Thailand is quite a traditional place and generally not as open to new ideas and influences like the western world. One example is the massage scene. Thai Massage, foot massage and oil massage are the only modalities on offer, and it has been like that for a long time. Compare that to the US or Europe where you can find dozens of healing arts and massage modalities. There are specific reasons for this which I have written about in other places.
However in the last few years Thailand has been experiencing a renaissance in the healing arts arena (see the video below). This happened largely due to the influence of western visitors who brought their knowledge with them and applied it in Thailand.
I definitely recognize a Thai Yoga Massage move when I see one. After all I have been teaching them for over a decade. Some time ago I met a very interesting fellow and watched him perform. I recognized all the techniques, only they came with a major twist: They were all executed in the air, not on the mat – the client was “flying”.
I was really impressed by the gracefulness and the mindfulness of this healing arts practitioner. His name is Lorenzo Becchi, and he is Italian but lives in Spain. I met him in Chiang Mai, my hometown in Thailand and invited him to come to my studio to record his “Flying Therapeutics.” The result is this video.
Lorenzo’s style looks like a combination of Thai Massage and yoga, but done in the air so that the client experiences a feeling of weightlessness. It is similar to Acro yoga, but with Lorenzo’s very special and unique touch. You really need to see it to appreciate it.
If you would like to find out more about Flying Therapeutics, you can visit Lorenzo’s site at http://flyingtherapeutics.org
Dancing Hands Abdominal Massage is my answer to a missing element in Thai Massage. After over a decade in Thailand, I cannot help but notice that almost no therapist ever touches the abdomen. I attribute this to the fact that traditional Thai Massage just does not have good abdominal techniques.
The techniques that do exist are unpleasant and often painful. Nobody likes them and the therapists don’t like them either. So abdominal massage in Thailand fell mostly by the wayside. Rather than writing it off, I decided to create techniques for the abdomen that feel great, are painless, effective and fun to receive and give.
The fact is that the effects of abdominal massage go way beyond the actual belly. This area is the seat of your life force, the “hara”, it is the starting point of all energy lines in Asian bodywork, it contains the largest concentration of organs, and energetically it can affect the entire body.
I created a massage system that incorporates elements from Zen Shiatsu, Chi Nei Tsang and rocking techniques. I have always been a fan of rocking since it is such a natural movement (why do mothers always rock their babies when they cry?), it feels wonderful and it is totally painless if used correctly.
Shiatsu and Chi Nei Tsang are good modalities, but they incorporate a lot of theory, they take quite some time to learn and the courses are very expensive. So I created an abdominal massage system that is simple enough to learn easily, it works with all kinds of massage modalities, it is highly effective and is very pleasant to receive.
In order to provide easy and affordable access to this system, I have created a 67 minute video training course that enables you to study abdominal massage therapy right from your home. You can get the details here:
For me it is always a magical experience that the human touch in massage therapy can change pain to pleasure, stress to relaxation, mental chatter to a feeling of peace, and dis-ease to well-being.
Different types of massage modalities are designed to accomplish different things. Rolfing, for example, is not designed to be a meditative experience. A strong Thai Massage session with lots of stretching is not meant to induce a trance state.
But Heavenly Head Massage is designed to be both meditative and trance inducing. I created this style of massage to be a blissful, heavenly, supremely relaxing experience. And I know from personal experience of practicing and teaching it for over a decade that it really works.
Watch the video below and you will get a sense of it.
Recently I created a homestudy course for Heavenly Head Massage on downloadable video. It contains the entire system with detailed step by step instructions just like in a class room. You can read about it here:
Thai Massage is not the only healing modality in Thailand. There are quite a few unusual healers here. Some spit red betel juice on afflicted areas, some use magical eggs, others prepare herbal mixtures, and some prescribe amulets and other objects that are supposed to be infused with healing power.
Healing magic or scam?
Now many or most of these healing methods seem strange or unbelievable to the western mind. The question is: do they really work? Is there some real magic involved or is it quackery? The answer is not what you expect: It does not matter so much if it is ‘real’ or not.
Healing and the placebo effect
May I remind you that it has been scientifically proven that placebos work almost as well or in some cases equally well as the real thing. There have been plenty of studies where some patients were given the actual pill, and another group were given sugar pills. They all believed that they took the real pills, and both groups showed very similar improvement. Continue reading
Thai Massage and Swedish massage are very different both in their techniques and in their approach or philosophy. While many people have a general idea about what distinguishes the two massage therapy systems, few really understand all the differences. This massage video breaks it down for you in detail via a multi media comparison that makes it really clear and easy to understand.
There are hundreds of techniques in Thai Massage and countless modifications. Most experienced massage therapists end up developing their own style. In this Thai Massage video I show some of my favorite techniques.
Early on in my Thai Massage career I noticed that the head and face were often neglected. Most massage technique focuses from the neck on down. I had always loved head massage and since I had a hard time finding it, I decided to create a modality that focuses from the neck on up. I called it Heavenly Head Massage since that is about the closest description of what it feels like to receive it.
I always ended my Thai Massages with a mini Heavenly Head Massage, and my clients loved it. Although I often use it as a standalone session, it is also integrated into every bodywork session I do.
Thai massage became famous mostly because of the many yoga-like stretches that are part of the system. What is less known but equally important is that Thai massage can be done without stretching as well.
Thai Rocking Massage is a technique that transforms Thai massage into a more gentle and fluid treatment. The body is kept in constant motion while massage techniques are applied at the same time. This has several benefits: It is totally painless (compared to more vigorous modalities like Thai massage, deep tissue or rolfing), it is great for opening up tight joints and increasing range of motion, and it induces a hypnotic feeling of relaxation and well being.
