1) Is it done on a table, bed or the floor?
Traditionally Thai Massage is always done on the floor, but
elements of the practice are being effectively adapted by
practitioners more accustomed to working on tables or beds.
However, many of the advanced movements and stretches can
only be done safely and effectively on the floor.
2) What should I wear?
Comfortable, loose-fitting Yoga or athletic clothes are
best to accommodate the twisting and stretching movements
in the session. A pair of loose Thai fishermen's pants and
a shirt are also provided for you here.
3) How long are the sessions?
Traditionally, authentic Thai Massage treatments are at
least one and a half hour long, sometimes lasting for
several hours.
4) Why are the sessions so long?
Since the main objective is energy balancing, the physical
moves become part of a deeper, more meditative spiral of
healing that feels increasingly good and getting better as
time goes by, resulting in a profoundly deep and integrated
sense of physical, mental and spiritual well-being for both
giver and receiver.
5) What are the benefits to the receiver?
Stress relief, revitalization and a euphoric feeling of
overall wellbeing are the words most often used by clients
to describe the benefits of their treatment. Physiologically,
the body gets re-aligned in a way that increases flexibility
and circulation. More subtle harmonizing of energies result
in the overall integration of body, mind and soul. We get to
remember how good it can feel to be in our bodies.
6) Is it safe for old people, children, injured or sick people?
Since the work is tailor made for each individual in each
different treatment session, it can be done safely, with
certain modifications to accommodate contra-indications as
needed with all the above-mentioned types of person with
remarkable results.
7) How often should someone receive a session?
Initially, I recommend a 2
hour session every 2 weeks, then monthly once the body becomes more flexible. More than a
month apart is too long.
8) Is it OK to eat before/after the session?
In order to have more energy in the body available for the
Work and since an important part of the treatment may involve
pressing points around the abdomen, it is better not to eat
for at least 1 hour before the session.
To allow the process to continue, as it does, after the
practitioner ends the actual session, it is better not to
eat, bathe or do strenuous exercise for at least an hour
afterwards. Drinking copious amounts of warm water or hot
tea is highly beneficial and necessary to flush out toxins
that may have been released during the treatment.
9) Where did it originate?
It is said to have originated in India. Some say it grew
out of the ancient healing systems practiced in South India
in the region now known as Kerala. Later, after becoming a
part of ancient Ayurveda, existed in the North of India (now Nepal)
at the time of the Enlightenment of the Buddha.
The physician Chivaka Komarapatr, a private doctor of the Buddha
is said to have successfully used massage and stretching techniques
along with herbal and other remedies to treat ailments and conditions
amongst the monks that were traveling with the Buddha, spreading
Buddhism and these medicinal techniques all over Southeast Asia.
He is also a founder and Father Doctor of Traditional Medicine in
Thailand.
