Thai Yoga Massage

'Dance when you are broken...

Dance when you are perfectly free'

~ Sufi Poet Rumi ~

What is Thai Yoga Massage?

Kam Thye Chow, founder & director of Lotus Palm School in Montreal & one of the world's foremost practitioners, describes Thai Yoga Massage as such:

'When explaining...Thai Yoga Massage I like to use the image of the tango. Linked together in a graceful dance, the principal dancer (the practitioner) & the follower (the recipient) perform a series of yoga positions. The practitioner uses her hands, feet, arms, & legs gently to guide the recipient into various yoga postures while remaining focused & centered...As the dance becomes more beautiful & harmonious, it also becomes more healing & beneficial to the receiver'.*

Indeed, Thai Yoga Massage - also know as assisted Hatha yoga & assisted yoga therapy - is an holistic, fluid & gentle dance between practitioner & client. Traditional Thai Yoga Massage dates back thousands of years, tracing its origins to Jivaka Kumarbhaccha, a celebrated Indian yogi & doctor in the ancient healing tradition of Ayurveda. Today, Thai Yoga Massage is a fusion of concepts, practiced with a 'foundation of traditional Thai concepts, Ayurvedic principles, Buddhist attention to centredness, the alignment & dynamic stretching of Hatha yoga, & manipulation of the sen, the Thai energy line system'.*

Benefits of Thai Yoga Massage*

Holistic benefits of a Thai Yoga Massage session include:

overall, induces a calm, focused mental state
reduces physical, emotional & mental stress
promotes holistic healing of mind body soul
relieves muscular tension & spasm
balances the body energetically
stretches & tonifies muscles
boosts the immune system
helps expedite metabolism
improves circulation

A Thai Yoga Massage Session*

An holistic Thai Yoga Massage session is performed on a thick, comfortable mat on the floor. Clients are advised to wear loose, comfortable clothing, wherein all postures are performed with the client fully dressed. The Thai Yoga Massage therapist carefully guides the client in a smooth, calm & balanced rhythmic motion, palming, thumbing along Sen (energy) lines, gently stretching, encouraging healing breath work, creating a slow, flowing 'dance' around & with the client's body.

Lungta Wellness considers it a privilege to help others in achieving balance of 'mind-body-spirit' & to express the appreciation - physical, emotional & spiritual - of metta, LovingKindness, in motion. Namaste.

*Quotes & excerpts on this page are taken from Kam Thye Chow, Thai Yoga Massage (2004), with gratitude & metta.