Getting to know a little bit more about the history of ThaiYoga Massage
Was Thai Massage originated in Thailand?
Unfortunately, there is no single source explaining us how this healing-massage was born. However, it's believed that the father of the Thai Traditional Medicine system (and Thai Massage) was Jivaka Kumar Bhaccha (aka Dr. Shivago or Shivago Komarpaj) an Ayurvedic doctor from Northern India, who was the personal physician of the Buddha (aka Siddhārtha Gautama).
Jivaka Kumar Bhaccha teachings reached Thailand more or less at the same time as Buddhism - this was around the 3rd-2nd century B.C.
Another point that links the Thai Massage practice with India is the work on energy lines or energy channels that we have running in our body. These invisible lines, known as "Thai Sen Lines", follow a very similar path on the body as to the "Nadis" from the Indian Yoga Philosophy.
Are there different styles of Thai Massage?
The answer is Yes.
There are two main styles of Thai Massage: one from Northern Thailand and the other from Southern Thailand.
Back in time, the Northern style was practiced in the communities and households. It allows the therapist to use all parts of their body (hands, elbows, knee, feet) and it includes pressure, stretching, twisting, joint mobilisation, rocking of the body etc. It usually starts on the feet and finishes on the head of the client.
The Southern style is sometimes also referred to as "Royal" and is more focused on the acupressure points. There are rules on how the therapist should position themselves, rules on how the client's body should be placed on the mat and the therapist can use only thumbs, fingers and palms as tools.
The style I practice is inspired in the work of Asokananda (aka Harald Brust) and is based on the Northern style. He was the founder of the Sunshine Network, a group of amazing therapists and teachers with whom I had the pleasure and the blessing to get my trainings with.
But the beauty of ThaiYoga massage is that each therapist can add a little bit of their own magic to the session... so the base is the same for all practitioners, but the experience ends up being different depending on who is offering the massage to you. My magic includes lots of intuition and a very gentle touch.
If you are in need of adding more self-care to your schedule, come for a Thai Yoga massage session with me to experience this beautiful practice.
What is the connection between Thai Massage and Buddhism?
The Traditional Thai Medicine System has basically three branches: Naturopathy Medicine, Thai Massage and Spiritual Practices, which were heavily influenced by Buddhism.
If we look at the traditions of Thai Massage, we'll see that it was always considered as a spiritual practice deeply connected with the teachings of the Buddha.
The buddhist temples had a vital role in the preservation of Thai Massage, specially the Wat Pho temple in the heart of Bangkok. Nowadays, this temple hosts the largest existing collection of Buddha statues!
Wat Po is believed to have been built (or maybe expanded) around 1688–1703. During the Burmese war (1767) almost all ancient history of the Thai Medicine System was destroyed, and this temple was rebuilt to be the place where the remaining medical knowledge would be fostered. The monks from this and other Buddhist monasteries were then the ones responsible for keeping the knowledge and the practice of Thai Massage alive.
When we learn ThaiYoga Massage with the teachers from the Sunshine Network, we also learn about the "5 precepts", which are part of the Code of Ethics followed by the therapists:
Refrain From Killing;
Refrain from Stealing;
Refrain from Dishonesty;
Refrain from Sexual Misconduct;
Refrain from Taking Intoxicants.
Another buddhist value we learn about is "the 4 noble truths" taught by the Buddha: the truth of suffering, the truth of the cause of suffering, the truth of the end of suffering, and the truth of the path that leads to the end of suffering.
There are many other buddhist aspects which are passed onto us during our training as a ThaiYoga therapist and I'll share more about these at some point.
Thank you,
Tarsi.