Massage is the best way to relax the body, mind and soul and to immediately reduce stress.

There are different types of body massage but Thai massage is renowned all over the world. It is one of the most sought treatments , and people travel across Thailand to experience or learn this type of massage, as well as to have a great time there too!

Thai massage is the combination of acupressure, stretching, and yoga done on you, sometimes known as Thai-yoga massage, or ‘nuad phaen bo rarn’ in Thai, which means ‘ancient manner massage’.
It combines both the relaxation and rejuvenation benefits of massage with the therapeutic effects of yoga.
It is important to stay fit to avoid health problems and give one a positive attitude, and Thai massages fulfills both needs.

Thai massage took birth from ancient Indian ayurvedic culture. There are several styles of Thai massages and each has its own advantages. Some even use aromatherapy oil or lotion, although traditionally a Thai massage is performed in comfortable clothes.

Thai massages are being used to energize different parts of your body, and there are different styles from different parts of the country. The northern styles emphasizes stretching, (and sometimes cracking of the joints similar to that which a western chiropractor may do), while the southern style concentrates more on acupressure.

Thai-Yoga massage is unlike other types of massage. The average remedial massage generally aims to manipulate body parts with the attitude to ‘fix’ the body. Nuad Thai  on the other hand looks at the whole person and does not ‘diagnose’; a good practitioner ‘feels Thai’, which means she goes with the flow of energy and ‘listens’ carefully what the body of the receiver is telling her.

Performing a Thai Massage, your practitioner is working on your body as well as your energy lines, incorporating some Yoga Asanas (positions) for specific stretches, which are designed to stimulate the flow of energy through the body.

While most styles of massage use massage plinths or couches, Thai massage is usually performed on a woven mat, or yoga mat on the ground, face down and up, on the side and seated.

Thai Yoga massage involves gentle movements given by the masseur or therapist with hands, feet, knees and legs in order to release the energy and help to let it flow freely. This massage helps to reduce back ache, menstrual pain, headaches and stress.

Yoga Asanas (Sanskrit for positions) help to stretch the body in an energetic way. Similarly, Thai-yoga massage applies stretches to the recipient. This refreshes the body and it increases its flexibility. It encourages participants to meditate during their treatment and find out a deeper awareness about their body. Hence in many ways this is a more active, responsible and enlightening form of massage due to this participation on the part of the client.

Yoga is part of Ayurveda, an ancient Indian healing system that is gaining tremendous popularity all over the world. An aging population has revealed the calming therapies of yoga and massage.

Combining two powerful natural therapies into an effective treatment called Nuad Thai has become the reason for its popularity. Looking at the increasing interest in Thai yoga massage all over the world, many experienced therapists have taken the opportunity to be trained in this form in order to provide a holistic therapy that is so much more than just massage.

Or had a long break and don’t feel very confident with your performance any more?

It is very common that after an intense weekend or even a compact course you feel exhausted and want to take some time off to rest, let it sit and just want to recover from the huge amount of information that has been shared with you.

Unfortunately this is often the very main reason, why people loose the momentum and because Nuad Thai requires some practising of the sequences, it’s easy to postpone ‘until later’ or ‘not tonight’.

Quickly a few weeks are over and the notes you made do not make sense anymore, you forget how to do this or that movement and you feel even less like giving it a go.

If there was only someone you could ask without doing a whole course again!

Well, there is. The Nuad Thai Academy now offers a Thai Massage Refresher Course, where your questions about the ‘how to…’ will be thoroughly answered.

We go through the movements that are challenging you and answer your questions so that you feel confident to go out and ‘just do it’.

Duration: 3,5 – 4 hours

Investment: $150 per person
(Minimum 2 people)

Next course: June 2011 – exact date to be announced shortly

If you want a more individual training, you can book a Thai Massage Refresher One-on-One

Some people experience a deep sense of calmness, tranquillity or even peace at the end of the Thai massage, while others feel more alive, energised and ‘light’.

Whatever happens for you is a result of your openness, the intention you give the treatment and what your body needs most at that moment.

The listing below gives you an overview how you can best sustain the process of  cleansing, rejuvenating and healing from within.

Refresh

In order to support the detoxification process it is important to drink a lot, so that your body can easily flush any toxins from nutrition or the environment out of the system.

Purified, filtered and mineralised water is the first choice. High quality filters that preserve the water quality, help maintain a balanced range of minerals and regulate pH, which are easy to install, convenient and highly economical are available from NIKKEN PiMag Water Systems.

