What is Thai Massage?

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There is no simple definition that answers many of the questions I get: Is it deep tissue? Does it hurt? That's the stretching massage right?  The truth is it's a much broader topic than those questions can reach. There are a wide variety of techniques and approaches depending on the situation and the practitioner's emphasis in training. Each session can look vastly different from another so the main defining characteristic is whether the practitioner is using Thai theory. Which I'll get to. But first...

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What to expect with Six Elements Bodywork:

This is healing arts focused on the whole person, with emphasis on bodywork. It is heavily influenced by years of study in Thai medicine, but also influenced by living in America and working amidst a modern medical system. 

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I generally work on a floor mat using hands, arms, legs, feet, herbal therapies and whatever tools seem appropriate for the moment. The experience can range from gentle and relaxing to vigorous deep tissue. I am patient, detailed and thorough. Treatments focus on relief of symptoms and underlying patterns. To achieve this, I take into account what information you present about your condition and goals, then follow what presents itself to me, one layer at a time. My goal is to never force, but to meet the restriction pattern and follow it through to resolution, or as close as we can get to that. 

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This work has supported 

recovery from pain, injuries, auto accidents, traumas, postural imbalances, adrenal fatigue, IBS, PTSD, TMJ disorders, fibromyalgia, carpal tunnel syndrome, scoliosis, headaches, bursitis, and other maladies as well as maximizing health, improving physical performance in athletes, easing pregnancy pains and postpartum recovery. See below for more details. 

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Some Context as Promised:

Thai bodywork is part of the larger system of Thai medicine which includes a variety of techniques in assessing and treating the person, just like any other system of medicine. Like other traditional systems, Thai medicine evolved gradually throughout time, being influenced by the culture, geography, flora and fauna, climate and whatever resources were available to practitioners. Advances in understanding came through many generations of observation, practice and study. 

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Reusis, or hermits have had a tremendous contribution to "Thai Massage." Many lineages of Reusis have kept up a variety of knowledge topics, but those that influenced bodywork most directly have kept the practice of Reusi Dat Ton as well as a great deal of medicine knowledge. The process of studying medicines was rigorous, including commitments to keeping a specific daily lifestyle and then when introducing a new substance, they would spend a long time observing the thing itself: how and when it grew, what animals used it and when. Then when ingesting, they went through a period of fasting and training the mind to a calm and focused state in order to clearly understand the effects. ​

Semi-recently in history, non-Thais visiting Thailand wanted to learn and practice local medicine. However, most foreigners don't speak the language fluently, much less ancient medical Thai and Pali, the languages used in medicine texts. Nor do most foreigners have the ability to study daily for a few decades with a credible teacher. But out of kindness and because people were truly interested, Thai people have been teaching what they can and most of what has come abroad is a sort of collection of techniques we have been calling "Thai Massage." It's a small window into a very rich system that many of us are trying to learn more deeply and honor to the best of our abilities.

At its heart, "Thai Massage" and the greater system of Thai medicine is rooted in a wish to alleviate suffering. ​