Compassionate touch has transformed my life on so many levels; however its impact has resonated most profoundly in my relationship with my daughter: My family!
After 13 years with my husband, business partner and the father of my children, we parted amicably to evolve into a family that lives apart from each other. Today, my stepson is 18 and my daughter 7 years old.
It’s an unfortunate reality that we live and are brought up in a touch-deprived society. More and more, parents are losing the skill of compassionate touch and aren’t passing that value onto their children. Recently, much to my horror, I saw that a school in Australia decided to ban hugging. More on that horrendous story here, but first let me tell you why it’s such an horrendous decision.
Before we can discuss the potential of Thai Massage in relieving the discomfort of plantar fasciitis, we first need to discuss what it actually is. Unfortunately it is still a rather poorly understood condition, at least in terms of a strict understanding of its pathophysiology and a replicable mechanism for its development.
More and more, the question is coming up – “What is Thai Yoga Therapy?”, and “Is Thai Yoga Therapy the same as Thai Massage?”. And I wish the answer were simple, but it’s a little more involved.
Office work environments can be pretty stressful. Not only mentally but physically too, despite our best efforts with ergonomic workstations. And, as much as we all know the awesomeness of massage for relieving stress, there’s nothing worse than an unwanted neck massage that just, frankly, stresses you out even more.
You may have heard it said before: “Thai Massage is equally as beneficial to give as it is to receive.” But how can that be, if you’re not the one laying on the mat and being stretched and massaged into absolute relaxation bliss???
The other day I stumbled across an online forum discussion where someone was describing their first full body massage experience. They couldn’t understand why their therapist was karate chopping them during the massage, and asked if there is some actual purpose behind it (aside from them getting slapped around.) This is a really good question, and if you’ve ever wondered the same thing without getting a solid answer… today’s your lucky day!
Let me explain…
Signing up for education and training can be a tricky thing that can be plagued with a whole lot of uncertainty! If you’re trying to find out more information on our program, keep reading to see exactly what you’ll learn at our Thai Massage School!
When you come in for a treatment, changes are you’ll be given a form that has a bunch of questions for massage clients on there. You might be tempted to give short answers…but I encourage you to elaborate whenever you can. The more information we have as practitioners, the better your treatment is going to be.
This has been quite a common question from my clients/patients in the last few years of my practice. And it’s a really important one for us to discuss. The future of Thai Massage and Thai Yoga Therapy looks promising, but what it holding us back right now?
I know – standing in line is such a riveting topic of discussion. Stick with me for just a couple of minutes though, I promise to add value to your stance.
And he couldn’t be more right! Out of our 5 senses, our ability to sense touch (also called “haptic” sense) is the first one to develop as we’re a growing foetus. Biologically this speaks to its primary importance of touch in life, over and above the other senses.
I don’t know about you guys, but I sit at a desk waaaaay too much and so my neck is one of the first places I collect tension in my body. In my practice I have observed that a vast majority of people also experience this tension.
It’s important for you to know that weak musculature is something we all have in different regions of our body, and so I’m not intending to insult you when I tell you you’re weak. I’m weak too – we’re on the same page! With that disclaimer, let’s discuss why you’re so tight all the time and what you can do about it.
Forget flowers. Forget jewelery.
It’s time to give something a little more meaningful than the stereotypical gifts. It’s time to open up the doors to giving something more of yourself this year. You’ll want to give something that can’t really be purchased, and something that will last much longer and create deeper bonds between you.
So often we hear of these things called “knots” and scar tissue falls under the umbrella of that label. But do we really know what it is?
It’s a common practice today to place significant emphasis on belly breath, or more appropriately termed “diaphragmatic breathing”. I anticipate that much of its focus is the result of the popularization of yoga. In and of itself it’s a great practice to ensure that your [thoracic] diaphragm is moving well and aiding in a natural breathing cycle, but as with many things in life, leave it to humans to take it too far.
So you’re reading an amazing blog post (this one, obviously), or you’re texting your friend right now (in which case you’re not actually reading this), but in either situation I’m going to tell you to pull your head in.
One of the Foundational Principles that we teach in every course (including introductory workshops) is the concept of Metta Bhavana, which is the cultivation of loving kindness and compassion. It’s the one piece of the puzzle that is essential to this practice. Technique and postures are secondary.
Have you ever said this to someone? Or maybe you’ve only thought about it and haven’t said anything? Well, the answer is probably not the one you were hoping for. It’s not some magical cure or the luck of the draw with good posture development. It’s hard work and dedication.
