Yoga

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What Is Thai Yoga Bodywork?

Arch CompressionsWhen I wrote back in January about the Thai Yoga Bodywork class I took, Lauren asked about it. She was baffled and had not heard of it so I promised her a more in-depth discussion. I should probably say here that I don’t yet feel qualified to even begin to define what it is.

I can tell you my experience with Thai massage, but I am a novice. Think kindergarten. My sum total of Thai experience is the 24 hours I took with Mukti, described in the link above and the 17 hours of Ashi-Thai I took with Jeni Spring.

Ashi-Thai is a westernized interpretation of Thai massage that is performed on a table with overhead bars for balance, support and stabilization for the therapist as they use their feet and legs to move the client through a series of yoga-like stretches (assisted asanas). There is also an element of compression massage involved with Ashi-Thai.

Thai massage is different and more. Traditional Thai is performed on a floor mat. Like Ashi-Thai the client is moved through a series of yoga-like asanas except the therapist is now using hands, arms, body, legs and feet to accomplish the stretches and compressions. That’s pretty much where the similarities end. There is a spiritual element of traditional Thai that is best captured by the beginning of a Thai Yoga Massage, called Puja Position. Puja Position allows the therapist to ground and open themselves while the client relaxes thus opening a line of communication. It’s all very esoteric and visceral and somewhat unbelievable until you feel it happen. So traditional Thai is about physical healing (the massage part), spiritual connection (for therapist and client, with each other, but perhaps also with their higher power or the universe in general), and the aesthetic of yoga. It should be beautiful when “performed”.

So what does it buy you? Looser muscles, decompressed joints, better localized blood flow in the areas being worked, relaxation, spiritual rejuvenation, etc. I think every Thai session is different and I think every person walks away with a different experience. It’s sorta like yoga in that respect.

I suppose I could go on and on and on, but that won’t give you any better sense of what I’m talking about so in the spirit of a picture is worth a thousand words I’ve embedded a video for you. I’ve chosen this one because the ladies in the video are two of my lovely Gray Bear sisters who I began my Thai Yoga Bodywork odyssey with. Charlene Gaffney (the therapist) is quite a bit more experienced at Thai Yoga Massage than I am. Stephany Fair (the receiver) is a yoga whiz and Thai practitioner as well. And when you get to the acrobatic part of this video just remember that I said they’re more experienced than I am and that I’m still in kindergarten (so I don’t know how to do nor will I attempt any of that fancy break your head stuff).

So now without further ado…

If you’re interested in reading more about Thai massage, here is what Charlene had to say about it after our class. And here is an article from Massage Magazine on Thai. And my instructor is online at Vedic Conservatory and writes extensively. And then there’s always Google…

Sharon Bryant Harvest Moon Massage is Decatur, Alabama’s Newest Provider of Thai-Yoga Massage

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Big Breath In and Out Slow

If you’ve ever been on my table you know that there are times when I ask for a big, deep breath with a slow, controlled release. Usually it’s when I need to get in deep somewhere and I want to use your breath to help us.

I like to use the breath for two reasons. The first being that it helps you relax and the second is that deep pressure (and/or stretching) usually goes further and is less stressful on the psyche with the exhale. I’m not sure that’s ever been scientifically proven, but my unofficial study of it in the massage room and my personal yoga practice has convinced me that it is true for those who truly embrace the exhale and its intent.

One side effect of asking the client to use their breath is that I also get to see how they are breathing. Cut to the recent client who was reverse breathing. I’d heard talk of this for years. I’d seen people do it casually, I do it on occasion when very stressed, but I’d never really seen it in action.

At the end of our session I asked for that big breath and watched as her shoulders and chest expanded hugely and her abdomen literally disappeared from my line of sight. I was so shocked I asked for another big breath and just watched what was happening to her body. Her rib cage and shoulders lifted towards her neck, her neck pressed down into the table and I could see the cords standing out on her neck. She looked as if she was rolling her upper back into extension with the deep breath and yet she still wasn’t filling her lungs. Probably because her belly was obstructing her diaphragm muscle from contracting.

That’s when it occurred to me that all this strain we’re carrying around in our shoulders and neck and upper back and perhaps even the rampant stomach issues could be related to this reverse breathing phenomenon. I’ve been unable to find any research that connects these things, but it seems another informal study is in the works in my massage room.

I spent a few extra minutes with this client talking about natural breathing patterns and guided her through a few deep, belly breaths. It was difficult for her and I sent her home with homework to do. I hope she’s doing it even though it is hard work.

I know what you’re thinking, “How hard can breathing be?” I remember the first time I was guided into belly breath. It was uncomfortable physically and mentally unsettling. If I let myself get overly stressed for a period of time and forget to breathe into my belly (which is a common stress reaction among humans), coming back to it is a struggle.

So how do you know if you’re reverse breathing? Put your hand on your belly and breathe in. Is your hand moving away from your spine or toward it? Correct belly breathing expands the belly so your hand should move away from your spine. And how do you stop reverse breathing? Practice, practice, practice… Here is an article I wrote on Simple and Free Stress Relief. The last few paragraphs describe what you need to know to start practicing belly breathing.

Let me know what you find if you try this.

Sharon BryantHarvest Moon Massage is Decatur, Alabama’s Exclusive Provider of Ashiatsu Oriental Bar Therapy and Ashi-Thai and Bamboo-Fusion Massage

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Simple and Free Stress Relief

Years ago, when I was learning yoga, my instructor started the very first class by teaching us to breathe. Up to that point, I thought I already knew how to breathe. By the end of the breathing exercises he attempted to teach me that night, I realized I hadn’t been breathing properly for years.

Stress causes many people to develop a shallow breathing pattern. This isn’t surprising when you think about how we gasp or pant after being frightened, injured or experiencing an emotional shock. If our bodies automatically shorten the breathing pattern during acute stress events then it only makes sense that chronic stress would have a similar, if lesser, effect.

Ayurvedic wisdom tells us that breathing deeply can help combat stress. Common sense tells us that if stress shortens our breathing pattern, then lengthening the breathing pattern (breathing deeply) should relieve stress.

Does it work? I think it does. During especially stressful times, I find myself falling back into the rhythm of those breathing exercises my yoga instructor taught me all those many years ago. Try it and see for yourself.

First, get comfortable. I like savasana or corpse pose, if you’re familiar with yoga, but any comfortable position on your back will do. Place both hands on your belly. Breathe in and out through your nose. For a while just observe your breath, don’t try to change it.

After a few breaths getting to know your pattern, breathe in through your nose and draw the breath down into your belly. You should feel your belly expanding under your hands. When you’re full, hold your breath for a moment, then exhale through your nose. As you continue, begin counting slowly as you inhale and exhale. Match the length of the inhale to the length of the exhale.

At first, this exercise may be difficult. It may be unsettling or uncomfortable. Give yourself time to adjust. Relax, and keep breathing. As you continue this practice and get familiar with how it makes you feel you’ll be able to take it with you to the office, on the roadways, or anywhere you experience stress.

Namaste!

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