Doi Suthep Temple, Chiang Mai, Thailand

Is Thailand a third world country? I will let you decide. I live in Chiang Mai which is the second most important city in Thailand after Bangkok.

 My home is:

•  5 minutes from one of the biggest universities of the country
• 5 minutes from an olympic size swimming pool
• 10 minutes from a gigantic super modern mall
• 10 minutes from a health food store
• 5 minutes from an organic produce market
• 15 minutes from a national park
• 10 minutes from 3 big computer and electronics centers
• 10 minutes from a modern international airport
• 10 minutes from several  major hospitals
• 10 minutes from a western style supermarket
• 5 minutes from a zoo Read the rest of this entry

I live in the center of the universe as fas as Thai massage is concerned – Chiang Mai, Thailand. There are hundreds of Thai massage shops and schools all over town, and tens of thousands of people come from all over the world to study here. So the question is: Is Thailand the best place to study Thai massage? Here are the pros and cons.

Pros of studying in Thailand

Some good reasons to study here is that it is cheaper than in the west. The cost of  living is low, the country is beautyful and the people are friendly. If you combine a vacation with the study of Thai massage, you have a really attractive combination. You easily meet like-minded students and there are many opportunities for networking and making friends. Another advantage is that you can choose from many schools and even study in several of them. Read the rest of this entry

How can yoga teachers benefit from the practice of Thai massage? Here are eight good reasons:

1. Since many Thai massage moves are very similar to yoga postures, it can help students if their yoga teacher can gently loosen them up and maneuver them into a position through the help of Thai massage techniques. For a picture gallery of Thai massage and related yoga postures please click here.

2. Generally in Yoga teacher trainings there is not much focus on the quality of touch. Since yoga teachers often need to touch their students to adjust a posture, it can be helpful to have more knowledge about the quality of touch that is derived from massage training. Read the rest of this entry

Thai massage has its origins in India’s yoga system. According to legend, an Indian physician came to Thailand and introduced what is now called “Thai massage”. His name is a tongue breaker – Shivaka Komarpaj -and nobody agrees on the spelling. I always called him “Dr. Shivago” for simplicity’s sake which is fairly close to how his first name is actually pronounced. He is still revered as the founder of Thai massage and many massage schools display his picture or statue. He was a contemporary of Buddha, which makes Thai massage about 2500 years old.  Many Thai therapists begin their sessions with a prayer to him. Read the rest of this entry