Thai Massage

Thai massage originated in India and draws from Ayurveda. In Thailand, it is called Nuat phaen boran or Nuad Bo-Rarn, which means "ancient massage" or "traditional massage". Thai massage is also called many other names like Thai yoga massage, Thai ancient massage, traditional Thai massage, yoga massage, Thai bodywork, Thai classical massage, passive yoga and assisted yoga.

Thai massage was brought to Thailand over 2000 years ago by Javika Kumar Baccha, also known as Dr. Shivago Komarpaj. Dr. Shivago was said to have been close to Buddha and a chief of the community that surrounded the Buddha. Thai massage is one of the four branches of traditional medicine in Thailand. The other three branches of traditional medicine are herbs, nutrition and spiritual practice.

In Thailand, massage is an actual medical field where its therapists are trained to not only heal but also diagnose. In the United States, however, massage therapists are not allowed to diagnose.

Northern style Thai massage is considered to be very soothing because it has a lot of stretching and loosening of the body involved in its techniques. Southern style Thai massage tends to use more acupressure, or "jap sen", but is also considered healing and soothing.

A full Thai massage normally takes two hours and includes finger pulling, toe pulling, ear pulling, cracking of the knuckles and walking on the back. The person receiving the massage is put into many positions similar to yoga positions. Interestingly, many establishments in Thailand have several Thai massage sessions going on at the same time. If you are lucky, you might be able to watch the practitioners of Thai massage perform many of the techniques in unison.

With a Thai massage, the recipient wears loose clothing and lays down on a firm mattress or floor mat. The person giving the massage then leans on their body and uses their hands and forearms to apply rhythmic, firm pressure to just about every part of the body. No oil is used in Thai massage, though hot herbal compresses are sometimes used.

Similar to Chinese massage that focuses on meridians, but more similar to the Indian Ayurvedic nadis, the Thai massage focuses on sen. Sen are lines that begin at the navel and end at the extremities of the body. Rather than corresponding to a single organ, like meridians, sen can be used to treat every organ they move over. Some Thai sen share the same names as some Indian nadis. For instance, Thai Sen Sumana and Sen Itha are relative to the Indian Sushumna Nadi and the Ida Nadi. Even though Thai massage shares similar pressure points with Indian massage, the two techniques are not interchangeable.

Thai massage uses also acupressure, which is the application of pressure to points along the sen that frees and regulates the body's energy. Thai massage seeks to restore the body's normal function by stimulating sen that are blocked or broken. Stimulating the sen of the body allows the body's energy to flow freely throughout the body and maintain health and well-being.