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August 7, 2020
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I forgot to share my acro partner and I do much of what you shared in Module 9's thai experience. We do it more for the fun and flow versus the therapeutics but I am becoming more interested in the therapeutics and he is a regular thai practice partner for me now too.
June 28, 2010
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There is lots of stuff you can do with Thai Massage just for fun. There are quite a few moves that are similar to partner yoga or acro yoga. If you have a partner who is into such things, that's great. Once I had a Thai Massage teacher in Thailand who came up with some amazing moves that wouldn't work for your average session, but were really fun to do among us students.
August 7, 2020
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Module 12
I practiced this module on my acro partner. He has very open hips, I actually stand/balance on his shins often for cool-down stretch, hehe. These stretches are perfect for a base after an acro yoga practice. His hips were open enough I was able to bring his feet forward for the pretzely move, but I did not sit down on him, probably can in the near future.
He enjoyed that move quite a bit also the sacrum massage. I did not feel I was able to get a lot of leverage for the standing sandwich stretch, even with stepping back a bit. I will keep practicing of course. I accidentally sat on the inside of his legs for the ankle stretch version 2 but I didn't notice it was wrong until re-watching the video for review.
I could definitely feel a difference in mobility from one ankle to the other in this move and he does have prior injuries. I've been incorporating the last relaxation move (lifting the ankles for a gentle pull side to side) in my yin yoga classes during savasana too. They are regular clients so it helps me get more comfortable with physical touch and I think it gives them a personal feel too.
June 28, 2010
Offline Good to hear that. I am always interested in how yoga teachers incorporate Thai Massage elements into their classes.
August 7, 2020
Offline Module 13
I am getting more and more comfortable with physical touch without awkwardness. This is a very healing practice for me! I am getting more comfortable asking for feedback and talking through the process when appropriate. I have been working mostly with my yoga friends so they are all very flexible and I have yet to run into anyone experiencing pain, and at times I barely feel like I'm getting to a level 8 stretch. I am still using the summary video as a warm up for my clients, but I would like to start working more from memory and flow vs sequence. I do feel like I'm learning so many techniques that its a lot to remember but I am excited to keep learning and practicing it all to feel more natural.
June 28, 2010
Offline I am glad to hear that you are getting more comfortable with physical touch without awkwardness. This is pretty much a prerequisite for doing Thai Massage. Without this, on some level clients will feel uncomfortable. So that's a big step! 
August 7, 2020
Offline Module 14
I practiced on a new friend today. I did the warm up keeping in mind keeping contact. I noticed myself stand up and walk to another side in past practices, and it did feel awkward to me even, so this was a good reminder and practice to always maintain contact. I find the transfer from knee to opposite knee comfortable which I'm sure my yoga practice helps. My friend very much enjoyed the rocking of the hips and the back stretches. I want to find better flow on one whole side and remember that same sequence on the other instead of moving back and forth awkwardly.
June 28, 2010
Offline This would definitely help your flow once you get that figured out. Transitions are what connects everything, but they should be used sparingly without switching sides unnecessarily.
August 7, 2020
Offline Module 15
After a bit of a training hiatus, I am excited to get focused again. I practiced module 15 on my boyfriend. Since I am very comfortable with him physically I enjoyed the intimacy these techniques give. I was surprised at the heavy pressure he enjoyed with the elephant walking on the chest. I have never massaged anyones abdomen before and these techniques felt very thorough. His abdomen seemed soft and relaxed. I enjoyed taking time to sync our breaths using my hand. He very much enjoyed heavy chest and shoulder pressure which I found easy to give. I will definitely continue to practice these techniques again on someone I am not as comfortable with intimately.
August 7, 2020
Offline Module 16
I cant wait for someone to do this to me! I am excited to know these techniques as our society has such shoulder and neck issues. I feel I could spend a lot of time in this area for many people and using a thick 1 inch mat makes it very comfortable for me also. I practiced again on my boyfriend who seems grateful to receive. I am excited to share these techniques with couples in the future as a way to harness more intimacy together through healing touch.
June 28, 2010
Offline Welcome back, Christina!
