Though I’ve heard it called Thai Yoga, the type of body work I am referring to is also called Traditional Thai Massage or Thailand Medical Massage. Thai Yoga is an ancient art that combines massage, stretching, acupressure, twisting, relaxation, and meditation. It has roots in traditional Yoga and Buddhist spiritual practices.
I have been fortunate enough to be on the receiving end of a Traditional Thai Massage, and also got the opportunity to observe some moves recently. Like the idea of qi in acupuncture and acupressure, Thai Yoga believes that the body is filled with Prana, or life energy. Prana flows through the body in more than 70,000 channels; if the flow is blocked or slowed, the site of the blockage becomes a source of discomfort.
In this type of massage, the practitioner guides the recipient through various stretches to help improve the flow of Prana through the body. Balance is very important — if you stretch in one direction, you should stretch the opposite way to balance everything out. And if the body is returned balance, the mind and spirit can return to balance as well.
For the recipient, Thai Yoga has many benefits:
- Increased flexibility
- Reduced stress and tension
- Increased relaxation
- Reduced pain
- Increased mental and spiritual harmony
The practitioner also benefits from performing Traditional Thai Massage:
- Increased mental and spiritual harmony
- Stronger connection with recipient
- Deeper empathy/compassion
Thai Yoga is graceful and lovely to watch, if you ask me. At full flexibility, the human body has amazing capabilities! And, having been on the receiving end of a Traditional Thai Massage, I can say that I did feel a stronger connection to the person giving the massage. Their whole body is involved in the massage; the recipient must trust the practitioner to move and stretch them.