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March 13, 2022
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Module 1.
When I was in massage school in Seattle we were able to take intro classes to many different modalities and Im excited that I am able to remember some of the information from then as I start the modules. I have always used touch sometimes even just closing my eyes for a large portion of my sessions already. So I feel comfortable working with the energy and breath of myself and my clients already. I cant wait to expand on this and learn more about energy lines and incorporate into my practice. I will definitely have to work on my body mechanics and endurance from going exclusively table top to working on the floor.
June 28, 2010
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Hi Shauna, welcome to the Complete Thai Massage certification program. Please take a moment and familiarize yourself with our certification checklist to make sure that it is all correctly organized:
The one thing that is missing is your certification registration form. We need that in order to issue a certificate. You can find the form in our Certification Tutorial which you can access by clicking on the Certification Information banner in the sidebar of your membership portal. If you scroll down the tutorial page, you will see the Certification Registration section.
I am glad to hear that you are comfortable with energy and breath. By the way, I also often work with my eyes closed. 
March 13, 2022
Offline Module 2
I think I completed the certificate registration as you requested.
The Chi Machine reminds me of a grounding technique. I do a lot of rocking on table in my practice presently and I do a grounding for any cranial sacral massage with out the rocking of course. I practiced on my 18 year old daughter and while she didnt get any tingling her body did relax and stretch out. Shes a dancer so her body and joints are very mobile and crack alot. My knees and ankles definitely are not comfortable yet on a mat but I am watching your stretching and body readiness videos I will definitely have to get my body accustomed to working on the floor and incorporate more stretching for my self to prepare.
June 28, 2010
Offline Yes, we got your certification registration, thank you.
If you like rocking, you will find a lot of that in this course!
March 13, 2022
Offline Module 3
I like the beginning foot moves. I can easily add some of these to my regular massage as well as floor Thai massage. These foot stretches feel great. I'm curious if there are any contraindications for ankle injury or surgery or as we go along for any of the joints and stretching.. Or just stretch to the clients limit.
June 28, 2010
Offline There are no specific contraindications besides common sense ones. In other words, we can't make up rigid rules like 'if someone has this, you can't do that'.
It depends on the ankle injury, the severity, the time elapsed since the injury, and the degree of healing. The same goes for operations. It is always better to err on the side of caution, especially when it comes to stretches.
In such cases it is very important to get feedback from the client and never do anything that could make it worse or cause lots of pain.
Some people have weak ankles and when you move them, it sounds like marbles rolling around in the joint. These people often experience pain when getting their ankles manipulated. You have to be careful with such a condition. We do have specific training for this condition, but it is in the Thai Foot Massage training course which goes much more into depth with foot massage and therapy.
March 13, 2022
Offline Module 4
Finished foot sequences. I got a client to say she did feel the tingling with the Chi machine. I like starting with this to ground and relax the client. I like the idea if not having a set sequence and just go with the flow of how the clients body reacts to the movements. That's how I already do most of my sessions on table. My client definitely felt more mobility in her feet and ankles. I am using regular clients as test bodies for the new moves so they are already accustomed to my massage and how their bodies feel after a regular massage session. I have been incorporating some of the foot stretches in my regular sessions as well.
June 28, 2010
Offline That's a way how quite a few of our students are doing it - they are adding in some Thai techniques to their existing massage style and practicing some new techniques on their clients who are generally receptive to that. It seems that this is going well for you and that you are getting good feedback!
March 13, 2022
Offline Module 5
Leg warm up. I received a mat I ordered so now I can be on the ground comfortably with my clients. I like the leg warm up. Everything so far has gone along with most of what I already do in session with massage clients. I am having to adjust my body more as my ankles get use to me squatting so much. Clients so far have liked the pressure and being dressed has been way more beneficial. I live in a pretty small conservative town. So trying to get clients to grasp the idea of this type of massage and figuring out who I can slowly switch over is my biggest hurdle at the moment. Ive been lucky that my friends and family have eagerly jumped in for practice bodies but making this an actual part of my business will be harder.
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June 28, 2010
Offline I think that if you manage to convert a couple of clients, they might spread the word just because it is unique and different. You could also print up a nice fact sheet about Thai Massage with its advantages and hand it out for free to your clients so that they gradually warm up to the idea. If you need help with that, we have several articles that I can point you to where you could find the contents for your Thai Massage fact sheet.
