Even in ancient times, people used techniques such as stroking, kneading, rubbing to relieve tension and pain. Later they were given the name - massage. A large number of ancient manuscripts, cave paintings, hieroglyphs were found about this art in India, Ancient China, Egypt, Indonesia. Over time, they began to use massage not only to relax and relieve pain, but also as one of the methods of treatment. There are a large number of types and techniques for its implementation. Let us dwell on such a popular variety as Thai massage. Technique, basic techniques for performing massage will be discussed later.
The story of the appearance of Thai massage
The origins of Thai massage originate in northern India. Dr. Jiva Kumar Bhakka is considered the founder of this ancient art. It is known that he was a friend of Gautama Buddha. At that difficult time, with the help of miraculous Thai massage, he managed to cure the Indian king, whose personal doctor he was.
Unfortunately, in those days, and this is a thousand years ago, writing was not developed. And so the secrets of massage, skills were passed down from generation to generation, word of mouth, but were not recorded on paper.
In 1832, the first university appeared in Thailand at Wat Pho Monastery, in which ordinary citizens were trained in massage techniques and medicine. On marble slabs, lines of influence on the body and acupressure points were depicted. The statues were performed in various yoga poses, as well as in stretching poses. And only in the 17th century in the volumetric medical treatise were the subtleties of Thai massage described. However, it was not completely preserved. Only some slabs and statues have been preserved to this day. And the Wat Pho monastery is currently considered the center of education of traditional Thai medicine and massage.
If you decide to try Thai massage, the benefits and contraindications of this type of exposure should be well known to you.
Who is shown Thai massage
Thai massage is an integral part of wellness systems. It is recommended in the treatment of the following conditions:
- Depressive state.
- Sleep disturbance.
- Fatigue.
- Fatigue.
- Frequent headaches.
- Mood swings.
- Muscle spasms.
Thai massage is a therapeutic massage, therefore, before passing the session, it is necessary to establish the true cause of the disease, namely the cause of headaches or severe fatigue, so as not to harm the body, as there are contraindications for Thai massage. Just like pills, they can cure one disease, but harm another.
Who should not do Thai massage
Thai massage is a medical massage, so one should take into account what a person’s health is and whether he has contraindications for this type of treatment. Here is a list of diseases and conditions in which it is better to refrain from massage.
- Exacerbation of chronic diseases.
- Recently undergone surgery.
- Elevated body temperature.
- Inflamed wounds on the body.
- The presence of skin diseases.
- Oncology.
- Violation of the cardiovascular system.
- Pregnancy.
- The presence of mental disorders.
- You can not massage places of damage to muscles, joints, recent fractures.
- Intoxication of the body.
A masseur cannot fulfill the role of a doctor. Before you decide to undergo a Thai massage, the benefits and contraindications for you must be clarified together with the doctor. Only after such a consultation and conversation with a massage therapist can you not harm the body, but provide the necessary assistance. The specialist must take into account the recommendations of the doctor and contraindications. A properly performed Thai massage procedure will have a healing effect on your health.
The benefits of Thai massage
Thai massage is primarily a relaxation of the body and stress relief from the body. And at the same time:
- The massaged part of the body is well warmed up.
- Significantly improves blood circulation, swelling goes away.
- The muscles are relieved of tension, they become more elastic.
- Skin condition improves due to blood flow.
- Scars are smoothed out.
- The breathing becomes deep, even, thereby relieving tension from the nervous system, the person relaxes, the stress goes away.
- The digestive tract improves. Massage of the stomach promotes good digestion of food, prevents the formation of gases.
- The functioning of the nervous system improves.
- Skin rejuvenation occurs.
If you get a Thai massage, the benefits of this procedure will be noticeable after one session. Also, such a procedure can be done for children.
Types of Thai Massage
There are two types of Thai massage:
- Common.
- Royal.
General Thai massage is more common and more often used in practice. Also, it is he who is taught to all comers. Its peculiarity is that the massage therapist has close contact with the client and during massage uses:
- Thumbs up.
