If you ever had a Thai Yoga Massage you will know that it is very different from many western forms of massage. It is different because no oils are applied; instead of a massage table the therapist uses a mattress on the floor; and the client remains fully clothed throughout the session (loose comfortable clothing is recommended).
It is also different because it is based on the principle of realigning the energy in the body.
Thai Yoga: Balancing the flow of energy
At first it may appear that Thai Yoga is merely concerned with the physical body because it deals with the movement of different parts of the body, and for most people, the physical body is a more practical and familiar starting point.
The postures, stretches, twists, and acupressure movements are not exercises as such but techniques that—when combined with skill, kindness, attention, and concentration—place the physical body in positions that cultivate self-awareness, self-observation, self-acceptance, and serenity. They open energy channels and psychic centers, and have a transformative effect on every aspect of being. They release mental tension by dealing with them on the physical as well as energy levels, altering electrochemical activity in the nervous system and acting somato-psychically through the body to the mind.
What is felt in Thai Yoga massage is of major importance. Sensations and their subsequent mental responses transform the body’s chemistry and physical structures.
By inspiring a heightened sense of physical well-being and stimulating more self-awareness, the receiver’s mind is given the necessary information towards feelings that are more conductive, attitudes that are more positive, and habits that are more productive.
Thus, Thai Yoga is an artful manipulation of physical energies, creating a series of encouraging sensory impressions that help to restore the coherent flow of sensory information with which we organize our body and our mind. It produces the kind of thoughts and feeling states that encourage the conscious awareness of our tactile sources of information to assemble an accurate image of our body and to regulate its activities.
Thai Yoga: Immediate effects for the giver and receiver
- Deepens the connection of mind, body, and spirit
- Assists inner recognition of imbalances
- Encourages compassionate self-awareness
- Inspires physical vitality and well-being
- Awakens compassion and loving kindness
- Promotes authentic and mindful living
Touching the surface of the body, applying pressure on the deeper tissues, stretching and rotating the tissues surrounding the joints, these are the ways through which the organism perceives itself and through which it organizes its internal and external muscular responses.
Thai Yoga can put the receiver in touch with this body-mind relationship, allowing the receiver to really feel his/her body and send the appropriate signals to the mind to consciously or unconsciously process the new feelings and begin the necessary physical, mental and spiritual releases to heal habitual behaviors and chronic conditions. The only work the receiver needs to do is to remain equanimous as the techniques are applied.
And achieving equanimity is at the heart of all true yoga practice. It implies exercising the means to stay truly at peace in whatever we are doing, be it yoga, meditation or translating these into daily life.
Thai Yoga can give us a good glimpse into how to practice equanimity at the level of sensation and how awareness of sensation can help us in daily life.
To book a Thai Yoga Massage with espritrelax contact Karin.