Thai massage seems to work heavily with the physical concept of myofascial release, that can be seen in Rolfing and other massage methods that have evolved over the last few centuries. However, Thai massage appears to have originated thousands of years ago. Also, I see Thai massage as a more mutually engaging type of practice where both the patient and practitioner seem to both be engaged in the goal of better health and well-being for both.
L0027324 Siamese Manuscript, Pressure Massage Manual.
Credit: Wellcome Library, London. Wellcome Images
images@wellcome.ac.ukhttp://wellcomeimages.org
A guide to pressure points for use in ‘Thai Yoga Massage’.
Diagram: human figure showing pressure points.
circa 1850 Published: –
Copyrighted work available under Creative Commons Attribution only licence CC BY 4.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Thai massage has deep roots in its origins in Buddhism and yoga. Very similar to TCM concepts of energy flow throughout the body by way of the meridians or sens. The yoga concepts of chakras do align with the Chinese meridian system of TCM. Direct pressure on key points (acupoints) are preferred over kneading of the skin, fascia and muscles. Thai massage is composed of foundation concepts of meditation, postures or stances, rhythmic rocking, and other touch/pressure techniques. Meditation appears to be a very strong component, where the practitioner is actively involved in the present moment. By being engaged with the patient on the 3 levels of mind, body and spirit they are able to help the patient through applying loving kindness or “metta” to their patient.
Thai massage has deep roots in its origins in yoga from Jivaka Kumar Bhaccha developing it over 2500 years ago. This method of healthcare does appear to me to embody the concept of balancing the mind, body and spirit where if one aspect is out of harmony with the others, disease, illness and suffering will manifest. As with any of these time proven practices that have been passed on for thousands of years, there must be something here regardless of Western allopathic Medicine’s resistance of recognizing the benefits of these mind, body and spiritual methods of healthcare and well-being.
It is my understanding from many of the modern Western massage practitioners that I have visited, that they often feel exhausted not just after the individual sessions but accumulatively over the time of their career. I found this more prevalent when the massage therapist themselves did not practice taking care of themselves to replenish the energy that they put out during the massage treatments. Those that I have met that cared to share, told me that it was essential for them to practice something like yoga, tai chi, qigong, meditation as well as good nutrition to stay balanced, as far as energy conservation goes. I have learned that we can not give out freely, that which we do not already have an abundance of with out some level of detriment to all involved.
______
My goal is to present an education that brings awareness to these time-proven methods. With an intent to de-mystify and simplify explanations, hopefully more people can come to realize that we are all accountable for our own well-being.
The quest continues to pursue a return to “normal” in spite of the ever-changing facts of science and how we adjust our actions in response. There is plenty of blame to go around, red, blue, green, yellow – pick your favorite color of the rainbow to blame. However, while blame may satisfy our ego in determining whose fault this all is, blame does not fix our problems. Our own actions of personal self-care through self-responsibility are the key to our better health and happiness.
The root causes of our public healthcare hesitancy, comes from a growing distrust of our government and medical experts that often never seem to agree on any course of action and what is fact or science. I think there will always be opposition to government intervention, depending upon the issue and who it affects the most. However, in the case of the current pandemic, the distrust has grown seemingly across many demographics. In my humble opinion I think there have been numerous times where government leaders (politicians and medical experts) stated a particular direction and then soon after changed that course. When this continued to happened over the last 2 years, the public trust eroded rapidly to where we are at today.
In late 2019, government leaders said the US was fine and had no worries with the Covid19 virus, as it was contained in China. People were encourage to enjoy the holidays and not be afraid. Obviously it was not contained and Covid19 made its way to the US in early 2020 and probably even earlier in late 2019.
Shutting down the US borders in early 2020, in response to Covid19, was considered xenophobic. Late in 2021, the US restricted foreign travelers entry due to the Omicron variant and xenophobia was barely mentioned by leaders and news outlets.
Similarly, early in 2020 theories of a possible virus leak from the Wuhan Institute of Virology were seen as racist, xenophobic and the product of conspiracy fanatics. Later in 2020, some US leaders and the World Health Organization were supporting investigation of the Wuhan lab, albeit a day late and a dollar short.
In early 2020 Americans were directed by the government and medical experts to lock-down at home for 2 weeks to “flatten the curve”, referring to the spike in cases hopefully leveling off with a relatively short amount of time. Instead, lock-downs continued in some areas, off and on for the next 12 months.
In December of 2020, then president elect Joe Biden stated if he became president that he would not mandate Covid19 vaccination mandates. In early September of 2021 President Biden mandated vaccines for all businesses of 100 or more employees.
The CDC has changed its direction numerous times on masking, distancing, quarantine duration and other relative information. As scientific data changed, so did the CDC’s confusing guidance on quarantining from 10 days to 5 days. However, this change was implemented during a massive increase in infections of the Omicron variant during the end of 2021. More infections nationwide, but less quarantine time led many people to believe the changes were more politically motivated and not science-based, in order to keep people working in healthcare, retail, etc. to maintain the economy through the holidays and coming winter months where many other illnesses often flourish.
Understanding that science is a process and not a belief system, can help us to better understanding that science is an evolving process of research, discovery and conclusions – that will all continue to change as time proceeds forward.
Science is always evolving and changing! Science is about predictability! It gives us the ability to predict certain things about the world around us.
People do pay attention to what government leaders say and often try to hold them to their words. Continuously changing information and direction, if not distributed consistently and with transparency leads to more distrust. I think that it will be very difficult for the US government and medical experts to regain the trust of the American people any time soon. If there was perhaps some transparency, sense of humility or humbleness by leaders, confirming that they really don’t know exactly how to handle our national (and worldwide) crisis, but that they are doing their best and have a ways yet to go, it would maybe instill some level of hope in people.
