What is Thai Massage?
I wanted to write a post about Thai massage and my thoughts (or at least some of them) on it.
I was first introduced to Thai massage back in 2013, I had never had one before, and like many of you before your first time, I was a bit apprehensive.
After that first session, it was actually quite painful, and I didn’t overly enjoy it. After the treatment I felt like I had been put through an old-fashioned laundry mangle. That was the only way I could describe it however now I tend to use the example of the old Trebor Soft mint – Mr Soft adverts ( In case you can’t remember: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGrffn_LKzE) as the best way to describe the feeling after a treatment.
But why does it make you feel this way? Well, we live our lives in a constant state of tension, you do not realise it, but we do, otherwise we would not be able to stand up or function. For example, if you are sat on a chair and raise your lower leg at the knee so your leg is straight out in front. The top of your thigh (Your quadriceps) contract pulling the knee and the muscles towards the body forcing the lower leg to raise. To do this however the muscles at the back of your thigh (your hamstrings) must extend, to lower your leg the reverse must happen. Now this is a grossly over-simplified look at muscle dynamics but bear with me. The only time all our muscles relax is when we are dead.
Thai massage foot compressions
Now those muscles work constantly, but more so when you have an injury ( I will talk about injury and alignment in another blog), they get tired, they get strained and they don’t function to the best of their ability. This tension does not just happen in your muscles, but it happens in your joints, ligaments, and small tissues too.
That is where I come along. Thai massage is all about helping your body (through gentle stretching) to release that tension. It can be uncomfortable, even a little painful at times but the tension I am trying to release has built up over years, decades even. It cannot all be released in one session. Just like you would not go to a gym for the first time and pull a 100Kg deadlift, you need to work up to it. So too is it the same for Thai massage, we need to spend several sessions working to release the tension and giving you back your range of motion.
You will see some of the more advance stretches I do in pictures, but that is only with people who have worked with me for a while or who are able to achieve these positions and need the extra work.
Now don’t worry I’m not going to turn you into a human pretzel or origami swan ( as one of my lovely clients puts it), but I will adapt and work within your current range of motion with the intention over time to give you back your full range of motion and less tension than you thought possible. All of this with the intention that you will be able to lead your best pain free life possible.
Now doesn’t that sound good?!
“It is health, that is real wealth, not pieces of gold or silver”