Submitted by Organic Wellness
Thai yoga massage first caught my interest when I watched a demonstration at The Evergreen State College. The way the practitioner moved was so enchanting, fluid, and graceful I couldn’t wait to give it a try! This beautiful way of working resembled a dance and I knew then that this was something that I wanted to do in my life.
I have always wanted to use Thai Yoga as a healing element in my clinic Organic Wellness in Lacey; however, it was several years before I was able to make this dream a reality. After completing massage school in 2006, I hoped to travel to Thailand and experience this art in its home country. Alas, as finances didn’t allow for a plane ticket and a 2-3 week span in Thailand I settled for the next best thing, I studied under the most well-respected teacher in Seattle.
I have been following my dream and practicing Thai massage for almost six years now. As an experienced and knowledgeable massage practitioner for over six years and yoga practitioner/teacher for well over two years I am able to utilize my experience in those fields to assist in the healing process of many of my patients.
Thai Yoga massage is done on a comfortable heated futon and without the need for oils and lotions, it incorporates elements of yoga, stretching, breathing, acupressure, and rhythmic compression along energy lines in the body. Thai Yoga Massage is considered as a holistic and meditative style of bodywork, sometimes referred to as ‘assisted yoga’ where the Therapists use their hands, knees, legs and feet for compression and assist movement, these advanced practices has been used for centuries to achieve relaxation and energizing of the body. Most sessions last 90 minutes. During that time, a therapist works on assessing people’s individual needs to provide relaxation, increase in energy, better circulations, more flexibility and expands joint range of motions. The therapist accomplishas that through many advanced movements that Thai massage is known from such as rocking and compression to assess the best way to target the areas that needs attention on the patient body.
Patients enjoy the movement aspect of Thai massage when compared to regular massage. Here are a few statements that some of my patients have made:
- “I have had a chronic shoulder condition that massage helps but since switching to Thai seems to have disappeared”.
- “I enjoy being stretched out, I can’t seem to stretch myself quite that much, and I always leave feeling so much more energized but also relaxed”.
- “My hip had been bothering me for months. The pain was traveling down my leg. I could barely walk and had to quit my regular exercise program. I had been to see other healthcare providers and the talk of surgery was a commonalty. After one 90 minute Thai massage session with Jo my hip felt great, I could move again, the pain is still traveling down my leg but it is more manageable and less frequent, I can wait until my next session”.
The above examples are real people and true results. I feel so lucky and humble that I have assisted them in regaining control over their pain and discomfort in their body.
Try Thai massage as an alternative to the main stream remedies of pain relief–its drug free, and allows your body to heal and restore itself in a natural way.
