What Is Thai What Is Thai Massage?Massage?

•Many of today’s practitioners of Thai massage believe that it originated with Jivaka Kumar Bhacca, an Ayurvedic doctor who served the Buddha as personal physician some 2,500 years ago. Today, the Indian-born doctor is revered as the father of traditional Thai medicine, whose four branches encompass Nuad Bo-Rarn (“ancient massage”), nutrition, herb treatments, and spiritual and mystical practices. Monks were among the first to practice the discipline.

•Thai massage works on the idea that a series of therapist-directed postures, similar to yogic asanas, combined with activation of a variety of pressure points, will serve to create harmony in the energy field that surrounds the body. Instead of applying simple force, the Thai massage therapist rocks gently during the course of treatment, enabling the application of gradations of pressure as needed.

•Thai massage is widely popular throughout Asia, with practitioners and spas plentiful in Thailand and elsewhere. Many clients and therapists define Thai massage, which is also called Thai yoga massage, as a kind of passive yoga, and note its ability to promote relaxation, build energy and flexibility, increase range of motion, enhance circulation, and focus the mind and body.

•A standard Thai massage lasts for about an hour, with the client wearing comfortable clothing and resting on a padded mat. The massage experience can be heightened through the addition of acupressure, compression of the client’s muscles, and deliberate manipulations of the joints. Including a warmed Thai ball filled with traditional herbs can boost the rejuvenating effects of the treatment.