03. How does Table Thai Yoga Massage Differ?

How does Table Thai Yoga Massage Differ from Traditional Thai Massage?

“You can respect tradition without being traditional.”

The Practice of Metta or Loving Kindness

At the heart of both Table Thai Yoga Massage and Traditional Thai Massage is the practice of loving kindness, known in the Thai language as metta. Historically, Thai Massage was practiced and taught on the grounds of Buddhist temples or wats. Disseminated through a rich oral tradition, Thai Massage was handed down from monk to monk for the purpose of cultivating metta: for the recipient and for the giver. When Thai Massage relieved suffering, it was merely a side effect, as the monks were primarily focused on growing their capacity for loving kindness by relieving suffering.

When we practice metta in our Table Thai session, client and therapist both feel good. This means making sure our client feels appreciated, respected, and comfortable; and that the pressure and pace we use fosters relaxation and peacefulness. We don’t want to treat a client merely as a body with a host of complaints, or as just another appointment or paying customer. We want to honor and recognize the unique being who has courageously surrendered to being vulnerable under our hands!

**And, practicing metta for ourselves ensures that we feel good in our body mechanics, clear in our awareness, and at ease in our feelings. If we’re edgy, tired, or hungry, we want to remember to take care of ourselves.**

Many of us have had an experience where we begin a session feeling out of sorts. And then, lo and behold, the session-time flies by and we have more energy and happiness than we’ve had all day! It is possible to receive as much benefit as our clients when practicing Table Thai.  This is metta in action and a resistance-free path that can be achieved by answering YES to the following questions:

Does it feel good to give?

And does it feel good to receive?

If Yes! And Yes!

…we are now cultivating loving kindness for ourselves and others!!! Regardless of the technique, if it feels good to give, and it feels good to receive, then you’re doing it RIGHT! Growing metta is our greatest emphasis in our own personal practice, and we hope it becomes the priority for each and every Table Thai Yoga Massage.

Thai Massage in the 21st century

Thai Massage has experienced a revival in popularity in a relatively short amount of time. When German expatriate Asokananda published one of the first Thai Massage books ever written in a Western language in 1990, traditional Thai Massage suffered from a maligned reputation. Partly based on the unrealistic conviction that Western allopathic medicine could cure all diseases, and exacerbated by the rampant use of “Thai Massage” as a pseudonym for prostitution, this ancient healing therapy was sinking into ill-repute and becoming a dying art.

Yet, like the lotus which grows from muddy waters, in a relatively short time, Thai Massage today has been elevated as an integral treatment in many Thai hospitals, and Thai Massage clinics are sprouting up on almost every block of Thailand’s largest cities, Bangkok and Chiang Mai. Furthermore, on a global level, Thai Massage has catapulted from the obscure experience of a transient traveler to one of the most sought-after bodywork modalities in the West.

As our Thai Massage practice grew over the years, we found that certain traditional techniques and body positions tended to challenge our body mechanics. By necessity we began to integrate the ergonomics practiced on a massage table with the angles and alignment leveraged in a yoga asana practice.

At first, we were hesitant to modify the very specific positioning we had learned from our Thai teachers—we thought if we modified things, we might be doing it wrong or being disrespectful to Thai Massage. We have since grown in our realization that Thai Massage is based on the concept of “metta” or loving-kindness, and that Thai Massage is practiced “rightly” only when it feels good to give and feels good to receive.

Why bring Thai Yoga Massage to the table?

• For those clients and therapists who have a hard time getting on and off the floor
• To save space in your massage room
• To support better body mechanics
• Because clients and therapists are already comfortable working on and around the table

Differences between Traditional Thai Massage & Table Thai Yoga Massage

Traditional Thai Massage

• Performed on a mat on the floor
• Body mechanics based on therapist’s position on the ground, such as kneeling and working over the client with straight arms
• Strong emphasis on pressing directly on the Sen energy lines with the palms and thumbs
• Following a set protocol encouraged for every client

Table Thai Yoga Massage

• Performed on a massage table
• Body mechanics based on therapist’s position standing beside or on the table, such as lunging and keeping the wrinkles out of the wrists
• Strong emphasis on stretching the body to indirectly open the Sen energy lines
• Creatively sequencing the session based on client’s chief concerns

**Students** Watch the video introduction to improve your practice and pass the test