What Is Traditional Thai Massage

Traditional Thai Massage (TTM) has a long history of over 2,500 years. It originated as a distillation of Indian Ayurvedic and traditional Chinese healing arts into a yoga-based method based on lines, points and remedies. The Thai system, to the present day, is based on these primary energy lines (meridians) and wind gates (chakras). TTM system of Ayurvedic medicine owes much of its early systematization, preservation, and subsequent propagation to ascetic Buddhists and their monastic institution. Throughout the ages, the practitioners of this medicine were Therevada Buddhist monks, practicing their healing at the monasteries.

As Thailand is located along the trade routes between India and China and Buddhism spreads out from India, this healing medicine spread along with it. It found its way to Southeast Asia where, for centuries, it was practiced by monks as one element of indigenous Thai medicine. Thai people, believing illness results from an imbalance in the body, mind and spirit would then seek healing at their local temples.

Evolution of Thai Massage
The evolution of Thai massage is shrouded in the mystery of time caused by the destruction of written records during the Burmese invasion of the Siamese capital of Ayutthaya in 1767. However,the influenced of yoga, ayurvedic medicine, and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is obvious, as the movements are based on the asanas of yoga, and the attention to pressure points is similar to the nadis of Ayurveda and the meridians of Chinese medicine. Buddhist monks and nuns would later integrate any beneficial medical system to the one brought from India.

The influence from China, India and other surrounding countries has played an important role in enriching the existing Thai Traditional Massage System. As a result of modernization and western influences, traditional Thai massage which earlier was practiced in Buddhist temples by monks and nuns is no longer limited to the temples and its vicinities.

Benefits of Traditional Thai Massage
TTM is beneficial for both the young or old, active or inactive, healthy or not so healthy. TTM has been used for countless generations to treat degenerative conditions and promote wellness. However, each person will respond in terms of their own experience and present state of health. TTM builds upon the body’s natural desire for complete health and a sense of ease and well-being.

The benefits of Thai Traditional Massage include pain relief, reduced anxiety, depression, reduced blood pressure and heart rate. Other benefits of TTM include blocking pain signals to the brain (gate control theory), activating the parasympathetic nervous system to stimulate the release of endorphins and serotonin, preventing fibrosis or scar tissue, increasing the flow of lymph, and improving sleep but these benefits have not been supported by extensive clinical studies.

Bangkok: How to Spend a Perfect Day in Bangkok

Do you have a day in Bangkok while waiting for your connecting flight or have allocated a day to tour the city before heading out to a more secluded destination. Well there is so much to do in Bangkok how do you plan your day. Do you pack in as many temples as possible or just head to one of the famous shopping centres. There are some hard choices to make and it definitely depends on how much you enjoy your shopping or temples but there are a few must sees while you are in Bangkok. Why not try this itinerary as a perfect day in Bangkok which is from Xplore-Asia

Try to start early to avoid the crowds and head straight to the Grand Palace, which opens daily at 08:30. The palace was built by King Rama I when he became king in 1782, and resembles in almost identical detail the Royal Palace in the former capital Ayutthaya. On completion of the Palace King Rama I moved the centre of his administration to the location of the Grand Place, so for about 150 years, Bangkok’s Grand Palace was not only the home of the King and his court but the entire administrative government. The Thai Kings stopped living in the complex at the start of the 20th Century but the complex remains the spiritual heart of the Thai Kingdom.

After spending the morning at the Palace see Wat Pho one of Bangkok’s oldest and largest temples housing a gigantic gold plated reclining Buddha with beautifully in laid mother-of-pearl soles. Wat Pho is also regarded as the first centre of public education and is sometimes called Thailand’s first University. Mural paintings, inscriptions, and statues found in the temple educate people on varied subjects; such as, literature, warfare, astronomy, meditation, and Thai traditional massage.

Take a short walk down to the Chao Phraya River where you will have lunch by the river before taking a scenic boat trip. After lunch head to the house of Jim Thomson an American who stayed in Thailand after the war and set up the Jim Thompson Thai Silk company revitalising the whole Silk industry. Jim Thompson stayed in Thailand for 22 years after the war and became one of the most popular post-war legends of Thailand and Asia. Unfortunately he disappeared without a trace in 1967 whilst on holiday in Malaysia.
Jim Thompson’s House is one of the best preserved examples of the traditional Thai house and architecture in the city showing a remarkable display of antiques and artworks from all over the Southeast Asian region.

That is already a pretty full day and one might expect you would want to relax but if you still full of energy or need a shopping fix, Bangkok is just the place. So why not try to squeeze in a trip to one of the shopping malls such as MBK, Pantip Plaza or CentrealWorld are just a few of the well known names.

If you are after electronics or anything computer related such as DVDs, Laptops or ever repairs Pantip Plaza is the place to go, MBK or Mah Boon Krong, is one of Bangkok’s most famous malls for both tourists and locals, 8 floors packed with 2,000 shops with everything on offer. For the title though CentralWorld wins, newly launched with 550.000 square metres of retail space and officially the largest lifestyle shopping complex in Southeast Asia.

After all that you must try a traditional Thai massage to help relax your body and mind from the action-packed day. Thai massage involves using not just the masseuse’s hands but in fact fingers, elbows, forearms and feet are also to put pressure on your tissues to help relieve tension. A great experience to finish of a great day.