Not as painful as it looks. Barney Green chats about how the cobra thai massage position could help you. Hamstring stretches are favourites for sportspeople and people very active in the outdoors. Much Asian traditional medicine and bodywork is based on the idea that there is a system of energy channels in the body.
If they are blocked, health problems develop. Unblocking this energy flow results in improved health. Generally in modern life, we do everything in a rather rigid, very forward focused way. Especially if we work at a desk all day, we push our heads forward on our necks, causing strain.
We often slump and hunch over our desks too, causing compaction of the spine. Many asanas bend the spine forward or backward, but to keep the spine truly flexible, it needs to move from side-to-side too, something we very rarely do in our daily lives. Most bend the spinal column either backward or forward, but to become truly flexible it must be twisted laterally as well. In Thai Yoga Massage, because the client is fully relaxed, a powerful stretch is attained without force or strain, allowing the release of deep-seated tension.
In Thai Yoga Massage, because the client is completely relaxed and the therapist supports them into various positions, stretches can be deeper without discomfort. This helps to release tension by opening up the body. In it, the knees of the practitioner lean on the bottom of the glutes of the client, helping to release tension which is very common here in people who suffer lower back pain. Traditional Thai Yoga Massage is practised all across Thailand, and people around the world are increasingly discovering the benefits of this practise for maintaining physical and emotional good health.
Sessions usually last about 90 minutes and involve acupressure and reflexology techniques, and stretching and breathing exercises. Since it has a basis in Yoga teaching, it also incorporates many positions similar to yoga asanas. The Thai Yoga Massage that is practised today has developed from a combination of influences from the traditional systems of medicine from India, China and Southeast Asia in general.
