Fitness

Thai massage: the ancient practice of "passive yoga"

In August 1997, I was stuck in Bangkok for a week because unexpected complications involving a work permit. August is technically during the monsoon season in Thailand and the sky of Bangkok on the occasion open to sudden downpours, causing the streets to become raging rivers of brown water that reached up to my legs, but disappeared in minutes, thanks the system of town drainage. During my stay in Bangkok, between aspirations for a working ATM, travel agent Travel, Internet cafe and bizarre Buddhist temple, I took the time to treat myself to several Thai massage. Since the Asian financial crisis was full swing, exchange rates have been particularly good, the prices only as a heat sink even allowed me to splurge for luxury I would normally balk at. The Thai Baht equivalent of $ 3 for a half-hour massage or $ 5 for one hour was an opportunity I could not pass. Remember, these are massage clinics and schools in the backpacker area around the famous Khaosan Road in Bangkok and were either business side of outdoor Street or glass shops with the space is open plan similar to what you find in a hair salon.

What I read about massage Thai information provided in clinics is that it is an official branch of medicine that combines traditional Thai systems as an East Indian Ayurveda, traditional Chinese medicine and yoga. What I experienced was far from the atmosphere almost sacred New Age of pampering and essential oils, found in many institutions of Western massage. Thai massage practitioners were mostly large middle-aged women with strong arms, who was talking loudly with each other while working on their customers. For me, it was not a problem, as I was looking for something to relieve and tone my muscles after long days pounding the pavement hot, rather as an urban oasis brimming with luxury white towels and chimes.

One thing that is big on Thai massage is the informality and simplicity of it all. It works best if the client is fully clothed (but barefoot), so there is no question of modesty, and no oil is used, to avoid not leave your treatment feeling fat and need a shower. Often used the nickname "Thai Yoga Massage is a very accurate description for containing only three words. Get a Thai massage is very similar to the practice of "passive" yoga while receiving a particularly strong massage. Press and massage the muscles with palms, fingers, knees and elbows, combined with the stretching mode of the members at the hands of a very capable trained professional Thai massage leaves one feeling pretty great, even if some of these techniques can be a bit uncomfortable during the application. It may be advisable to let the therapist know if you feel some discomfort, but I was young, stupid and brave and thought I would get the "full experience" my Thai massage has to offer, with hindsight were sometimes a bit painful. So when he was asked, "Did it hurt?" I shook my head stubbornly and lied.

A few years later, in the context of my own training, massage, I took a two-week Thai massage and learned the basic techniques and philosophy behind the practice. Known in Thailand or Thai Boran Phaen nuat nuat, Thai massage works on the concept of promoting wellness by stimulating sen or energy lines, taken from traditional Chinese medicine and Indian but the results felt by the recipient of massage are far less esoteric. The patient is lying on the floor instead of a table as in most systems of Western massage and is sometimes made to sit up, stretched, pulled and pushed in what comprises an exhilarating experience and results final is radically different from your typical spa massage.

These days, Thai massage has become well known worldwide and clinics offering Yoga Massage Thai are popping up everywhere. For a wonderfully unique experience of massage, Thai massage is warmly recommended.

About the Author

Joe Vassilliou is a staff writer for a
Cyprus massage
website who lives in South Cyprus with his wife and 5 kids. He loves water sports, swimming and free lance writing. For more information about Thai
massage in Cyprus
please visit our website.

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