Nuad Bo’rarn: The Traditional Healing Massage Of Thailand

I arrived in Chiang Mai, Thailand’s second largest city in the far north, on one of the hottest days I had ever experienced. The temperature hovered just above one hundred degrees. The humidity was so thick that it took a toll on every living thing in its midst. Dogs were in a comatose state on the sidewalks. Taxi drivers sat lethargically at the wheel waiting for customers. And to top it off, I had just experienced a grueling fourteen-hour train ride from Bangkok complete with crying babies, loud conductors, and fifty-three slumber-wrenching stops along the Thai countryside.

It was with relief that I dropped my backpack on the floor of Thai Massage Center, one of dozens I passed from the train station to the hotel. I was stiff from the train ride, my back ached from the load I had been carrying, and I was in need of a bodily overhaul to bring me back to life and prepare me for the day’s adventures.

It was with curiosity that I entered the establishment that announced itself on a sidewalk placard: "Thai Massage...Air Conditioned Room". The approach to business in Thailand is definitely casual, and this establishment was in accordance with that principle. As I studied the chart on the wall, trying to choose whether I wanted a one, two, or three hour session (three hours, according to the sign, was "the best!"), I settled on a two hour package and paid the woman who sat before me at a desk. Several masseuses and travelers filled the lobby reading magazines.

I was lead up a spiraling staircase by a young woman who was to be my practitioner, to what I believed would be a private, American-style massage room replete with dim lights and soft music. What I found was quite different. A large room was before me with ten mats spread along the floor. Nearly all the mats were occupied by barefoot, clothed bodies being gently pressed, bent, and squeezed by barefoot, clothed massage therapists.

After changing into a hospital-like robe I took my place on the mat. I was next to an Australian man who appeared to be quite relaxed as a practitioner worked on his back. He opened one eye and we exchanged a glance. "This is my forth massage this week," he said with a thick accent, "My back hasn’t been bothering me at all since I came to Thailand." My neighbor explained that he had had a fifty pound sack of grain fall on him while working on a farm, and that he had been experiencing back problems ever since. "I don’t know what they do or how they do it, but it works beautifully."

Though my masseuse could not have weighted more than one hundred pounds, it was astonishing how much pressure she could apply. She started gradually, working first on my legs; pulling, applying pressure to points on my hamstrings with her elbows, bending my legs back, applying pressure and rocking them gently.

From there she moved to my back, treating it like a crossword puzzle. She would knead my muscles with the palm of her hand--loosening, relaxing, and pulling them from the center of my back outward. The treatment intensified and she moved up, down and across my back, leaning, walking, kneeling...squeezing with her toes, fingers, heels all at the same time.

Eventually she took my arms and stretched them in increments from my shoulders to my fingers, all the while engaging in singsong conversation with the Thai masseuse two feet away. At the close of the session I found myself in a sitting position, my head hanging loosely forward, and she "chopped" her way along my upper back, from side to side, signaling me, I have since been told, to "come back to reality."

Thai Massage: A Short History

The traditional medicine of Thailand is the result of a long historical and cultural development dating back at least 2500 years whose roots can be traced to India. The founder of Thai Massage, Shivago Kumar Bhucca, was a physician to the Theravedic Buddhist order of monks and nuns in India and a contemporary of the Buddha. He is said to have developed Thai massage as well as related herbal practices and assisted in the dissemination of this knowledge throughout Asia.

According to Michael Eisenberg, a practitioner of Thai Massage in Maui, Hawaii, the tradition has been passed down for generations in the monasteries because it not only relieved aches and pains, but also allowed the monks and nuns to sit for long hours in deep meditation. It also allowed Thai kick boxers to take care of themselves and their injuries.

The Burmese destroyed most of the ancient historical records and medical texts in 1776 with the destruction of Ayuthaya, Thailand’s second capital. What was left after the siege was literally carved in stone in 1832 when King Rama III, hoping to preserve the tradition of massage, had inscriptions set into the walls of the Wat Po Monastery--a vital center of Thai Buddhist culture located in Bangkok.

The Underlying Principles of Thai Massage

Thai massage is based on the theory that invisible lines of force run through the body. While not based on the Chinese Meridian system, it does rely on another system of energy lines that is quite similar. Out of the 72,000 energy lines said to be in existence, the focus in on 10 major lines, called "Sen". Important acupressure points are said to exist on these lines. Thai massage seeks to release "blockages" that may exist along the Sen to allow the free flow of energy throughout the body.

Thai massage is performed with the recipient clothed and on the floor. The Thai massage practitioner uses hands, feet, arms and legs to stretch, balance and energize the receiver’s body. Pressure is never exerted on the bones; rather, the muscles are worked and released after a slow loosening.

Stretching and extending the range of motion of the client’s body are an important part of Thai massage. The stretching often takes the form of double or assisted Yoga. Once the client has relaxed deeply, the practitioner, with a heightened sensitivity, stretches the client to his or her comfortable limit. Movements and stretches are always gradual, so you wind up in positions such as "the reclining cobra" without any stain.

