A Touch of Thailand in Twain Harte
The author receiving a Thai massage in Tailand. Photo by Wes Sperry.
By Sara Sperry
After traveling for almost 24 hours to Thailand last month, my whole body was left feeling stiff, numb, and extremely sore. Upon arrival in Bangkok I immediately booked a Thai massage in hopes of feeling some sort of relief. Within an hour I felt my circulation improve drastically, most of my fatigue was gone, my muscles weren’t cramped anymore, and had an overall sense of well-being. This being my first trip to Thailand, I couldn’t wait to explore the country and its people. In keeping with this mantra, I had enrolled myself in a Thai massage course in Chiang Mai to experience a piece of Thai culture and to further educate myself in my life work.
Located in the northern region of Thailand, Chiang Mai is the country’s second largest city and is surrounded by gorgeous mountains and lush jungle. Over 700 years ago, ancient Chiang Mai (meaning new city) was surrounded by a brick wall and wide moat to keep out unwanted invaders. Today, the wall is slowly deteriorating into the fish filled moat.
Sidewalks line the moat for strolling tourists and busy streets with tuk-tuk drivers and motorbikes are now the common sight. I found the people of Chiang Mai to be very kind and welcoming, and my massage teacher, Joy, was no exception. Joy was one of the English-speaking instructors at Thai Massage School of Chiang Mai that I attended. The school itself was positioned along the Ping River – perfect for tranquility and learning. It is here that I spent two full days learning the techniques of Thai table massage, which is a bit more gentle and relaxing than traditional Thai massage.
Traditional Thai massage began over 2,500 years ago – about the time when Buddhism was being introduced. Thai massage is believed to have been developed by Jivaka Kumar Bhaccha, a physician to Buddha himself. Thai massage is one of the four elements of Thai medicine which include nutrition, herbs and spiritual practice. A Thai massage professional can be found on almost every corner in Thailand.
Thai massage is different from most styles that we in the west are use to. Thai massage is usually performed with the client fully clothed in loose comfortable clothing and the client is on a futon style mat on the floor. It looks like a cross between yoga, acupressure and shiatsu. Though the practitioner may apply slow rhythmic compressions and stretching to release tension in the receiver’s body, it is more rigorous and energizing than classic forms of massage. Thai medicine says that there are over 70,000 sen (body energy lines) within the body. Thai’s believe that by concentrating on just 10 of the major lines it, it is sufficient enough for treating the whole body and organs. The practitioner may use their thumbs, palms of hands, elbows, knees and even the feet. Thai massage may sound like a workout for both giver and receiver, and it often times can be.
A Thailand massage school.
However, if done correctly, the receiver will be left with a feeling of relaxation and wellbeing.
Benefits of Thai massage include: Relief of fatigue, swollen limbs, painful joints and headaches; increased flexibility and range of movement; elimination of muscle pain and muscle spasms; and relaxation of the body and mind.
Whether you want a workout or a healthy way to relax your body and mind, Thai massage is a wonderful modality that I am grateful to have been introduced to. If you would like to find out more about Thai massage, you can contact Sara at sara@signaturemassage.org or call 662-0055.