March 13, 2022
Offline Module 6
Im definitely awkward still with positioning my body and not slouching so I feel it in my back or shoulders. Im fine with working on one whole leg then transitioning to the next but being able to use my feet to pin and getting into the correct position is proving to be a learning curve. Im a small girl to begin with so getting entwined in the legs to use forarms and not be totally engulfed is interesting. I know you dont talk about time in any of the videos but how long does a normal session last. How long should typically be spent on each body part.
Shauna
June 28, 2010
Offline How long should you spend on each body part? In general, it is best to do longer sessions. In my own Thai Massage practice, I never did sessions shorter than 2 hours. I could do that because I always worked for myself and could set my own rules. For me, less than 2 hours is tight and doesn't allow me to address all areas properly.
You can of course do a Thai Massage session in one hour, but you will have to cut down on the number of techniques you use.
Regarding the time spent on a particular area - this depends if you do a general full body massage on someone who doesn't have specific problems. If someone does have specific issues, then I typically ask the client if they want me to spend more time on that area, even if that means that I won't be able to do a full-body session. Most of the time they will agree and rather have me spend more time on the problem than working on their entire body.
If you do a full-body session without focusing on specific problem areas, then the length of time you spend on each area depends on the time you have for the entire session. If it's a one-hour session, you obviously have less time than if you do a longer session.
There is no specific timing. It's a matter of experience to find out how much time you can spend on an area. However there are several 'summary' modules in the course. They will show you how a session looks like. You will get a much better idea from those modules about timing.
March 13, 2022
Offline Module 7
Ive noticed that since I have short legs, Im only 5 ft, If the client has much longer legs it will be difficult for me to give a good stretch on upper leg and the 90 degree angle. So I am having to improvise slightly. Remembering when to pin the ankle and positioning my body is still awkward. I will start doing a move and will have to reposition. Im sure it will become muscle memory once Ive been doing it for awhile. and there will be a mpre natural flow. What has been gone over my clients, that Ive been practicing on, have quite enjoyed so far.
June 28, 2010
Offline True, with a big difference in body size between client and therapist, you have to improvise sometimes. It is good to know that most of the Thai Massage therapists in Thailand are quite petite, small women. They can do it very well, and so will you!
March 13, 2022
Offline Module 8
Hip pie stretches. I like the idea of the pie. It makes it easier to get all stretches in and feels like all the hip muscles are stretched out. With these stretches clients have to definitely be clothed. So Ive been able to work on a few practice clients. I have used them with discretion on a couple of my pregnant clients that have complained of pregnancy related hip issues. With not stretching too far because of lax ligaments they have felt some relief and more flexibility.
June 28, 2010
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Well, many Thai Massage stretches would be pretty weird unless someone is clothed. There is a good reason why both Shiatsu and Thai Massage clients are always clothed.
March 13, 2022
Offline Module 9
I have alot of clients that complain of hip tightness and pain. as well ass low back pain and sciatica. Normal massage while beneficial I feel doesnt get to the root cause as well as these new stretches will. I love the slight back twist and the deep stretches. I have clients who are yoga and dance teachers that cant normally get a good enough stretch while working out. The hip pie is definitely helping 1000 time over. I can easily get lost in one leg and spend 20 minutes just on the hip at this point.
June 28, 2010
Offline If you have sciatica clients, you might consider enrolling in our Thai Massage For Sciatica course at some time in the future. That will give you an amazing range of diagnostic and therapeutic tools for sciatica.
"I can easily get lost in one leg and spend 20 minutes just on the hip at this point." - That's what it takes if you really want to address a specific issue.
March 13, 2022
Offline Module 10
One thing we learned in school was using a soft hand with strong pressure. At first its an odd concept but Im always mindful when I feel my hands going stiff or hard in pressure and have to readjust my posture or stance to use more body weight and soften my hands. I personally love using a rocking motion in all my sessions I use it to loosen/ relax a joint or to just evaluate the movement of the body as a whole. It reminds my clients to relax and let go.
The blood stop is interesting to me. In school we were always told to avoid arteries at all cost with any pressure. Always a contraindication. It does give an interesting sensation of a warm rush and some tingling. definitely a circulation wake up.
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