According to acupuncturist Richard Gold, PhD, Thai medicine has refined itself over the past 25 centuries and reflects a synthesis of traditions and techniques that were influenced by Indian traditions and the traditional medicine of China. Within this synthesis, there are important components that are purely Thai. Traditional medicine in Thailand evolved into four major branches: Herbal Medicine, Nutritional Medicine and Food Cures, Spiritual Practices (derived from the tradition of Theravada Buddhism), and Physical Medicine--Nuad Bo’Rarn, or Traditional Thai Massage.

Many of the primary techniques to treat the wide range of disorders that afflict people are contained within the practice of Nuad Bo’Rarn, the physical medicine of Thailand. Although Thai massage is often considered to be a form of massage, it contains elements and techniques that are quite different from the common Western notions of massage and would be more accurately categorized as a form of peripheral stimulation. Within these techniques is the assumption that a massage practitioner should seek to positively effect the physiology and energetic of the body and mind of the recipient.

Thai massage is practiced very slowly with an emphasis on both the practitioner and client being in a heightened state of meditative consciousness. Thai massage is recognized as being a practical application of the Buddhist concept of "Metta", or loving kindness. Thai massage demonstrates the "Four Divine States" of mind that are discussed in Buddhism: compassion, loving kindness, vicarious joy and equanimity. This form of healing work brings to fulfillment the Buddhist teaching of bringing higher ideals into everyday life and activities. Furthermore, Thai massage places emphasis on the mind/body connection and can be utilized as a tool in the treatment of emotional and spiritual disorders.

The Importance of Thai Massage Today

Generally, monks no longer practice Thai massage. Today they go to massage centers. Thai massage is widely used in Thailand as a means of overall health Montanans. Thai massage, because of its affordability (generally six US dollars per hour) is popular and accessible to all social stratifications. In many cases wealthy Thai families will hire a Thai massage practitioner to remain with the family after the birth of a child to treat the new mother and family.

Thai Massage is largely considered a healing folk art. As a practice massage in Thailand is not codified or regulated in the Western sense. Levels of professionalism and quality vary. Better practitioners study for extended periods under a master at highly regarded massage schools or temples. But for the most part Thai massage is been handed down orally from one generation to the next, from teacher to student, and often from parent to child. This probably explains the ubiquity of Thai Massage clinics throughout the country. With no central guidelines or benchmarks, virtually anyone can hang their shingle and start a Thai massage practice.

Though some therapists practice therapeutic massage for treatment of specific conditions and diseases, this is the exception rather than the rule. Highly trained practitioners who have studied at more prestigious Thai massage schools should only approach under a doctor’s supervision and serious conditions.

For those who visit Thailand, it is advisable to know the difference between legitimate massage practices and those with impure sexual overtones. Massage parlors come in two varieties: legitimate places that which offer traditional "ancient massage", and sex houses filled with numbered women waiting in viewing rooms. With common sense it is not difficult to recognize the former from the latter.

Thai massage is one of the treats of visiting the magical Kingdom of Thailand and should be experienced by those who travel there. With the deep historical and spiritual underpinnings of Thai massage, a visit to Thailand would not be complete without trying Thai massage at least once. Across Thailand the choices for massage are abundant. A few of the more dependable institutions follow:

Bangkok:

Wat Po: Bangkok’s oldest and largest temple compound was founded in the 16th century. As intriguing as any of the temples, giant Buddhas or sculptures on the grounds, the College of Traditional Medicine in the eastern courtyard is a must for Thai Massage enthusiasts. This royal sponsored-mini-university of massage, herbal medicine, and Chinese acupuncture offers inexpensive, traditional Thai massages for about $6 U.S. dollars an hour.

Chiang Mai:

The northern city of Chiang Mai in the heart of Thailand’s lush hill country is considered Thailand’s center for traditional Thai massage. Worth visiting are:

Old Chiang Mai Medical Hospital: Thailand’s most vigorous and respected massage school. Massages cost $4 U.S. dollars per hour. Twelve day intensive courses in traditional Thai massage are also available for about $100 dollars.

School For The Blind: The practitioners have unique insight into the secrets of Thai massage, plus patronizing blind massage therapists provides important income for the disadvantaged group. Prices are $4 dollars U.S. per hour.

Sources of Information/Instruction in the United States:

The Dancing Meditation of Thailand Traditional Massage, Maxine Shapiro: One of the few books available in the United States on the practice of traditional Thai Massage and is an invaluable learning aid with clear descriptions and illustrations on the techniques of Thai Massage. To order call 617/965-5251.

Thai Massage Center, Maui, Hawaii: Thai massage practitioner Michael ## offers seminars at various US cities, outdoor excursion/massage instruction travel packages, and Thailand Massage Tours. He has also produced a video on Thai Massage. Reach Michael at 360/724-4673.