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For sure one of the most important principles of a good Thai massage is having the right body mechanism. In my teachings at the Blue Garden Chiang Mai (www.thaimassagechiangmai.com) I work intensively with my students to make sure they will get this right. The reasons herefore are that once you master this, to give a good Thai massage gets so much easier and also very important it will save your career as a massage therapist; once you understand the right body mechanisms you know how to massage without injuring your body.
No muscle power
The first aspect is that we are not using muscle power, but using our bodyweight. By shifting our bodyweight on to our palms (or thumbs, elbow, etc) we are creating pressure. Important hereby is that we relaxing our body, which means that our posture is not creating tension for our selves. In practice this can be quite difficult, because in every day life we are so used to use force and power. One of my teachers use to say if you can not be relaxed your self while massaging how can your client be relaxed. In other words you will be transfer you tension towards your client
The difference between bodyweight and muscle power for pressure is that the first one feels much softer (less sharp), allows the therapist to go deeper, and makes it possible to transfer energy much more freely.
Massage from the center of your body
Further aspects of good body mechanisms is to always massage from the center of you body, so you are not un necessary twisting you back or reaching away. When you learning massage always give your self the time to find the right position. Just remember that once you get in the habit of miss using your body you will do this day in and day out and over time you will create injuries.
Always be in a 90 degree angle to the point you massaging; for example with a single palm press, look at the line form you shoulder to your palm (to the point your applying pressure) they should be in 90 degrees angle.
Common mis alignments of the therapist
1. The lower back is rounded or over arched; Try the have the lower back in its natural position
2. Rounding our upper back
3. Hunching the shoulders, goes together with 2 (rounding upper back). Keep upper back straight and draw your shoulders down the back
4. Bending the elbows. Very often going together with hunching the shoulders. When you draw your shoulders down the back automatically the elbows will go straight.
Insiders Tip
One of the easiest adjustments tips is to imagine that you are opening your heart. If you imagine this your chest will sink in and automatically your lower and upper back will be straight and you will draw your shoulders down the back
Different body types
People are build differently, not all techniques will be suited to be performed by everybody, or can not be performed on everybody. Be sensible towards this. Same if a client is asking for more pressure, but you are leaning in with all bodyweight, do not start using muscle power, It is always very easy to compensate with muscular power or take an unnatural position. But by doing this you are creating tension in your own body, which overtime will create problems. From the very beginning of your instruction, if a particular movement is causing you pain, you should stop. You should not push yourself, as is often done in various types of exercises, but realize that either the movement is not being done correctly or something in your own body mechanics is not right. There always many alternatives which will not hurt your body. Just think about this: How can you heal someone if you are hurting yourself?
Some last words
A good posture should not cause pain to your body, allows you to relax your body and by shifting your weight you can increase or decrease the pressure
With Thai Massage being very closely linked with the Indian yoga tradition, it is often referred to as Thai Yoga Massage. Many yoga postures are included in a Thai Massage treatment. Forward bends, backward bends, cobra, spinal twists, locust positions and plough are all used in Thai Massage. Yoga practitioners have found it easier to hold a pose when assisted by a yoga teacher. With the yogic influenced stretches in Thai Massage, clients are able to go deeper into a posture when assisted by a Thai Massage practitioner, enhancing their flexibility and encouraging deep relaxation in each pose. It is like a yoga dance, with the practitioner also benefiting and getting stretched whilst giving the massage.
It is essential for the practitioner to have a certain amount of flexibility and to practice yoga on a regular basis. The flowing sequences of Ashtanga Yoga are very effective for the Thai Massage practitioner. Learning this type of yoga can greatly improve the flow and rhythm of a Thai Massage. Regular stretching, such as Iyengar yoga, can help practitioners to feel for themselves the degree of stretching necessary and their own pain threshold.
Although also referred to as yoga for lazy people, Thai Massage treatment is more than passive yoga and has more ingredients than a yoga workout, as it combines the soothing massage techniques and acupressure, which make this a very unique healing art and therapy. The numerous slow stretching movements free the tension held within the body, increase flexibility, relax tense muscles, mobilize and open joints, thus energizing the whole body and allowing the energy to flow freely around the body. This free flow of energy is known as Prana in Indian and Chi in China. The pressure and stretching is measured and matched to the client's physical ability and needs. A practitioner will learn to feel how far to take a client into a stretch. This is indeed an art, working slowly with mindfulness will help the practitioner to feel the point of resistance and maximum stretch for the limbs. Be very careful not to overstretch or injure your client. It is a continuous flow of techniques carried out in a slow rhythmic pace with mindfulness. The stretching yogic movements affect the entire body by releasing both deep and superficial tension and re-educating the client into a new and improved posture. The result is an opening of the body, which leaves one feeling both relaxed and energized at the same time.
Breathing in harmony with your client is essential for a good Thai Massage. Clients should be exhaling when being stretched. Normal relaxed breathing, flowing with the rhythm of the massage. With practice, one movement will flow effortlessly onto the next creating lovely flowing dynamic sequences.