Thai Massage

East West Massage Therapy in Newton is one of very few massage centers specializing in Thai Massage and other Eastern healing arts.

Thai Massage is a form of therapeutic bodywork from Thailand.

What to expect:
A combination of gentle point pressure, a wide variety of yoga-like stretching, and passive joint movements, applied very slowly with gentle rocking and rhythmic compressions along your body’s natural energy lines called the Sen lines (see below for detailed explanation).

Benefits:
While very relaxing, Thai massage is known for inducing an energetic effect as well. It benefits the physical and mental well-being and is especially effective at releasing chronic muscle tension and reducing mental stress.

* promotes free flow of "life energy"
* energizes and calms the recipient at the same time
* improves blood and lymph flow
* increases flexibility
* relieves muscle tension
* improves posture
* stimulates digestion and elimination
* strengthens the immune system
* enhances overall well-being
* creates more 'space' in the body

How to prepare:
The session is performed with client fully clothed on a thick Thai massage mat on the floor. Please wear comfortable clothing that will allow for a full range of motion during the stretches.

Thai Massage with Herbal Packs

Thai herbal ball massage is a great addition to a regular Thai massage session. The heat and the herbs in the Thai herbal pack provide a wide array of benefits.

Benefits:
* soothing sore and aching muscles
* relieving stiffness in the joints
* enhancing circulation of blood and lymph
* soothing skin inflammation with anti-inflammatory herbs
* promoting better breathing with camphor and menthol

Background:
Thai herbal ball heat compresses have been used for centuries to soothe the aching muscles of war-weary soldiers during the Thai-Burmese battles in the Ayutthaya period.

Once, the Thai herbal mixtures were the secret tools of ancient healers, but nowadays they are widely available ready-made throughout Thailand and the rest of the world.

The ingredients in the Thai herbal ball may vary from region to region and according to a specific formula used to address specific ailments. Yet, the majority of the Thai herbal balls contain a few common ingredients: Plai (Thai ginger), Kafir Lime, Turmeric, Acacia leaves, Menthol, Camphor, and Myrtle Grass.

What to expect:
Traditionally, the herbal ball application is done in conjunction with the Thai massage. First, the sore muscles and joints are worked on through stretching and compression techniques of Thai massage.

Then, the heated herbal compress is applied over most of the body. The herbal ball is rolled, pressed, and circled right on the body, preferably directly on the skin. A warm sheet is usually draped over the recipient for privacy and to preserve the heat from the herbal pack.

How to prepare:
Herbal poultice is ideally applied directly on the skin. Clients are given to wear loose-fitting Thai pants and always draped appropriately during the whole session.

Slava's Thai massage training

International Professional School of Bodywork, Thai Massage Specialization, including Table Thai.

Chiang Mai, Thailand:
~ Thai Massage School of Chiang Mai;
~ Mama Nit (Mrs. Nit Chaimongkon) and her family;
~ Mr. Sinchai;
~ Mr. Jack Chaya at the Lek Chaya Nerve Touch School;
~ Koji Hiroshige, a Japanese master, one of the primary students and instructors in the lineage of Master Pichest Boonthume;

History of Thai Massage

As one version of this story goes, some 2,500 years ago, at the time of the Buddha, a well-known healer came to Thailand from India.

His name was Jiwaka Komparaj. In many historical accounts, Doctor Jiwaka was reported to have known the Buddha and served as his personal doctor.

He was abandoned as a baby and found in a trash dump. An Indian prince saw the baby and brought him into the palace. The child was raised as a prince and given the name Jiwaka ("to live" in Pali).

When time came to choose a profession, Jiwaka chose medicine and studied Ayurvedic healing. The normal course of study at that time was 14 years. In his 7th year, his teacher asked the students to go out and bring back an item from nature (vine, leaf, plant, etc.) that cannot be used for healing. After 4 days, Jiwaka returned empty-handed and said that he could find nothing, that all items he found had healing properties. The teacher graduated him.

His reputation flourished and he became the royal physician of Indian King Pimpisarn and doctor to the Buddha and the community of monks.

The Father Doctor, as he is now known in Thailand, had a profound knowledge of the human body, yoga, herbal medicine, and energetic meridians common to the Chinese Medical Tradition.

When he arrived in Thailand, he offered his services as a healer at the numerous temples around the land. He treated the monks through yoga, massage, herbs, and exercise to energize their bodies made stiff with many meditation practices.

Doctor Jiwaka also passed his knowledge to others. His system became known as "Nuad Bo-Rahn", or Body Therapy.

Outside of Thailand, this system developed slowly and got the common name of "Thai Massage" or "Thai Yoga".

Over hundreds of years and generations of practitioners, Thai massage has evolved into several branches: The Northern style, The Southern style, the Royal style, and the Commoner style.

In the old days, the distinctions between the styles were significant. Nowadays, Thai massage styles have become more and more integrated, incorporating many techniques from the East and the West.

Folk Healers in Thailand

To command respect from their patients, traditional Thai healers must possess compassion, loving kindness, honesty and goodness in all their deeds. One other virtue is to have veneration for their teachers.

In Thai Massage, they show respect and veneration to Dr. Jiwaka, the Father Doctor.

The traditional Thai healers go by different names according to their specialties:

1. "Moh Song"
These healers identify the causes of illness through meditation.

2. "Moh Samunprai"
These are herbal doctors, who use traditional herbs and medicinal plants as principal remedies.

3. "Moh Kradook"
These are bone-setters, who treat bone injuries.

4. "Moh Nuad"
These are massage doctors, treating people's muscle aches and pains.

Often, many folk healers train in all disciplines.

Sen Lines

Traditional Thai massage, like most Asian bodywork styles, is grounded in the belief that invisible energy lines travel throughout the body. These lines cannot be verified anatomically, but it is through these lines that vital energy flows.

In the Thai healing arts, these energetic pathways are called Sen. When one studies traditional Thai massage, one will invariably study the Sen lines. Compare them to the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), where these lines are known as meridians.

Sen theory not only refers to the energy lines but specific points on the lines as well. Similar to acupuncture points, these Sen points also have specific functions.

It's unclear exactly where and how this belief system became part of the Thai healing arts. Most likely, it came from India, because the names of the Sen lines are in Sanskrit, the ancient language of India. However, the contribution of Traditional Chinese Medicine cannon be overlooked either.

Sen Lines - Sen Sib*

1. Sen Ittha
2. Sen Pingkhala
3. Sen Sumana
4. Sen Kalathari
5. Sen Sahatsarangsi
6. Sen Thawari
7. Sen Lawusang
8. Sen Ulangka
9. Sen Nanthakrawat
10. Sen Kitchanna

* adapted from "Table Thai Massage" by Joel Sheposh