What is Massage?
Practised throughout Thailand, it is commonly known as northern style “Nuad Bo Rarn” Thai Massage, an ancient healing art. Its origins date back well over 2,000 years and was originally practised by Budhist Monks. The main focus of Thai Bodywork is with the body’s energy line system, known as Sen lines. There are ten main Sen lines and when disharmony occurs, this results in blockages and dis-ease. Thai massage helps clear these blockages, assisting the body’s own natural healing process to restore balance.
Application
The practitioner uses a wonderful combination of acupressure, massage and gently applied yoga stretches using hands, feet and elbows in a flowing series of moves. Energy lines, acupressure points, muscles, ligaments and joints are stretched and opened stimulating flow.
Also known as Thai Medical Massage and Yoga Massage, it has a long history of therapeutic healing in Thailand. It has been practiced for centuries and still is today by all levels of society . The roots of Thai massage are traced back to India. It is said that the founder of the practice was Jivaka Komarabhacca , a doctor , friend and contemporary of Buddha, around 2,500 years ago. Most of the ancient medical texts were destroyed in 1776 with the destruction of Ayutthia by the Burmese. What was left was literally carved in stone in 1832 when King Rama 111, in hopes of preserving the tradition of massage had stone inscriptions set into the walls of Wat Po temple in Bangkok. These still may be seen today.
The theoretical basis of Thai massage lies in the theory of energy lines running throughout the body. Out of the 72,000 energy lines said to be in existence, the focus is on ten major lines called Sen. Important acupressure points are found on these lines. The ten Sen are more closely related to the Indian system than to the Chinese or Japanese system of meridians.
The more practical aspect of Thai massage consists of a general rhythmic palm pressure for relaxation. This is followed by firmly and slowly moving thumb pressure along specific energy or Sen lines. The practice of stretching all the muscles of the body, a type of Yoga massage, is also an integral part of the treatment .
The gross nervous system operates in the physical body and the subtle nervous system in the astral body. When this exalted system is blocked , disharmony of the body takes place. Thai massage helps remove these blockages so allowing freedom of movement again , and therefore improving vitality. The therapists use also their feet, elbows, thumbs and knees to help free the tension trapped within the body.
Thai Massage is reasonably new to this country yet one of the oldest form of medicine that has been developed. It’s firm but meditative movements of pressing rocking and yoga-like positions, have a distinctive quality of their own that is assuming powerful embracement of the western world like an old long lost friend.
We welcome you in sharing this path of discovery. The B.S.T.T.B has embraced the style and format without changes, as practised today at both the I .T. M. school and the Old Medicine School in Chiangmi - Thailand. We acknowledge and are thankful for the guidance given by Chongkol Setthakorn.
Kor hai chok dee !