When I tell people what I’m up to these days, I’m often met with surprised looks. “What is Thai Yoga Massage, anyways?” is the question that often follows. The answer is as long or as short as you have time to listen. In a nutshell, Thai Yoga Massage is a massage practice that involves breath work and stretching. Looking deeper, Thai Yoga Massage is an ancient healing art that bridges Ayuverdic principles, traditional Chinese medicine, martial arts, and yoga. The practice of massage in Thailand dates back to some 2500 years ago, and for many years was the primary form of healthcare in Thailand.
My first encounters with Thai Yoga Massage came from the media. For years, my only idea of the subject was that it involved small Thai ladies climbing all over people’s backs while yanking their limbs in all directions. It wasn’t until my yoga teacher, Denise Davis-Gains, at Atlas Yoga Studio led a partner Thai Yoga Massage workshop in 2013 that my understanding of the subject began to expand. My first experience of this movement practice was a relaxing, intimate flow that seemed to dig into all the right places. It left me feeling radiant, relaxed, and at peace. Two years later, in the midst of Yoga Teacher Training at Atlas, Denise asked me if I would take her Thai Yoga Massage training and help in preparing new courseware for the studio. I gratefully accepted the challenge, knowing very little of what was to come.
Going into my Level I course, I was admittedly nervous. I have offered massages to friends and family for years by following my intuition, but never knew exactly what I was doing or why. Upon arriving for my first course, it struck me that I would spend the next few days (and beyond) both giving and receiving a great deal of massage – what a treat! The training program complemented the foundation of bodywork I had learned in my Yoga Teacher Training, serving as a doorway into room full of new information. The studies in that course included the practice standards for massage in Canada, human anatomy, the history and philosophy of Thai Yoga Massage, the techniques needed to give a 90-minute massage, and the necessary precautions to keep our clients safe. At the end of the course I was filled with a whirlwind of emotions – I was satisfied making people feel good that weekend with my touch, I was overwhelmed with the volume of information we had taken in, I was excited to share massages with my friends and family, and I was so relaxed I made a bowl of jelly seem like concrete. That night, I shared a massage with my partner and watched him melt into a blissful puddle on the mat. I was hooked.
As I began sharing the practice with more friends and acquaintances I found that my mind raced with doubts and nerves before each massage. But those thoughts soon melted away by the time each massage was over, and the glowing, radiant look in the receiver’s eyes was all the affirmation I needed to know this was a practice and offering I would enjoy. I eagerly offered up my first 20 Karma massages for my Level I, and continued with my Level II and III studies. Learning Thai Yoga Massage, I encountered a broad spectrum of emotions, just as I had with Yoga Teacher Training. In both cases, I was reassuringly grounded by the results of the practice. It’s a normal thing to experience nerves moving into a person’s body space, touching some of their most tender and vulnerable parts. Thai Yoga Massage stresses the importance for the practitioner to maintain a yoga practice that keeps them grounded and strong, and cultivates mindfulness of how energy flows between giver and receiver. The result of a Thai Yoga Massage can be such that giver and receiver are both left feeling relaxed and recharged by the practice. There have been times when I have left massages feeling drained, and there have been times when I have left massages feeling radiant. Digesting the experiences where I strayed from a balanced exchange has been a learning curve, but mastering this flow will take a lifetime of practice. As Guruji once said, “Practice and all is coming”.
Each massage I offer is an intimate, humbling gift. Each massage I give is a careful exploration of how I can share Metta, or “loving kindness”, with the receiver. Every massage is a learning experience, teaching me how to deepen my intuition and better understand how to make my clients feel good. It is my hope that a lifetime of this practice can help us move from states of physical suffering to states of bliss.
With all that said, what can you expect at your next Thai Yoga Massage? Well, you can expect to be touched and stretched with care, to breathe deep, and to expand your body awareness as we address all the tight, tender places throughout your body. You can also expect my careful attention, my deepest respect, and my focused Metta.
I humbly invite you to be in touch or comment below with any questions you may have, and I warmly invite you to contact us to book a Thai Yoga Massage experience with Rainbow Bridge today!
Rainbow Bridge 