Thai Massage
Centuries ago, a dynamic bodywork therapy based on yoga and Ayurveda was born in the temples of Thailand. In this unique healing system of Thai Yoga Massage - also called Nuad Boran and widely known as traditional Thai massage - the practitioner guides the recipient through a series of yoga postures while palming and thumbing along the body's energy (Sen
) lines and pressures points. Together these actions result in a comprehensive full body treatment that relieves muscular tension, improves circulation, boosts the immune system and balances the body energetically.
The image to the right shows the energy lines for Sen Kalathari, the energy line most focused on in a basic Thai Massage routine. What is so unique about this Sen line is that it crosses the body like an X at the navel. It brings the right and left sides of the body into harmony, yogi's may say uniting shiva and shakti
. Sen Kalathari is very unique to Thai Massage, we don't see evidence of meridians crossing from left to right and vice-versa in Chinese Medicine.
Foot, hand, arm, and leg numbness, pain, and paralysis; knee problems; stiffness of the neck; shoulder problems; and various mental disorders are a few of the conditions that benefit from working on Sen Kalathari.
Thai Yoga Massage is performed on a mat on the floor; both client and practitioner are dressed in comfortable clothing allowing ease of movement and flexibility. No oils or creams are used.
During the summer of 2011, I took Thai Yoga Massage I and II from the Lotus Palm while working at Omega.
I find the Lotus Palm approach to Thai Massage to be particularly affective for the lower body. A great deal of focus is put on the quads and I.T. band, highly underworked and overlooked areas of imbalance.
Thai Massage puts a strong emphasis on putting the joints through ranges of motion and stretching.
