Thai Yoga Stretch & Movement...
What is it?
A technique from
What is the specific style that you offer?
I have been trained through the
This technique has been adapted to best benefit those who have a typical North American lifestyle/pattern of behavior (i.e., regularly sitting at a desk/computer, driving, holding tension in the upper back, neck and shoulders). This adaptation means that this style of Thai Yoga focuses not only on the lower body (feet, legs, buttocks, and lower back), but on the entire back, upper torso, arms, neck, and head as well. As the recipient, you will be positioned in various yoga postures (seated, prone and supine) without any muscular effort on your part. There is also a concentration on working with the body’s energy lines through a technique called palming and thumbing, which is pressure applied along main energy lines as they run throughout the body, according to the Ayurvedic Naadi system. A session lasts 75 minutes.
Thai Yoga is done on a mat on the floor (not on a table). You remain completely clothed. My hands will not be the only part of my body that come into contact with the client (you). I also use my feet, legs, and hips to help bring you into certain positions and stretches. Because of this whole-body engagement required from a practitioner during a Thai Yoga session, when done well, it becomes an easeful dance between practitioner and recipient, gracefully flowing from one posture to the next. Traditionally, a Thai Yoga session does not involve oil (but I offer my clients the option to have oil used during the hand work only).
Why get Thai Yoga?
This modality provides the recipient with much of the benefit that doing yoga would bring, but without having to do the work! In addition to stretching the muscles to increase flexibility, this method serves to open, or unblock, energy lines enabling the body to engage its natural, inner healing processes. Most people find Thai Yoga to be both relaxing and rejuvenating.
What do I have to do?
Before the session: It is recommended, just as with yoga, that you abstain from eating solid foods for at least one hour prior to your appointment time.
During the session: Absolutely nothing! Your role as the recipient is to remain as relaxed and rag doll-like as possible. I’ll do all the work. In fact, the more relaxed you are, the easier it is for me. There may be the occasional suggestion to inhale or exhale at particular moments, and there are a couple of times when I’ll ask you to take hold of my wrists so that I can give you the best stretch from the position. If it’s your first one from me, as we go through the session, I’ll need you to give me a good bit of feedback about pressure, your edge of flexibility, and positions that you do and do not like. Pressure preferences differ from person to person and even for the same person on different days, so there’s no way to know how much to give without picking a starting point and receiving feedback from there. The first session will be a bit more interactive than subsequent ones, as I will be “getting to know” your body.
Wear loose, comfortable clothing, much like what you would wear to a yoga class. When one remains still and relaxed for a long period of time, blood pressure tends to drop which corresponds to a decrease in body temperature. I will try to have the room temperature comfortably warm enough for you. However, as the practitioner, it gets really warm really fast (it is a lot of physical effort on my part). So, in order to keep the environment warm enough for you, yet cool enough for me, I recommend that you bring clean socks and a long-sleeved top to wear if needed to maintain a comfortable body temperature throughout the session. This is one of the most important details for you to consider because feeling cold at any point during the session will decrease the extent of stretching we can ask of the muscles and detracts from the level of relaxation and rejuvenation you could otherwise experience.
Do I have to do yoga to get Thai Yoga?
No. Absolutely not! Although, Thai Yoga Stretch & Energy Work is definitely a good complement to a current Hatha yoga practice.
How often should I get Thai Yoga?
As often as you like! But, if you are a person who likes recommendations and guidelines, you will likely experience a cumulative benefit effect from receiving one session every one to two weeks. And, of course, the net benefit is even greater when also paired with a regular Hatha practice.
Do I need to do anything special for my first session?
For the first session only, plan to arrive 5 minutes earlier than your appointment to fill out some client forms and allow me to ask any additional questions that I feel will help me serve you best. If it’s your first one from me, as we go through the session, I’ll need you to give me a good bit of feedback about pressure, your edge of flexibility, and positions that you do and do not like. Pressure preferences differ from person to person and even for the same person on different days, so there’s no way to know how much to give without picking a starting point and receiving feedback from there. The first session will be a bit more interactive than subsequent ones. As I learn your body, its strengths and weaknesses, preferences and dislikes, and you learn my technique and what a Thai yoga session with me is like, you can expect future sessions to be even better as in-the-moment feedback becomes less and less necessary and you grow more comfortable with this style of passive yoga.
Breathe. Relax. Restore. Rejuvenate.
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