Acupuncture & Thai Massaage: Same Same, but Different
12/08/2009 - By Eric Spivack, LMP/Dipl.Ac, RTT
Thai yoga massage and acupuncture are ancient eastern healing arts that have existed for thousands of years. While they are distinct modalities, they do share some similarities.
Thai massage and acupuncture are ancient healing arts that have existed for thousands of years. Thai massage is based in east Indian Ayurvedic medicine, Buddhist spiritual practice, and yoga. Acupuncture is based on traditional Chinese medicine. While acupuncture and Thai massage are distinct modalities, they share some similarities, and could perhaps be described by the popular Thai expression ‘Same Same but Different’.
Acupuncture and Thai massage are individual elements of more complex systems of medicine. Both Chinese medicine and Traditional Thai medicine are comprised of herbal therapies, nutritional and food cures, spiritual practice and physical medicine. Neither acupuncture nor Thai massage is based on the Western system of anatomy. In many places in the East, dissection was forbidden until the introduction of Western medicine, so the earliest references to the human body were based on external observation.
As a result, both modalities are complete energy-based healing systems. In Thai massage, we use the term 'sen' to describe the pathways along which the energy 'lom' travels. In acupuncture, the pathways are called meridians or channels, and the energy that moves throughout the body is called Qi (pronounced ’chee’). Other Eastern names for this energy force are 'ki' (Japanese) and 'prana' (Indian Ayurvedic medicine).
In the Ayurvedic tradition, it is believed that 72,000 'nadis' (channels) course through the human body. Of these channels, ten major 'sen' lines are the focus for Thai massage practitioners. Acupuncturists address twelve major meridians and eight additional pathways called extraordinary vessels. While there is some overlap of Thai 'sen' and Chinese meridians, they are not the same. For example, in Thai medicine, the ten 'sen' begin and end at or near the navel, and energy travels in both directions along each 'sen'. In acupuncture, the meridians either begin or end at the finger tips or toes, and when energy is flowing properly, it travels in only one direction.
This energy powers all our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual processes. In both acupuncture and Thai massage, the practitioner’s intent is to harmonize and clear energetic imbalances. Such imbalances may present themselves physically in a number of ways such as body pain, muscle cramping and stiffness, insomnia, irritability, anxiety, constipation, or disease. When the system is working well, a person feels happy, relaxed, and free from pain. However, according to Chinese medicine, being symptom-free does not necessarily mean a person is in complete balance. Whereas an acupuncturist inserts sterile, single-use, hair-thin pins at various points on the body, the Thai massage practitioner uses fingers, palms, elbows, knees, and feet to correct for energetic blockages.
Though strong differences exist between Chinese medicine and traditional Thai medicine, there is enough similarity for them to complement one another. In my experience, I have found that combining acupuncture and Thai massage in a session can be extremely beneficial.
My patients respond best when they are able to receive approximately 30 minutes of acupuncture followed by 60-120 minutes of Thai massage. Acupuncture helps clear a person’s energetic blockages and enables them to benefit more from the Thai massage. People feel more relaxed, breathe more deeply, experience deeper stretches, and feel like they’ve received a holistic treatment.
...........
Please visit my website @ www.SoaringCraneMassage.com to learn more about Thai massage, acupuncture, and upcoming workshops.