Be Curious- look around and ask questions. Be Skeptical- Don’t always believe the first thing you hear or read. Be Flexible- Even if you have found one explanation, look for another one. These three brain exercises add up to what is called Critical Thinking.
Regardless of vaccination status, social distancing and masking for the greater good, other lifestyle vices too have a ripple effect on our heathcare system & personal well being. If a poor diet, smoking, being stressed all day, drug/alcohol abuse, being overweight/obese, etc. only affects that person, realize that the whole healthcare system takes a hit for these “bad behaviors” as well . This puts a strain on the whole system causing inefficiency due to the shear numbers of ill people or by issues impacting others around you through stress, money, time & other resources. Those relying solely on pharmaceuticals to stay sick-free, still should eat healthier, be active, get sunlight & fresh air, stop smoking, manage stress – in other words “build their natural immunity”. Shouldn’t natural immunity through living a healthier lifestyle be promoted to keep the next virus or pathogen at bay? The top causes of death in the US (cancer, heart & lung disease) and root causes can often be managed through lifestyle choices. Scientific data has proven that the majority of deaths related to Covid19 are from people who had multiple comorbidities, exacerbating death not from Covid19 but rather death with Covid19. More than 81% of COVID-19 related deaths occur in people over age 65. The number of deaths among people over age 65 is 80 times higher than the number of deaths among people aged 18-29.
The Scientific Method. Observation- Careful watching of something around us. Hypothesis- An educated guess explaining what you are observing or how to change what you are observing. Experiment- Testing your hypothesis by designing and carrying out an experiment.
Maybe it’s time for us to reevaluate what normal is and choose to not go back to it, but rather move towards healthier, smarter, wiser.
Watch my lecture on acupressure, where I discuss the theories and concepts behind TCM, the placebo/nocebo effect, self-care and many other topics. Acupressure (no needles) and its parent of acupuncture (needles) from Traditional Chinese medicine, has been around for a few thousand years. I have been learning and practicing acupressure for almost 40 years with great results.
My goal is to present an education that brings awareness to these time-proven methods. With an intent to de-mystify and simplify explanations, hopefully more people can come to realize that we are all accountable for our own well-being.
A Method to Pursue Mind, Body & Spirit Harmony – The 8-Step Path
Quite often I hear people talking about wanting to pursue a better understanding of the mind, body and spiritual (or self-awareness) relationship. Usually, most people have little understanding of this concept beyond repeating someone else’s words. Understanding of this relationship cannot come from someone else, but rather grown or cultivated in oneself from personal knowledge, experience and wisdom. There are no books, shortcuts, seminars, gurus or masters that can do this for the individual, however they may help guide one to reach self-realization. I am sharing here what I have learned and have tried to live as part of my daily life. Spirituality and religion are often lumped together but have rather distinctly different meanings. With this article, I look at spirituality more as a level of self-awareness, purpose and life direction and not necessarily a membership to any particular religion or belief system.
A long-understood method of achieving harmony between one’s mind, body and spirit, is this 8-Step Path. It has its origin in the ancient Chinese philosophy of Daoism but is highly relative to modern culture. The figure “8″ is important to understand that as the infinity circle, there is no beginning nor end to entering into this process. It is a journey of self-awareness that can be entered into at any point throughout one’s lifetime. Life is a challenge, and so is staying on this path of self-improvement. The reward is at the end of one’s journey, knowing that they have pursued a meaningful life with direction and purpose.
The graphic immediately below shows how the 8 steps are all interconnected. Below that are the brief descriptions of each of the 8 steps. This is by no means the only method to find this harmony of mind, body and spirit. It is a time-proven method that I have learned and have tried to cultivate for many years.
Qigong, tai chi, baguazhang, and yoga are not the only methods that can be used within this formula but have proven the test of time as methods to cultivate harmony of the mind, body and spirit. These exercise practices offer a wide spectrum of physical wellness benefits, stress relief as well as means of self-awareness. Not all teachers nor students practice these for the same goals.
I started my martial arts training at the age of 16, starting with Korean martial arts and evolving into BaguaZhang, Tai Chi, and Qigong. I have been training, studying and teaching for almost 40 years effectively educating hundreds of students.
As a recognized master instructor, I have trained with a diverse group of masters and high-level martial arts teachers of many different disciplines. My specialty is teaching exercises to improve chronic conditions, working with people of all ages, especially senior adults. Offering guidance and instruction, I have also worked with Parkinson Disease patients through Florida Hospital. I offer regular lectures as requested by AdventHealth (Florida Hospital) regarding the benefits of Eastern practices.
I am the author and graphic artist of numerous journals, graphic charts and study guides relative to the mind and body connection and how it relates to martial arts, fitness and self-improvement.
I continue training and teaching in the Orlando, Florida area conducting classes, seminars and lectures as my schedule allows. I balance my teaching and businesses with my own personal cultivation and time spent with my wife and two college-age kids.
Acupressure (no needles) and its parent of acupuncture (needles) from Traditional Chinese medicine, has been around for a few thousand years. I have been leaning and practicing acupressure for almost 40 years with great results.
I will be speaking next week at the University Club of Winter Park, about the benefits of this type of self massage. Headaches, low energy, faintness, stress, general & specific pain, and restless leg syndrome are conditions that I will teach specific techniques to better manage.
If interested in attending this FREE event, please contact me at 407-234-0119 for more details. Class is limited so let me know as soon as possible if serious about joining us for an hour of learning.
University Park Club
841 N. Park Avenue, WP
2-3pm, January 13th
Be well, get healthy, be wise.
I am currently available for health and wellness lectures and classes for group, & private instruction in the Orlando, Florida area. Mind and Body Exercises on Google: https://posts.gle/aD47Qo
United Martial Arts Association 