The Power of Touch
Learn how the healing nature of Thai massage helps you deepen connections with loved ones.
By Rachele Kanigel
Photography by Chris Shipman
Photography by Chris Shipman
One of the world's oldest healing traditions, what we know as Thai massage, actually originated in India around the time of Buddha. It's believed to have migrated to Thailand, along with Buddhism, around the second or third century B.C., picking up elements of yoga, Ayurvedic medicine, and Traditional Chinese Medicine along the way. The movements are very similar to yogic asanas, and the pressure point locations are close to the nadis of Ayurveda and the meridians of Chinese medicine. Today, traditional Thai massage still reflects its deep Buddhist roots, as practitioners strive to bring Buddha's Four Divine States of Mind--loving kindness, compassion, joy, and balance--into each session.
Western influence has changed this ancient tradition in small ways: First, the healing art is more correctly called Thai yoga, but as its popularity soared among cultural tourists, the slang term "Thai massage" was coined--and it stuck. Second, Thai massage was originally practiced by monks in Buddhist temples; today it's offered in hotels, at massage schools, on beaches, and on almost every street corner. Many of these practitioners have received very little or no training, but excellent schools with top-notch masters are also easy to find, because the technique is part of the Thai way of life. "Everyone knows a bit of raksaa thaang nuat [massage treatment]," says Anthony B. James, N.D., president of and director of education for the International Thai Therapists Association, using the Thai term. "It's fundamental to the culture. It's what you do with your grandmother or your brothers and sisters."
Western influence has changed this ancient tradition in small ways: First, the healing art is more correctly called Thai yoga, but as its popularity soared among cultural tourists, the slang term "Thai massage" was coined--and it stuck. Second, Thai massage was originally practiced by monks in Buddhist temples; today it's offered in hotels, at massage schools, on beaches, and on almost every street corner. Many of these practitioners have received very little or no training, but excellent schools with top-notch masters are also easy to find, because the technique is part of the Thai way of life. "Everyone knows a bit of raksaa thaang nuat [massage treatment]," says Anthony B. James, N.D., president of and director of education for the International Thai Therapists Association, using the Thai term. "It's fundamental to the culture. It's what you do with your grandmother or your brothers and sisters."
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