- The surface and base of the palm.
- The outside of the wrist.
- Elbows and forearms.
- Knees and feet.
- Bamboo sticks or stones.
Also used posture for stretching muscles.
Thai royal massage differs from the general one in that the masseur is at a certain distance from the body, one foot. He moves around, kneeling. The patient does not take a pose lying on his stomach. The masseur uses only:
- Thumbs up.
- Rarely is the wrist on the outside.
The masseur has contact with the patient only by touching his working surface of the hands. Perhaps because the royal people have immunity status. Stretch positions are not used. Massage begins from the knee and continues up the legs, ends with the foot.
No matter what kind of Thai massage you make, the benefits will be noticeable even after one session.
Thai massage can be performed using the following materials:
- Bags of herbs.
- The stones.
- Thai sticks.
- Essential oils.
It is worth noting that Thai massage is carried out on different parts of the body:
- Foot and foot massage.
- Heads and faces.
- Back massage.
By focus, you can divide the procedure into:
- Yoga massage. Thai massage with yoga elements helps to engage the muscles that do not work in traditional exercises.
- Slim massage. This type of Thai massage helps fight cellulite and lose weight. You should be prepared, perhaps even for painful effects.
- Massage tairay. This Thai massage is a kind of ritual that tidies up your state of mind and body. In this case, the items indicated above can be used, that is, herbal bags, stones, Thai sticks, essential oils.
How to prepare for a Thai massage
Thai massage is a procedure that you need to properly prepare to avoid unpleasant consequences. Here are some preparation tips:
- Be sure to consult your doctor if you can do such a massage.
- Clothing should be light, natural and not impede the effect on the massaged part of the body.
- Jewelry before a massage should be removed.
- You need to eat no later than two hours before the massage.
- Before the session, be sure to go to the toilet.
- It is necessary to take a shower and do not need to use perfumes. The best smell is the smell of a clean body.
- In case of unpleasant sensations, pain during the massage, this should be reported to the masseur. Together with you, he will choose a more comfortable massage technique. If you are allergic to any oil, you must also notify about this before the session.
- Thai massage is carried out on a special mattress on the floor. It should be chosen by the masseur himself.
- Immediately after the massage procedure, you do not need to get up and leave. You need to lie down for a few minutes to get real pleasure from the procedure. You will immediately feel how your body has come into shape, your mind has become cleaner, and your mood has improved after just one session.
- If you want to achieve weight loss, say goodbye to cellulite, then you need to go through several sessions in order to feel the result. And he really is.
- During the session, nothing should distract you. It is better to turn off the phone at this time.
Thai massage is like a departure from reality into a world of comfort and tranquility for the restoration of strength and renewal.
Thai massage technique
Before embarking on a Thai massage, a true master always recites a mantra in which he addresses the spirit of Dr. Jiva. Its meaning is as follows: the masseur asks for the healing of the patient through his body and skill.
The master should be positive and radiate calm and friendliness. Between the patient and the massage therapist should be a trusting and positive relationship.
The surroundings should help to relax. Only such an atmosphere allows you to open energy channels, and the released energy will return the lost forces.
At the very beginning of the session, the main task of the specialist is to match the breathing of the massage therapist and the patient. Professionals say that the longer the massage, the better. So, the session can last about one and a half or two and a half hours. This is if undergoing a full body massage. If you have little time, you can stop on one part, for example, the foot or back, but do not massage the whole body in 20 minutes, since you will not get the desired effect.
The session begins with kneading the feet. By acting on special points on them, the massage therapist seeks patient relaxation to work out all the deep muscles, relieve tension and stiffness from them.
During the whole session, the masseur with his actions introduces the patient into a trance, as it were, the person’s consciousness changes. This is due to the use of special points on the body.
