|
Thai
Massage
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Balance of Energy
(Turn sound
on)
Billy and Akaisha Kaderli
Modern
lifestyles are becoming more demanding and as our world increases in speed,
there is a powerful need to stop and rediscover our natural balance.
In
Thailand there is a style of massage that has been handed down over 2000
years from the time of the
Buddha. The Art of Nuad Bo-Rarn or Lazy Man's Yoga focuses on the rebalancing of one's internal energies.
Stretching
the muscles in various yogic postures, it relieves built up tension and toxins
that are then
processed by the body bringing about a stronger immune system
and generalized health.
Thailand is well known for it's massage
shops and health spas.
Natural Energy Spa is located
within the ancient walled city of Chiang Mai, Thailand. In a peaceful
setting next to the waterfall pool at The Top North Guest House, Peter, the
manager, and his highly trained therapists are ready to immerse you into the
sensual experience of the massage of your choice. Designed for the ultimate
relaxation experience, Peter offers a diverse range of traditional massages,
body scrubs, steam sauna and cold dip pool. You will be pampered under the
skillful guidance of the staff while your body will be coaxed into a state of serene tranquility, enhanced beauty and vigorous health.
Join us
in a rejuvenating journey through the art of Thai Massage.
Sirinapha (Wa), Yadarun (A),
Peter and Mesa (May) of Natural Energy private spa.
Walking
into the soothing atmosphere of Natural Energy Spa is a respite from the
outside world.
Wa, A, and May are welcoming and fun-loving.
We were given loose
massage wear to put on so that our clothing wouldn't bind us during the
massage.
Yadarun, known as A, gently washes Akaisha's feet, removing the
dust of the day.
When A settles Akaisha
onto the massage mat, she calms her mind from distraction. She then asks the
Buddha that she may cause no harm, and only bring healing. She has been
taught to direct her focus to assist in releasing any karma trapped in her
client's body. She also thanks her teacher for passing down this information
to her in training. This mental preparation helps A to concentrate and become in tune or 'aligned' with her client.
After her
prayers of thanks are finished, Mesa (known as May) begins by loosening up Billy's feet. There are 6
acupressure points on the foot, and 5 meridian lines both on the top and the
bottom. These are pressed to open up the energy lines of the body,
creating a balance of Chi or energy flow.
Here, A uses the weight
of her body to press down on the two main arteries from Akaisha's pelvis to
her legs. She does this several times, shutting the blood flow off then
flushing out the legs by way of rushing the blood back through them. This
cleanses the lower half of the body and carries toxins out through the
blood, to be processed later by the body's internal organs.
Using her
full body force to push against the muscles of Akaisha's thigh,
simultaneously A pulls on Akaisha's ankles. Our legs carry an immense amount of tension
and these strong muscles hold our backs in line. By releasing out-of-balance tightness it helps to
relax the whole body and eases back pain if we are out of alignment.
May leans against
one of Billy's legs and presses down on the other. Stretching out the pelvis and
opening up the hip joints, this is done gently and never more than the
client can tolerate. All we have to do is relax and have the therapist do
the work! Aaaaahhhhhhh.......
A is using a technique
whereby she presses deeply with her thumbs down onto the energy lines in the
leg. There are combinations of acupressure points and meridian lines where
she releases blocked Chi and relaxes tight muscles.
May leans on one of
Billy's shoulders while pressing down on Billy's leg over the opposite knee opening up the
tight muscles of the upper thighs and the buttocks. She uses her foot to
anchor Billy's so that there is no sudden sliding out of place to cause harm. This stretch is done slowly
bringing no trauma to the client and is done on both sides of the
body. Spinal twists are believed to flush out the spleen, pancreas, colon
and gall bladder.
Acupressure
points and meridian lines are activated down Billy's arm. May uses the combination of her
body weight and her thumb strength to perform this part of the massage.
With strong force, May
presses down into the 5 energy lines and 6 acupressure points of Billy's
hand. This releases built up tension and opens the channels for the Chi to
be 'snapped' out of the
fingers in the next massage sequence. This close up of May shows the
special technique for stretching the hand out to access the acupressure
points more directly.
A 'snaps' the energy
out of Akaisha's hand following the 5 Chi meridians. As A is doing this
technique, she mentally focuses on releasing any sickness, any stress or any
negative energies that Akaisha may have. She surrenders herself into a
mental position of "how can I help my client?"
Northern Thailand Chiang
Mai massage techniques utilize the body and weight of both client and
therapist. Here Akaisha's feet are in front of A's knees while A
stands full force on Akaisha's thighs. A pushes on Akaisha's back up and
down both sides of her spine. This massages internal organs as well.
After utilizing her knees
to work the strong and dense buttocks muscles, A once again pulls lightly on Akaisha's upper body.
A good naturedly laughs at Akaisha's 'moaning' sounds. These stretching
poses are designed to assist the body to digest food and to target the
cleansing of various organs that are responsible for filtering the toxins
from within our body. Back bends, for instance target the cleansing of the
liver, removing the toxins this important organ filters.
May places Billy's arm
over her thigh while lifting up on his shoulder. She then reaches in between
his shoulder blade and back to get to the tension lodged there.
May massages Billy's face
releasing tension in his sinus passages. A client may request simply a head
and shoulder massage for an hour if one is so inclined.
Lots of acupressure
points in the ears! This feels lovely! All tensions go out.....
Now opening up the
channels down the neck
releasing tension and blocks that often bring headaches.
This position stretches
Billy's arm as May uses the 'point' of her elbow to get into those closed and
tight neck muscles.
Pulling on Billy's
arms, May pushes against his back with her feet opening up his chest cavity.
Muscles in Billy's shoulders and back are also stimulated.
After all this massage
workout,
we are given hot tea and moist cold towels to wash our face and hands.
Great
service! It is recommended to drink water at this time to utilize your
body's increased blood circulation to assist the flushing out of the toxins
released during the massage.
Although we did not take
advantage of their herbal massage, the staff create herbal
packs utilizing 10 different fresh herbs that grow on the hillsides of the Northern regions of Thailand. These
herbs are sliced, chopped, shredded and pounded by the massage therapists
and then tightly bound into herbal packs. The packs are then
heated and are used in combination with an oil massage to bring
about healing effects through the skin.
Combination packages of authentic Swedish Steam sauna and the cold dip pool
along with the Swedish oil massage are also available. Prices range from 200
Baht for a 1 hour Thai massage to 1300 Baht for a Deluxe Package lasting 3
hours. If you are in the Ancient Walled City of Chiang Mai, treat yourself
and give Peter a call to set up an
appointment for your own spa package.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You can set
up an appointment by visiting
www.naturalenergy.se
Address:
15 Moon Muang Rd. , Soi 2
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Phone: +66-(0)-714 89 405.
If you
are interested in learning massage techniques, Peter offers 5 day, 20 hour
private courses including literature and a certificate. He can be contacted
at
info@naturalenergy.se
Courses
available:
Thai Yoga Massage - authentic Chiang Mai Style, 5,500 baht
Ayurvedic Yoga Masage - Ayurvedic Oil Massage & Yoga Stretch, 6,900 Baht
Spa Treatment & Thai Herbal Massage - Thai Medicinal Herbs & Natural Spa
Treatment, 8,900 Baht
|