Learning Thai Massage is very popular among yoga teachers. Why is that? How can yoga teachers benefit from the practice of Thai Massage?
Thai Massage is often called Thai Yoga Massage which reflects the connection between the two. There are eight good reasons why yoga teachers learn Thai Massage.
How Thai Massage can improve your yoga teaching
==> 1. Since many Thai Massage moves are very similar to yoga postures, it can help students if their yoga teacher can gently loosen them up and maneuver them into a position through the help of Thai Massage techniques.
==> 2. Generally in Yoga teacher training there is not much focus on the quality of touch, if any. Since yoga teachers often need to touch their students to adjust a posture, it can be very helpful to develop a better quality of touch. This is what you learn in Thai Massage training.
==> 3. Some yoga teachers incorporate elements of Thai Massage into their classes. For example, some end their classes by going around and giving their students a mini head, neck or shoulder massage.
This adds a unique touch to their classes, and students love it. Thai Massage training can provide the ‘icing of the cake’ for your yoga teaching.
==> 4. Thai Massage can be quite similar to partner yoga. It can be lots of fun to play with some Thai Massage positions and combine them with yoga moves. This can provide a delightful interaction in both Thai Massage classes as well as yoga classes.
==> 5. It’s a known fact that yoga students sometimes get injured by overstretching or by pushing themselves too hard. Yoga teachers with a knowledge of Thai Massage can help in such situations by using therapeutic moves.
==> 6. When yoga teachers work with students one-on-one, they can use Thai Massage techniques to loosen up and prepare stiff students for challenging postures.
==> 7. Yoga teachers can offer Thai Massage sessions to their students. With their students, they have an immediate and motivated market for their massage skills, and it blends perfectly with their yoga teaching.
It adds another source of income for them, it provides another welcome service, and it adds to the skill level and uniqueness of the yoga teacher.
==> 8. Yoga teachers who also practice Thai Massage have an additional advantage: They can give their massage clients yoga exercises as ‘homework assignments’. This adds to the benefits of their massage sessions.
How Thai Massage and yoga complement each other
Yoga can benefit from the touch skills of Thai Massage and from its therapeutic moves. It is also helpful for partner yoga applications and gives you an increased skill level.
Thai Massage can benefit from yoga elements by taking it beyond the mechanical aspect of massage techniques and focusing more on breath, ergonomics, energy, and higher awareness which is the goal of yoga practice.
Yoga and Thai massage are an excellent combination. They complement each other in many ways.
Yoga practitioners can learn Thai Massage more easily than others since they already have good body awareness, flexibility, and an understanding of the correct mechanics of postures and stretching.
Thai Massage practitioners appreciate yoga. They can see the value it adds to their massage practice, and it helps them with their own positions and their body mechanics of Thai Massage.
If they practice yoga, it can help them to reduce the physical stress of giving daily massages. Yoga exercises are the best way to keep Thai Massage therapists in good shape.
Yoga teachers talking about Thai Massage
Here are some interesting insights from some of the many yoga teachers who have learned Thai Massage through Thai Healing Massage Academy’s online training program.
“I loved all of these techniques! My favorite ones were the different versions of the cobra. I tried the gentlest version in one of my restorative yoga classes this week and everyone LOVED it! They all said it was so relaxing.“
“I am adding more and more Thai Massage techniques into my gentle/restorative yoga classes with great success. People really love the special attention and tension relief!“
“I have been using the Chi Machine technique from the Complete Thai Massage course regularly in my yoga classes, and several regular participants told me that this has quickly become their favorite part of class.“
“The Complete Thai Massage course has given me so many tools to help with the posture assists.“
“Module 7 of the Complete Thai Massage course has made me a very popular Yoga instructor! I loved every bit of this lesson. I had so much fun practicing it, and my practice partners were so happy afterward!“
“All the Thai Massage techniques are so relevant to me as a yoga instructor, and I’m incorporating them in my classes. I definitely feel more confident to have hands-on skills in adjustments as well as offering a Thai Massage treat when I see it’s needed.“
“I tried some of the techniques shown in this module today in my Wellness Yoga class and everyone loved it! The elephant walk was a hit!! I’ve taken my personal and teaching yoga experience to the next level with this course!“
“I integrate Thai Massage into my yoga classes, and I also do separate Thai Massage sessions outside of my yoga sessions. The Thai Massage work is such a great addition to my classes and has really helped evolve them. It has given me more ways to help heal those that need it!“
Visit Thai Healing Massage Academy’s online training library with 20 Thai Massage courses for all your training needs and all levels of skills.
The author, Shama Kern, has been practicing and teaching Thai Massage for over two decades. He is the founder of Thai Healing Massage Academy and the creator of 20 Thai Massage online training courses.
Related Reading:
Thai Massage, Yoga, and Flying Therapeutics
Thai Massage Versus Partner Yoga