Feel free to ask for a representative referral at your next appointment.

Reflect

You may have experienced that the usual merry-go-round has slowed down during your Nuad Thai experience or that a specific thought has popped into your head, making you wonder where that came from.

Some clients have happened to remember certain events from early or late childhood, others feel wrapped or surrounded by certain colours, while those who have a strong link to the spiritual world find it even easier to connect to their Trusted Source during a Thai massage.

Maybe your observations are more subtle, like realising that you are much more flexible than you thought.

You might also be fortunate to have your mind going blank or in a state of deep relaxation or meditation.

Whatever happens is a great opportunity for reflection.

Could you maybe go to the Yoga class you avoided because you thought you were too stiff?
Have you got a history of suppressed emotions that haunt you at the most inconvenient times?
Do you recognise any patterns that you’d rather exchange for more resourceful rituals?
Was being silent a challenge? What would you have wanted to distract yourself from? What do you fear or hide from?
Where you able to relax your muscles and entrust your body to your practitioner’s hands?
Did you give yourself permission to enjoy the treatment free of guilt?

As one client so appositely said: Thai massage is magic.

What you put in is what you get out:
If you are open to embrace what’s coming up, you will get a hint what might be an important topic of life to face and deal with at the moment.
If you are willing to let go of suppressed emotions, they will (literally) leave you at peace.
If you allow the wisdom of nature to come through your practitioner’s hands and bring you health and well-being, your healing can begin or continue.

Resist

Avoid heavy meals for the rest of the day.

Your body is now working hard to repair itself, as in getting rid of toxins – physical, mental and emotional. Heavy meals would take a lot of that power away for digestion.

Instead enjoy a light meal, consisting of raw or lightly cooked vegetables, fresh fruit and maybe steamed fish.

Relax

This can be a big one, especially if you have to go back to work after your treatment or you have many appointments or a long to-do-list of task that need attention.

Still, allow yourself at least 30 minutes (or as long as you can) of mentally low or non-challenging work afterwards if you can’t afford to have a rest for as long as your body signals you.

As mentioned before, your body is going in detoxification mode and starts to repair itself. So even if you feel very energised and full of power after your Thai massage, which is just as normal as feeling totally calm and relaxed, not wanting to go back to ‘the world out there’, allow a bit of time to settle in your renewing body. This is a great time to re-connect with your resources and observe what is happening in your body, mind or spirit, so that you can fully and most effectively utilise your new energy.

Bonus Suggestion:

Resign

You have now entered the ‘Thai-Way Highway’, a road that will support you on your journey to relaxation and balance, an accelerator for empowerment, an elevator to new heights of peace and ‘lightness’.

I’d like to take the opportunity to invite you to break with conventions,  explore who you really are, face your fears and resign from un-resourceful patterns of behaviour, beliefs or emotions.

Learn how you can sustain or even increase your own level of Qi, your personal life force/energy in a Qi Moving or Chakra Balancing term workshop or condensed weekend and become part of a community of  ‘Qi Movers’!

Read more about Qi Moving, Chakra Balancing or call for more info.

‘Nuad Thai’ is a treatment that goes beyond usual massage techniques like kneading, stroking or rubbing.

It combines three remedies that are powerful within themselves:

1. Stretching

Often disrespected as a ‘warm-up’, a good stretching routine is a …exercise program in its own rights. It’s one of the first movements we do automatically when we wake up, feel sore after sitting in the same position for a long time or whenever we need that we are getting tense or need better blood flow.

A good stretch can sometimes be all you need in order to refresh your muscles. While neglected in most other relaxation treatments, it is a crucial element of any good Thai Massage due to its many benefits for the receiver.

2. Acupressure

Shiatsu, the Japanese pressure point ‘massage’ is only one example of how efficient and effective working on certain acupressure points can be.

Reflexology is another methodology that uses pressure points to ease pain in any body part by massaging the reflex zones in the feet or the hands.

The underlying common idea is not to work on the painful areas directly, but rather to remove blockages in the energy lines (‘Sen-lines’ in Thai massage, ‘Meridians’ in Japanese and Chinese Medicine and ‘Nadis’ in Ayurveda – the Indian ‘knowledge of life’) so that the life force ‘Chi’/'Ki’/'Prana’ can flow freely again.

3. Yoga

Here is how Kerry Spina from Kids In Harmony describes what Yoga does:

Yoga is an exercise system that synergizes the body,  the mind and the spirit.  Children feel stronger, more flexible and an over all sense of joy and peace when participating in Yoga classes.

