (More on styles

here

.)

  The reason why many practitioners today use the

"

Thai Yoga Massage

"

term is that they relate their

practice to the real tradition and its origins in Ayurveda, Yoga and Buddhism. They perceive the depth and purity of this long tradition in contrary to what is often heard about some places where Thai Massage is mixed with other type of services, giving it bad reputation.

As Asokananda (Harald Brust) profoundly explains in his book THAI TRADITIONAL MASSAGE FOR ADVANCED

PRACTITIONERS:

CHNIQUE

   In Thai Massage tradition, similarly to other oriental systems,

human is perceived and treated holistically. Important part

of theory and practice of Thai Massage takes the concept

of  energy lines within human body called SEN. They are

invisible energy pathways similar to NADI channels in Yoga

and acupuncture meridians. There are 72 000 SEN in this

system but in practice 10 main ones are being used.

The technique of Thai Massage consists of slow and rhythmic

compression along energy lines, work on acu-points and

stretching, joint opening movements looking like assisted

yoga positions. One aspect of work in Thai Massage is similar

to what in western terminology should be called peripheral

stimulation, witch means that certain effect in some areas

of the body will be attained through stimulation of some

other, distant areas, as it takes place in therapies like

acupuncture, myofascial release, rolfing or Shiatsu. The  other

aspect of stretching and joint opening movements makes similarity

with certain  kinds of manual therapies such as

osteopathy, physiotherapy or chiropractics. As we can see

the therm

"

Thai Yoga Massage

"

doesn't really reflect what

is used to be understood as

"

massage

"

in western world.

During the session the client remains fully clothed, laying on

a mat on the floor.

   The practitioner uses their thumbs, palms, feet, elbows and knees to press, pull and stretch,

guiding the recipient into various assisted yoga postures, while remaining focused on their own body-

center. In areas of tension the pressure can be held for a longer time. This combination of slow,

rhythmic movements and focused awareness creates a sense of flowing dance around and with the

recipient's body. Sometimes it is called

"

yoga for lazy people

"

. It is good both for receiver as well

as for the giver. A good practitioner should be able to give very effective treatment effortlessly. In

fact it is yoga for both.

   A huge leverage is being created by proper use of the practitioner's body weight. It can create

very strong and stable pressure on recipient, yet it feels safe and painless, although at times sort of

"

good pain

"

can be filed and usually is accepted and enjoyed by the recipient.

The sessions are tailored according to the individual needs and body condition of the client. The sort

of techniques and pressure strength might be soft medium or hard dependent on his or hers

sensitivity, flexibility, muscular tension and general health condition.

Full sessions last 1.5 - 2 or even 3 hours. One hour treatment is considered to be short. It is so

because, techniques of Thai massage are performed in slow pace and cover the whole body, from

feet to the head and face. Also, it take time to get one into a deep, relaxing state, where all the

tension melts. More on technique and anatomy

here

.

  According to

Thai Traditional Medicine as well as all

ancient medical traditions, sickness is caused

by blocks in energy flow in our bodies and by imbalance of elements it is build from: Earth, Water, Fire, Wind and Space.

T

his disturbances can be caused by external factors like excess of heat or cold, epidemics etc...

or/and by internal factors like our attitudes, activities and emotions.

This philosophy is particularly valid in our modern society, where stress, speed of life, alienation

from nature, pollution of the planet and chemistry in food are so evident. Modern people often lead life of

chasing ambitions and desires, followed by alienation of their inner emotional and spiritual life.

Thai Massage offers something much more than simply treating uscles and bones, it gives

opportunity to bring back natural rhythm and balance.

   THE SPIRIT

The spirit of Thai Massage is based in Loving Kindness and Compassion. This ideas derive from Buddhism but are not exclusive, they can be and often are put into practice by any one.

There are four mental attitudes that are particularly cultivated in Thai Massage tradition,  called four Brahmavihara or sublime states of mind:

The technique of Thai Massage consists of slow and rhythmic compression along energy lines, work on acu-points and stretching, joint opening movements looking like assisted yoga positions. One aspect of work in Thai Massage is similar to what in western terminology should be called peripheral stimulation, witch means that certain effect in some areas

of the body will be attained through stimulation of some other, distant areas, as it takes place in therapies like

acupuncture, myofascial release, rolfing or Shiatsu. The  other aspect of stretching and joint opening movements makes similarity with certain  kinds of manual therapies such as osteopathy, physiotherapy or chiropractics.

During the session the client remains fully clothed, laying on a mat on the floor.

   The practitioner uses their thumbs, palms, feet, elbows and knees to press, pull and stretch, guiding the recipient into various assisted yoga postures, while remaining focused on their own body-center. In areas of tension the pressure can be held for a longer time. This combination of slow, rhythmic movements and focused awareness creates a sense of flowing dance around and with the recipient's body. Sometimes it is called

"

yoga for lazy people

"

. It is good both for receiver as well as for the giver. A good practitioner should be able to give very effective treatment effortlessly. In fact it is yoga for both.

   A powerful leverage is being created by proper use of the practitioner's body weight. It can create very strong and stable pressure on recipient, yet it feels safe and painless, although at times sort of

"

good pain

"

can be filed and usually is accepted and enjoyed by the recipient.

The sessions are tailored according to the individual needs and body condition of the client. The sort of techniques and pressure strength might be soft medium or hard dependent on his or hers sensitivity, flexibility, muscular tension and general health condition.

Full sessions last 1.5 - 2 or even 3 hours. One hour treatment is considered to be short. It is because, techniques of Thai massage are performed in slow pace and cover the whole body, from feet to the head and face. Also, it takes time to sink into a deep, relaxing state, where all the tension melts. More on technique and anatomy

here

.

  In the tradition of Thai Massage

human is perceived and treated holistically. Important part of theory and practice of Thai Massage is the concept of  energy lines within human body called SEN. They are invisible energy pathways similar to NADI channels in Yoga and acupuncture meridians. There are 72000 SEN in this system but in practice only 10 main ones are used.