|  I just watched a short video in which a massage therapist listed some benefits of massage. She looked nice, her work looked good, and I am sure it felt great.
She explained that massage increases circulation, eases tension, brings more blood flow to an area, eases the ischemic points (whatever that is…), brings the person into their parasympathetic nervous system (I have heard that word somewhere…). Then she said that “often people claim to be more relaxed after the session”, and that “some people claim to have decreased blood pressure after the session”. Why do normal people get a massage session? I am sure the therapist was good at what she was doing and she meant well with her listing of benefits. But to me it shows a sorry state of affairs in the world of healing arts. I mean, come on people, who really gets a massage because of their ischemic points or their parasympathetic nervous system! Continue reading “I am a fully licensed professional massage therapist” – sounds impressive, doesn’t it? Especially in the United States the “professional” title is taken very seriously, and it can be easily defined. It generally means you have taken your 500 hours of training or whatever your state requires, and passed the state’s massage board licensing exam. Easy definition, and now you are a real professional. Or are you? Let’s look at some different scenarios - You are licensed in one state but not in another. If you do a massage in this other state, are you still a professional or are you an offender, someone who broke the law?
- You are licensed in the US, and now you go to a country which has no licensing laws for massage. If you do a massage there, is that a professional or unprofessional massage? Continue reading
Should you talk to your clients during a massage therapy session? Should you let your clients talk while they are receiving their massage? I have often heard that therapists should discourage talking by their clients and that they should not talk much either. Based on my experience of practicing Thai Massage for over 12 years, I am convinced that this advice is flawed for several reasons: Not everyone processes information in the same way - Some people have a more developed auditory sense and they feel most comfortable processing information through hearing and talking.
- Some people are more visually oriented. They will notice people’s hair color, eye color, dress, and they like to “see it before they believe it”
- Some people are kinesthetic. They like to feel things. Continue reading
Many massage therapists want to learn Thai Massage these days in order to expand their repertoire. What is the best way to go about that? Here are four options to consider in order to get Thai Massage training. 1. A local school There are two kinds. One is a regular massage school that offers courses in many modalities. In this case you would want to get a good idea who the teacher is, how long he or she has been studying and practicing, and how much of their practice consists of Thai Massage. The other option is a school that specializes in Thai Massage training exclusively. This can often be a better choice, since such teachers are generally highly experienced and passionate about their work. They have often developed a unique style which is more advanced than basic traditional Thai Massage. Continue reading Are Thai Massage techniques suitable for pregnancy massage?The combination of Thai massage and pregnancy is not so widely known, but those women who have received it know how great it feels and what a relief it can bring them. As a man I have never experienced a pregnancy massage, but as a long time therapist I have given quite a few of them and have observed the effects of them.  Often people wonder if Thai Massage can be done on pregnant women? The answer is: “Yes of course! Why not?” Some people have the erroneous concept that Thai Massage is a mandatory sequence of massive stretches. This is simply not true.
Thai Massage includes lots of techniques for working on the legs, the feet, the arms, the hands, the neck and the head. All of these can be done as part of pregnancy massage quite easily without even touching her mid section. You just have to use more props and pillows for comfort. Especially the side position lends itself quite well to pregnancy massage. Thai pregnancy massage case historiesI remember the case of a nine months pregnant woman who really wanted a Thai Massage. I did some work on her in the side position with a pillow under her extended belly, mostly working on her legs. Then I propped her upper body up with lots of pillows to a 45 degree angle and worked on her neck, shoulders, head and face. She totally loved it. Continue reading There is Thai Massage. But that’s not a very good definition. It is somewhat like saying “There is Christianity”. Well – are you talking about Catholics, Protestants, Mormons, Born Agains… It is similar with Thai Massage. There is a northern style, a southern style, a royal style, the strictly traditional style and a whole number of styles that have been mixed with other Asian healing arts or with yoga therapy or energy work. Why are there so many different Thai Massage styles? So what’s the point of having all those styles? Why not just one? There is the saying “variety is the spice of life”, and this is very true. Imagine if there was only one car, or one mobile phone – wouldn’t you agree that it is much more fun if you have many choices? Just like you can match a car to your preferences, so can you match a massage style to your body and your likes. Continue reading  Anatomy Poster Do Thai Massage Therapists need to know anatomy? What kind of a strange question is this? Isn’t it obvious that the answer should be “yes”? Or so would be the response of any western massage therapist. My personal experience in Thailand Let’s switch gears now. I have lived in Thailand, the home country of Thai Massage, for many years. I have studied in quite a few Thai Massage schools, and not one of them mentioned anatomy. I also know many native Thai Massage therapists, and the vast majority of them have very little knowledge of anatomy. WHY IS THAT? The answer is not so simple. There are several levels of how Thai Massage is being practiced. Most Thai and western massage therapists know Thai Massage as a system of stretching and pressure points. Relatively few know that there is a rather sophisticated system of traditional Thai medical knowledge behind it. The reason why very few therapists are familiar with it is twofold: Continue reading Thai Massage and Western Massage differ greatly in more ways than their techniques. In Western countries there is an ongoing effort to prove scientifically how and why massage is beneficial. Most of the massage therapy profession has accepted science as their unofficial regulator. Therapists feel compelled to demonstrate that their therapies hold up to the demands of science and comply with scientific standards. Continue reading One of the great joys of Thai massage is the growth in spiritual freedom, understanding and love it develops within us as we continue practicing it. This facet of Thai massage is known as Metta, or Loving Kindness and is one of the four sublime states within Buddhist philosophy. It is a term much used by western Thai massage therapists in their advertising and can be very often seen described as an intricate part of their massage philosophy and offering. To a client in search of love and/or reassurance which may be missing in life, this is a very attractive proposition: to receive Loving Kindness in a massage treatment. To the potential student of Thai massage it is also a very attractive proposition: to be able to advertise yourself as someone offering Loving Kindness in massage. Continue reading  Thai Massage Thai Massage has its roots in India’s yoga tradition. We know that about 2,500 years ago during the time of Buddha, an Indian physician came to Thailand and brought what is now known as Thai Massage with him. The similarities between the two systems are quite obvious. Thai Massage is often called “Thai yoga massage” or “lazy man’s yoga” since it is somewhat like yoga being done to you. The therapist is applying a series of yoga-like stretches to the client. Normally yoga is done by individual practitioners who perform stretching techniques on themselves. But there are also styles where two yoga practitioners work together. One is called partner yoga, and another one is Acro yoga. These are quite acrobatic styles and contain many quite involved positions and stretches. Continue reading | |