August 7, 2020
Offline Module 17
Thank you! I am happy to be practicing again. I am very interested in learning more about sen lines. I practiced this on my boyfriend on the bed and it was far more comfortable for me to be on the floor on a mat. I did notice my wrists and hands getting a bit tired while giving the massage but I'm sure I'll build endurance through practice. I really like the idea of being able to incorporate arm and hand massage outside of a full massage setting. I felt a tad overwhelmed with the amount of techniques shown and will need to practice along to this video a few times to build memory for techniques available.
August 7, 2020
Offline Re module 16, I forgot to add, my boyfriend did also do the techniques to me later that day! I practice and teach aerial fitness regularly and my neck and shoulders need regular work. I am grateful to know and share these techniques both for myself and others.
June 28, 2010
Offline You are lucky that you have someone to do the techniques on you!
It is quite normal to be a bit overwhelmed initially by the sheer number of techniques that are available in Thai Massage. On the bright side, once you get to the point where you don't have to think about them anymore and can spontaneously use them, you have an incredible arsenal of techniques available to you. It just takes some time and plenty of practice to get there.
August 7, 2020
Offline Module 18 and 19
I practiced Module 18 and the summary Module 19 on my boyfriend. I might mention he is over 6' tall! I did take a few extra foot switches to reach the top of his head for the overhead stretches. I am also comfortable coming to a quick squat when I need to, thanks to my yoga practice. I am noticing after practicing several times this week my wrists get sore quickly during elephant walking on the chest type moves, at least on him perhaps because he is large. I also have a tricky time reaching around his back for the twists from the other side of his body. He very much enjoyed the shoulder circling. I noticed my heart rate was up pretty quick practicing transitioning, twisting and the shoulder rotations. I am definitely going to go back through Module 16 and 17 a few more times to get very familiar with all the techniques available but I am excited to begin working another position (prone).
June 28, 2010
Offline Good idea to review those modules. There is no doubt that it is harder to work on clients who are much taller and heavier than you. Remember that you don't have to do all techniques on every client. There is nothing wrong with skipping a technique if it is too hard on a particular clients
August 7, 2020
Offline Module 20
I practiced this one on my partner twice. He has very large feet so I did 3 lines with my elbows. He enjoyed the calf stretch very much and I was able to stretch it as far as the ankle let me. He enjoyed the push pull and rocking, and I feel the rocking may be something I'd enjoy starting a session with. We used a pillow under the chest and rolled a small towel under the forehead so he could keep his neck comfortably neutral. I have started a small collection of props.
August 7, 2020
Offline Module 21
I practiced this module on my very large boyfriend after doing the module 20 as warm up. I definitely had a difficult time cradling and adjusted his legs as he is over 6 feet tall but I found it easy to apply the forearm pressure/roll. I definitely have to add extra massage points for him. I am fairly lightweight and do wonder if I'm not able to give "full" pressure because of my lightweight frame. I did notice more sensitivity on his outer line of the leg/hip. He very much enjoyed the forearm in the soft hip area. I was nervous using my knees and finding the right position not on bone and will practice that one quite a bit more.
June 28, 2010
Offline In Thailand pretty much all Thai Massage therapists are small and light-weight women, and they can make large men cry. 
It's a matter of using your body weight in the most effective way with the most effective body parts. In the beginning, you won't have the confidence to be totally effective - that's normal. But with practice, you will find out how to get the most power with your various body parts, and you will be like the Thai women.
At the same time, it is clearly more difficult to work on much taller and heavier persons. There are some techniques that you will want to skip if they take too much effort. So the idea is to be most effective while understanding your limits.
August 7, 2020
Offline Module 22
Again practicing on my very tall boyfriend, he enjoyed this module very much. He was surprisingly flexible and I was able to spread his knees apart for the heel to buttock stretch. I started with a bit of push/pull knee hip rocking contraction. I did have a very tricky time lifting him as he is rather heavy, not overweight but muscular and tall with long legs. I was able to lift him easier while sitting backwards on his hips but I'd probably skip it for most people his size. I was confident using a knee in the glutes and he enjoyed the pulling stretch. I ended with elephant walking on his calves and hamstrings and elbow rolling the feet and he gave me a short session afterward too. I AM lucky!
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