Thai massage technique is very similar to passive yoga. At the same time, the massage therapist moves smoothly and rhythmically, as if dancing. With the massage we are accustomed to, the specialist rubs, kneads and strokes the body, and the Thai massage technique uses very different techniques. Of great importance in such a procedure as Thai massage, a technique of execution. Examples of what techniques are used in this case, we consider further.
What tricks are used
The massage technique consists of special techniques. Consider the feature of their implementation.
- Thumb pressure. Only the fingertip is involved. You can press and stretch at the same time, this is the uniqueness of this technique.
- Thumbs up the steps. Fingers have close and alternately press. They move in the direction of the energy channels.
- Palm pressure. They can be combined with hand vibrations. Hands should be straight. Pressures are made in three versions:
- One palm.
- Two palms.
- "Butterfly".
It should be borne in mind that pressure starts with light pressure and gradually changes to strong pressure.
Pressure is also made using:
- Feet.
- Buttocks.
- Elbow.
- The knee.
Each of these pressures has its own effectiveness for different parts of the body. So, in the feet, the middle is used to massage the hips, and for the massage of the buttocks, heels or the front of the foot are used.
Buttocks are more suitable for fixing the torso in order to perform the necessary manipulation.
When using the elbow, there is more pressure than the palm, it can be replaced by the top of the forearm if the patient is in pain.
Pressing with a knee frees the masseur's hands with which to stretch.
The master should have an individual approach to each if a Thai massage is performed. The technique (photos demonstrate this) can be applied differently.
- Pressure while standing. In this case, the patient experiences very strong pressure. Caution should be exercised. Used for the back, legs, arms and buttocks.
- Stretching. It is very important that you first properly relax the patient and not damage the muscles. Therefore, you should carefully monitor the patient's response when performing sprains.
- Ascents. You need to do it slowly without jerks. It is considered the simplest technique.
- Shaking the limbs. It is very effective if the patient is pulled down to himself.
- Rotation With the right technique, uniform stretching of the muscles around the joints occurs. Regular exercises will help in the treatment of arthrosis.
- Pulling pulls. In this case, one part of the body must be fixed.
The masseur can take various poses near the patient:
- Sitting.
- Sitting on your heels, knees.
- Standing on one knee.
Peculiar points in Thai massage
When Thai massage is performed, the massage therapist technique necessarily involves special lines on the body along which our vital energy moves. There are ten such lines, and they all originate in the area around the navel, two fingers below the abdominal surface. These lines, like meridians, pass through the whole body in different directions, as if enveloping our body and exit at ten points. These points and lines have their own names:
- Saint Itth - the line ends in the left nostril.
- Saint Pingkla - line in the right nostril.
- Sen Summan - comes to the tip of the tongue.
- Sen Kanlatari - is divided into four branches, and they end on the fingers and toes.
- Sen Sahasarungsi - ends in the left eye.
- Sen Tavari - in the right eye.
- Sen Tiantapusung - ends in the left ear.
- Sen Rusum - stops in the right ear.
- Sen Sukumung - ends in the anus.
- Sen Sikkini - in the urethra.
If you ask the question: "Thai massage - what massage is it?", - we can answer that it is miraculous. This is the procedure for the return and activation of vital energy through exposure to vital points and lines.
Thai massage training
Everyone can learn the skills of Thai massage. Although many are wondering whether strong hands and a strong body are needed for this. Indeed, to perform any manipulations with the body, physical strength is needed. But it is worth noting that Thai massage, the technique of teaching this skill, first of all, are based not on the force impact on the patient, but on the correct approach to implementation. And as we described above, this is an effect on life lines and special points on the body. Fragile Thai girls also masterly use their body weight.
Of course, the most prestigious and now remains the massage school of Wat Pho Monastery. This center is considered a southern school. This procedure has been widely developed in northern Thailand. And until now, the Thai massage technique has been improved and enriched with new techniques.
Thai massage is a massage that will undoubtedly have a beneficial effect on your body. The most important thing is that it should be performed by a competent specialist, then the benefit will be undoubted.