What is Thai Yoga Massage

Centuries ago, a dynamic bodywork therapy based on yoga and Ayurveda was born in the temples of Thailand. In this unique healing system of Thai Yoga Massage - also called Nuad Boran and widely known as traditional Thai massage - the practitioner guides the recipient through a series of yoga postures while palming and thumbing along the body's energy ("Sen") lines and pressures points. Together these actions result in a comprehensive full body treatment that relieves muscular tension, improves circulation, boosts the immune system and balances the body energetically.Thai Yoga Massage is performed on a mat on the floor; both client and practitioner are dressed in comfortable clothing allowing ease of movement and flexibility. No oils or creams are used.

The Ayurvedic Link
The therapeutic basis of Thai Yoga Massage is rooted in the Indian healing tradition of Ayurveda. The word ayurveda derives from two Sanskrit words: ayur, meaning "life" and veda, meaning "knowledge". Thus, this science of living functions as a guide to the proper maintenance of life.According to Ayurveda, each individual is composed of one or a combination of any of the three doshas (body types) of vata (air-ether), pitta (fire-water) and/or kapha (earth-water). Tapping into the ancient knowledge of the tridoshas enables practitioners to treat each person according to their unique constitution.One aspect of the Lotus Palm method is to reconnect each Thai Yoga Massage posture with its tridoshic composition. For example, the rhythm and intensity of each pose is guided by Ayurvedic principles of constitution: slow and gentle for vata, nonvigorous and relaxing for pitta, energetic and uplifting for kapha. Every time a person is brought into a yoga posture one or all of the doshas is activated. A recipient's energy can be balanced by applying postures of the opposite nature that will strengthen his/her weaker dosha(s); for example, for a fast-paced nervous vata type the practitioner would apply slow, gentle soothing postures.HistoryThe origins of traditional Thai Yoga Massage can be traced back 2,500 years. It is an ancient form of therapeutic healing that has roots in Indian Ayurvedic medicine. The founding father of Thai Massage, Jivaka Kumar Bhaccha, was a celebrated yogi and a doctor in the healing tradition of Ayurveda who treated, among others, the Buddha.After the death of the Buddha, the earliest Buddhist monks who travelled to Southeast Asia were accompanied by Ayurvedic doctors. These doctors practiced a healing art that would later evolve into traditional Thai massage.Traditional Thai massage developed over millennia within the environment of Buddhist temples. It flourished as a way for spiritual people to share the benefits of meditation and compassion in a physical form. It is a respected form of healing practiced today in hospitals and temples throughout Thailand.

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