Yoga moves, bends, releases, and empowers bodies of all ages.  It also stretches, and empowers the mind.  It can assist children to have more self control and to let go and feel confident and wise in situations that they may have found challenging.  Yoga brings about a greater sense of purpose and understanding in all relationships – with themselves, their friends, family, community and world.  It can motivate the sporty child to become a better athlete and also give a greater sense of acceptance and confidence to the child that may be perceived or labelled clumsy.

Yoga isn’t about changing the child, it is about refining and nourishing what is all ready there.  It is about bringing to flower the natural beauty and essence of each individual child through the gift and opportunity of having Yoga in their life.

Of course those benefits are in no way restricted to children.

On the contrary, Thai Yoga massage specifically uses the ‘Asanas’ – Yoga positions – to support the relaxation process. This might have been the main reason for Shivago Kumarpaj, the founder of the Thai massage, to incorporate this therapy in his body work, when he put together a treatment that would help the monks around Buddha to increase and maintain their flexibility after long hours of sitting still and meditating.

Putting it together

Each of those methodologies are very beneficial within  themselves. Combined to Nuad Thai Paen Bo Rarn, they make the treatment much more than just massage:

Nuad Thai is Relaxation for BODY, MIND & SPIRIT

Because of the holistic approach – focusing on the whole person, not only parts where pain is experienced – ‘Nuad Bo-Rarn’ can help to ease

• general physical signs of exhaustion
• mental overwhelm
• insomnia
• mental strains
• occasional light depressive moods
• symptoms associated with disease
• muscular tension
• back pain
• lethargy, dullness and
• digestion problems, lack of appetite

Although Indian Head Massage and Nuad Thai are traditionally performed for healing and prevention purposes, the practice is not recognised as a healing massage in Australia and does not replace the diagnosis or therapy prescribed by a professional.

If you suffer from…

• CFS (chronic fatigue syndrome)
• Depression (treated with medication)
• Cardiovascular disease
• Physical handicap
• Respiratory ailments (asthma)
• Psychosis, neurosis, borderline syndrome or
• Diseases related to the musculo-skeletal system (gout, arthritis, prolapsed inter-vertebral disc, rheumatism)

…it is advisable to inform your Thai massage therapist about your condition(s) and carefully consider the advantages and risks of having a Thai massage treatment.

If you have been diagnosed with one or more of the following diseases, an Indian Head Massage or Nuad Thai is unfeasible for physical or medical reasons (they could accelerate the increase and/or spreading of pathogenic germs). As a practitioner of massage for wellbeing and stress relief, I feel obligated to get confirmation from your qualified physician and/or therapist that this treatment will not interfere with their approach.

• Serious psychological or neurological complaints
• Rheumatic complaints with infections in joints or muscles
• Systemic complaints (like lupus eythematodes) on internal organs
• Serious heart complaints (angina pectoris, risk of heart attack)
• Serious vascular or arterial complaints (aortic aneurysm, vein inflammation, deep vein thrombosis or risk of thrombosis)
• Recent surgery or bone fracture
• Acute infection with high temperature
• Large-area dermatitis
• Consuming complaints in late-stages (cancer, AIDS)

Often translated to ‘Traditional Thai Yoga massage’, NUAD THAI PAEN BO RARN is much more than just massage – it is an art of healing.

Nuad Thai is

• “..a unique form of body therapy [...] combining elements like soft movement, in-depth stretching and rhythmic pressure to an extraordinary therapeutic experience.” (Nuad Thai school, Chiang Mai)
• “..like thousand waves, washing over the body” (Master Chongkol Setthakorn, Chiang Mai)
• ‘poetry in motion’
• ‘Yoga for lazy people’
• ‘a touching matter’ – literally and figuratively
• …magic! (Nuad Thai Academy Munich)
• more than just massage (Transition Guidance)

Nuad Thai is  unmistakably unique  -a complete massage system with  extensive healing powers.

Indulge yourself in

• Indian Head Massage
• Nuad Thai – Traditional Thai Yoga Massage
• Nuad Tao – Traditional Thai Foot Massage
• Nuad Thai Aroma – Fragrant Oil Massage of the Upper Back
• Nuad Thai – Quick Energy
• Head Over Heels – Foot, Hand and Head Massage

and feel how blockages are solved, natural innate recuperative powers and regenerative processes are activated and both body and mind immerse in a cleaning, deeply calming and unwinding state of relaxation.

Experience the magic of Nuad Thai!