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June 28, 2010
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I keep body contact throughout the entire sessions with very few exceptions. One would be if you need to turn clients over from supine to prone or vice versa. Even that that be done by yourself without losing body contact, however you need quite a large mat in order to do that. And if you work on a massage table, then clients have to do all the positional changes on their own anyway.
So in most cases, table or mat, we have to ask the client to turn over. However I never walk around the client to continue with another technique. I mostly use the transitioning technique which I show towards the end of module 6. Of course this only applies if you work on the floor. If you work on a table, you have to walk around, which is one of several reasons why I prefer working on the floor.
For the sideways chest rocking, you place your hands on the lower rib cage, not on the pectorals.When you do the up/down rocking, you place your hand on the sternum. This is not meant to be a big rocking technique for the upper body, but a gentle way to stimulate the sternum. There is a technique where you put both your hands on the pecs and do "elephant walking" with a lot more weight in your hands. However this is not included in this course because it is not a rocking technique. You would kneel behind the man's head, place both hands on the pectorals, lean over so that your arms are at a 90 degree angle to the chest, and then walk up and down with plenty of body weight applied. I cover this one in the Complete Thai Massage course.
November 12, 2013
Offline Thank you for clarifying on the body contact and chest rocking - I do use the elephant walking from the top of the body. I do work on the floor, so it is possible for me to maintain contact.
Thai Rocking - Mod 9: I personally hold alot of tension in my shoulders, which was subconsious for a long time, and now I am very aware of it so look for techniques to release the holding pattern. I hadn't found any Thai shoulder work that achieves this for my clients, and am SO EXCITED to have these new tools to incorporate!! Every person who walks in the door mentions that shoulder tension is an area they'd like to work on, and the Thai techniques I've learned feel really nice in the moment and are effective for some, but I feel like a much for gentle, nurturing, almost cooing of the area is what is needed, such as the release techniques you offer here. I need my husband to learn this sequence so he can help me! Thank you Shama!
I also really appreciate how you show us a possible sequence that integrates most of the techniques you've showed us so far - this is invaluable to see and have on video since I find I can get stuck on how to move from one to the next at times, especially with new material. Again, I'm really loving this course. Namaste, Andrea
June 28, 2010
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I am happy that you like the course. Getting your husband to learn some of it sounds like a great idea. My wife and myself work on each other quite a bit, and it is really wonderful if one of us comes home and really needs some massage work, and the partner can do it and can help.
Since you love shoulder work, you might want to take a look at my Ultimate Shoulder Massage course. You won't believe how much can be done with shoulders in Thai Massage until you see the information in this course. 
November 12, 2013
Offline Thai Rocking Mod 10 - Love the Sacral rocking and gluteus work - wonderful for athletes and women leading up to their monthly cycle. I often suffer from low back/ sacral tension before my menses, so am happy to offer these release techniques for other women. I can see how the back rocking can take some practice to coordinate both hands. Looking forward to incorporating it!
June 28, 2010
Offline And you will be one of a very small minority of therapists who actually work on sacrum and glutes, and do it well and effectively. Most therapists don't even work on this area although it feels great.
November 12, 2013
Offline Shama, I will be traveling across country tomorrow and will not be able to post until Tuesday - is that ok for CE purposes?
June 28, 2010
Offline Sure, no problem at all.
November 12, 2013
Offline I also want to add that I really appreciate your discussion about the importance of focusing all of my energy, breath, and movement in a synchronized rhythm. No matter what the modality is, this focus, or presence, is what I believe truly facilitates healing. Believing that, I get caught up in the movement and sequence often, losing the energetic focus. Thanks for the reminder 
November 12, 2013
Offline Thai Rocking - Mod 11 -
I wonder if you encounter any issues with the finger wiggle work on men with hairy backs? Seems like it might be a challenge. Having just returned from a week away, I have a lot of material to integrate. Feeling a little overwhelmed, but really excited to get these rocking techniques down - I have several clients in mind who I would guess would prefer this to some of the more vigorous moves, and am curious about how it will be received by my clients who really like the rough stuff.
Do you have clients who are irritated by the rocking?
Thank you Shama - I look forward to taking more courses with you when I've worked through this material.
Namaste, Andrea
June 28, 2010
Offline I have never encountered an issue with the finger wiggling for two reasons:
1. You are working through someone's clothes, so the hair should not be an issue
2. The fingers stay on the same spot on the skin and you are just moving the skin around without sliding over it, so this eliminates any possible hair pulling.
You can blend the rocking with the "rough stuff" to accommodate all kinds of clients. If you get someone who is really into the Thai Massage stretches and is flexible and in good shape, then you would use less rocking moves.
However if you work on a person who is more stiff, has more pain issues and cannot handle massive stretches, then you would use lots of rocking moves which are more gentle.
I have encountered very few clients who are irritated by rocking. Some people can get nauseated if you do a lot of whole body rocking. But rocking does not mean to constantly rock the entire body. You can rock individual body parts and even very small sections with wiggle techniques.
Anyway the rocking was never meant to be a style of its own but rather an alternative way of doing Thai Massage in a gentler and often more effective way by taking the sting out of linear direct pressure techniques and by providing an alternative to linear stretches.
If you would rock someone for the entire session, no doubt that would be overkill and could be irritating. However that's not the idea. If you blend the rocking techniques with regular Thai Massage techniques and use them at a ratio which makes sense and is in tune with the client's condition, then you will probably never encounter anyone you is irritated by them.
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