Dr. Ida Rolf, founder of the Rolf Institute of Structural Integration, used to say:“Anyone can take a body apart very few know how to put it back together.” For thousands of years, the Eastern approaches to human structure have been concerned with putting the body back together. Asana Yoga practice, Chi Gong,Tai Chi and many other forms of self-structural integration have proven themselves, if not simply by how old they are, but by the living testimonies of the health and well being of their practitioners.These practices are not, in and of themselves, just a form of therapy.They enhance every aspect of living. Not only do they help put the body back together, they rejuvenate, reform and recreate. A BRAND-NEW BODY While it may sound trite, deep down, when you get off the massage table, don’t you wish to feel renewed, reshaped, regrouped? And, why not? According to Ayurveda, the ancient system from India known as the “science of life,” every seven years we have a brand new body, new bones, new muscle tissue. Not so bizarre when we consider that every second, cells die and new cells are created to replace them. Today, there is ample evidence and expanded research into the physical effects of yoga, tai chi, and qi gong from the efficient use of the muscles and conservation of energy to the facilitation of a more economical and refined pattern of movement. Regular practice has proven to significantly reduce chronic stress and indeed can change the structure of the body. No wonder Dr. Ida Rolf was into yoga. One might wonder if she was into Thai Yoga. Perhaps.When one explores her philosophic approach to the body and the manner in which she has chosen to pursue it, by providing the healing aspect of intentional touch, the parallels are striking. Her techniques might vary, but the results are very similar. Thai Yoga, often called Thai Massage, is an ancient, powerful form of structural and energetic integration. Gravity affects our structure moment by moment, and years of walking, standing, sitting in a chair or sleeping in our favourite sleeping position take a toll on our physical structure usually in ways that limit the full use of our muscles, our mental acuity or our heartfelt sharing of our joys.Thai Yoga balances and rejuvenates every aspects of your day, in 90 minutes, or less.  Thai Yoga affects the entire structure in every session. Rather than observing the body in microscopic section, each part is considered as a section of a bigger whole where muscle tone, skin temperature and joint flexibility are all indication of how well the structure is put together. Rather than using vocabulary that treats the body as a puzzle,Thai Yoga utilizes words such as “energy” to describe the above physical sensations. How dense the muscle is or how much range of motion the joint displays are all indicators to the flow of energy in the body.
Gabriel Azoulay is a Founding Partner, of Rejuvenation Thai Massage & Yoga. Gabriel has been practicing and teaching yoga since 1991. In 2004, he was introduced to Thai Yoga massage while exploring the path yoga has taken throughout Asia. His teaching connects India with traditional Chinese medicine and Thai Yoga massage, while applying these ancient practices to modern times. Imagine a ballet dancer, flowing gracefully, moving with ease, effortlessly gliding across the stage. Or picture small children and how they move with ease and grace, even if their movements are not so elegantly executed.These are some examples of energy flow. More than a skill, it is the natural expression of the body. As we grow older, we step away from the body and focus our attention on our careers, our family and life in general.We sustain just enough energy to keep us going throughout our day unless we take the popular culture advice and exercise.Then, we experience first-hand the jolt of energy it provides. When our energy is tainted (when we feel sick), we in the West visit the doctor. In Thailand people go to the temple. BACK TO BASICS  Have you ever noticed that it is difficult to lie on your back, perfectly still, without moving? Try it now. For five minutes simply close your eyes and lie motionless. What most people become aware of very quickly is the motion inside our ears, the speeding motion of thoughts.Yet, if you’ve every enjoyed a yoga practice, you may have basked in the recharging effects of attempting stillness.
