ThaiMassage Ireland is a centre of excellence for Thai Massage, offering an extensive range of treatments, classes and workshops. It is owned and operated by Robert Henderson, who has been practicing and teaching Thai Massage since 1999. Having studied extensively with Asokananda and the Masters Chaiyuth Priyasith and Piched Boonthumme, Robert is an authorised teacher of the Sunshine Network and a Master Practitioner member of the Thai Yoga Massage Association of New Zealand.
Robert is currently teaching in Thailand until April, after which he will be the on-site massage therapist at Yoga Plus, Crete, until October 2006. He will be returning to Ireland in November 2006 and is currently looking for a suitable location to set up a full-time massage practice and training centre. If you know of anywhere appropriate, why not drop us a line?
You
are welcome to browse this website for details about Thai Massage, energy work,
and also for details and fees for the Thai Massage treatments being offered by
Robert at Yoga Plus 2006.
What is Thai Massage?
The application of Thai Massage.
The synergy between Thai Massage and Yoga.
Treatments and fees for the 2005 Yoga Plus season.
What is Thai Massage?
Thai Massage is an ancient art of healing, the
roots of which have been traced back 2500 years to the lifetime of the Buddha in
India and more specifically to the Doctor Jivaka Kumar Bhaccha who was a
personal physician to the Buddha and who is nowadays revered as the father of
Thai Massage and Thai Medicine.
At its theoretical and practical roots, Thai
Massage views the human body as a 'body of energy' whose wellbeing and survival
is governed by the amount of energy (or prana or chi or Qi) it takes in and
distributes to its body systems, vital organs and cellular structures.
Our human body needs energy to live and to help it do so, it has developed a
system of energy supply lines (prana nadis) and energy distribution centres (chakras)
through which the life-giving energy can be distributed to the various body
systems (for example the Digestive, Endocrine and Immune systems) and their
associated vital organs (for example the stomach, the adrenals and thymus
gland).
Our physical body receives life-giving energy from a wide range of sources:
food, water, air and to a more subtle extent from the sun, our physical
environment and mother nature. Naturally, if our physical body does not receive
sufficient energy, it weakens and dies. Similarly if any of our body systems do
not receive sufficient energy, they weaken, become sick and parts of them can
die (there is a growing belief that this aspect is one of the contributing
factors towards the onset of heart problems and some cancers, particularly in
the digestive system).
In order for our body systems to receive the energy they need, the relevant
energy supply lines (prana nadis) and distribution centres (chakras) must be
open and free-flowing. This tends to happen when our body is in a peaceful
and relaxed state. However, there are times when we can become overwhelmed with
emotion, such as grief, anger, frustration or anxiety. These emotions lodge in
particular parts of our body and if not checked can cause that body part to
overheat (for example frustration can cause the spleen to over-heat) or
excessively cool (for example, grief can close, or freeze, the heart) and so
interrupt the free-flowing of energy throughout our body. Similarly certain
additional factors, such as stress or loneliness can also constrict the flowing
of energy throughout our body.
If any of the energy lines or distribution centres
do become over-heated, cooled, constricted or blocked, then imbalanced
amounts or types of energy can get distributed to the relevant body system
and/or its associated internal organ. This can sometimes manifest as a
physical pain (headache, backpain) but may, in time, contribute to a more
serious condition (for example some illnesses in the large intestine can be
triggered by intense and long-term feelings of loneliness, which cools and
constricts the flow energy necessary to the wellbeing of the intestinal tract).
How Thai
Massage can improve your health and wellbeing.
Thai Massage addresses the welfare of our energy
body and works to keep the supply routes and distribution centres open and
free-flowing.
Thai Massage is a full-body massage, combining a
powerful combination of acupressure, stretches, range-of-motion exercises,
applied Hatha yoga postures and energy balancing techniques to help release
constrictions and blockages in the energy body and so restore vitality and
wellness of being throughout the physical body.
It is performed with the client, fully clothed, lying on a futon, or massage mat on the floor.
Thai Massage is very dynamic and can be used to bring healing to the human body on many levels:
(i) Physical level. Thai Massage can bring relief to a host of physical conditions, like headaches, shoulder, back and knee pain, tired legs and stiff hips.
(ii) Energy level. Thai Massage can be applied to adjust the level of energy running through a client's body. For example, it can lower it to help a client relax or sleep, or it can raise the energy level to give a client a 'much needed boost’, especially useful after a period of illness or hospitalization. Alternatively it can be used to direct energy to the body's immune system to help combat a long-term chronic illness.
(iii) Emotional level. On this level, Thai Massage can be used to help release old, or pent-up feelings and emotions held in certain parts of the body (for example grief or sadness held in the heart area). This is a very healing aspect of the massage and if a client can understand the context of the emotion and the lesson to be learnt from it, a very significant healing and ‘moving-on’ can take place. In this respect, Thai Massage must be viewed as part of an holistic approach to healing which should include additional elements such as therapy, medical support or lifestyle change.
The Application of Thai Massage.
Thai Massage addresses the welfare of our energy body and works to
keep the supply routes and distribution centres open and free-flowing.
Thai Massage employs a powerful combination of acupressure, stretches, applied Hatha yoga exercises and energy balancing to the human body to help release constrictions and blockages in the energy body and so restore vitality and wellness of being throughout the physical body.
Thai Massage is very dynamic and can be used to bring healing to the human body on many levels:
(i) Physical level. Thai Massage can bring release to a host of physical manifestations, like headaches, shoulder or back pain.
(ii) Energy level. Thai Massage can be applied to adjust the level of energy running through a client's body. For example, it can lower it to help a client relax or sleep, or it can raise the energy level to give the client a 'much needed boost!'.
Alternatively it can be used to direct energy
to the body's immune system to help combat illness.
(iii) Emotional level. On this level, a client may experience thoughts or feelings from the past or present while receiving a treatment. This is a very personal aspect of the massage and if the client can understand the meaning of the experience and learn the lesson to be learnt from the experience, then a significant release and deep healing can take place. On this level 'cold' energy can be released, to be replaced by 'warm' energy.
The synergy between Thai Massage and Yoga.
Anyone
who has been a guest at Yoga Plus knows how rewarding Radha and Pierre's daily
Astanga Yoga classes can be. However at times a student may feel their progress
to be a bit uneven, or even a bit slow, as the physical body needs time to
process and adjust to all the changes it undergoes during the 2-week session of
classes. Like Thai Massage, Astanga Yoga is very dynamic and not only affects
the physical body, but also the energy and emotional bodies.
Having Thai Massage offered in parallel to Astanga Yoga is a wonderful
opportunity for any student as it can help the process of release - whether
physical, energy or emotional - and so assist the student in the progress of
their Astanga practice during the 2-week session.
Treatments and fees for the 2005 Yoga plus Season.
Robert
Henderson will once again be available for Thai Massage treatments throughout
all thirteen sessions of the 2006 Yoga Plus season. A treatment can last
anything from 90 to 150 minutes, depending on the level of release appropriate
for the client, but usually lasts around 120 minutes. The fee per treatment is
90 Euros regardless of time incurred. Treatments can only be booked on-site.
For further information or inquiries about Thai Massage, Thai Massage Ireland or
Robert Henderson, please email Robert at
r.henderson@lycos.co.uk.
For further details about Yoga Plus in the wonderful setting of Agios Pavlos in
Crete, please visit: http://www.yogaplus.co.uk
Hope to see you in Crete!