Thai Yoga begins lying on the back, which allows the spinal cord a chance to unwind and release the gravitational pull (one reason chiropractors advise sleeping on the back rather than the belly). Something interesting happens when your body is touched by another. Whether because the intention is to serve your body and mind into balance, or due to a nervous system trigger, what happens is that you quickly sink into a relaxed state. In this relaxed state, your body is guided through a yoga routine. Specific positions allow energy to move more freely. Pressure stimulates circulation and movement aligns bones, increasing range of motion.These various manipulations lead into the first powerful principle of Thai Yoga the principle of stretching. Stretching is considered extending the limbs of the body to the edge of their muscle and ligament reach.This action releases stiffness, increases traction and space between bones at the joint capsule and enhances blood circulation. Over time, stretching improves joint movement.The direction and angle is changed with each position, reaching various muscle attachments and insertions. The second principle is pressing. Rather than pressing slowly on each part of the muscle, the pressing follows a pattern of beginning, middle and end. One, two, three, and you go back to two, and then one, now you are done.This deep pressure stretches the myofascia in all direction and breaks down fibrotic tissue while stimulating the production of elastic fibers.  The third principle of Thai Yoga is specific pressure points. Over years of experience,Thai Yoga has discovered that there are certain areas where sustained pressure increases, and in fact enhances, the flow of energy to the body, as if opening an energetic dam.The surcharge of energy helps to alleviate pain, restore balance and even improve posture. Similar to the effect of joint pumping, this principle generates heat in the joint capsule, increasing blood circulation and producing an improved range of motion. When combined together in a flow-like session, you, the receiver, arise from your final relaxation feeling enhanced, elongated, invigorated and reformed.
Thai Yoga affects the entire structure in every session. Rather than observing the body in microscopic section, each part is considered as a section of a bigger whole where muscle tone, skin temperature and joint flexibility are all indication of how well the structure is put together. These principles are very similar to more contemporary massage modalities, such as deep pressure, myofascial work, neuro muscular massage and trigger point therapy. Although, as previously mentioned, Thai Yoga is an ancient modality, it is relatively new to the massage world in the West, and often the above principles are exchanged for light pressure over loose clothing with limb extension, which by itself is very relaxing and soothing, but lacks the full rejuvenating experience that follow a more traditional approach. Thai Yoga is not only effective and therapeutic (therapy being an action that enhances function) for the receiver, but when practiced correctly, it is actually a yoga practice for the therapist, as well. A practice where the giver improves their own physical energy flow, joint range of motion and mental balance, and each movement is designed so that both practitioners are balanced. Once the movements have been assimilated much like a yoga student, a tai chi practitioner, or a dancer assimilates movements the therapist can then sense to the client’s lacks energy flow, where the physical areas of tension, soreness or stiffness are, and apply the principles in a variety of ways, maybe even enhancing the experience through Western techniques, such as palpating, effleurage or specific deep pressure. To know the body, according to Thai Yoga, you are encouraged to turn your gaze inward, to look within yourself, to feel what is happening in your own physical experience.Yoga is a self-practice where we discover how physical postures enhance our internal energy and improve our external experience.This discovery is revealed through sensation, what we see is what we have been accustomed to feeling, from the texture of rock, the heat of sunlight, the nourishment of fruits, life is an energetic experience, and that energy is the same in every person.  Thai Yoga is not only effective and therapeutic for the receiver, but when practiced correctly, it is actually a yoga practice for the therapist, as well.
In Thai Yoga we go a step further.We feel beyond ourselves. While staying perfectly attuned to our experience, we sense our client so we can actually serve and benefit them.This feeling beyond ourselves is the core behind the philosophy of “loving kindness.” Or, as it is called in the East, “metta.” As we develop our own capacity to extend loving kindness to one person, we find that we can share that attitude with the universe. Every day, our experience is new, and every day our body, our mind and our emotions feel different.Thai Yoga addresses these fluctuations in a unique and powerful way. It connects us to this moment, both client and therapist, and when we are in the moment, there is nothing we can not accomplish, from better health to personal achievement. Old School Thai Thai Yoga is designed to expand the flow of energy in the body.The movements and the manipulations are all based on ancient practices, most of which have been shared via practice rather than by thinking or talking about it. For hundreds of years and still today, the people in Thailand go to the temples to re balance and increase their energy.They also practice Thai Yoga at home with family members or friends. This popular home practice is what arrived in the West more than 20 years ago.A traditional sequence of movements which is both relaxing and integrative. Undoing any tension from working out in the fields all day, clearing the mind from any mental agitation, and through the power of touch and physical connection, expanding the heart. Thai Yoga’s effectiveness lies in the fact that the traditional sequence addresses all three aspects of our daily life experience: our physical body, our emotional state and our mental disposition. |