Thai Yoga Massage

In this lesson the receiver is seated. We begin with the shoulders and then move to side bends and twists that create space along the spine, moving into the front of the chest, and arriving finally at the shoulders, trapezius, and neck.

The hips are the emotional centre of the body - the root of stability and vitality. The back of the body viewed from the side reveals something remarkable. Working the spine from the side-lying position allows muscles to soften and lengthen in a new way because gravity is no longer pressing the whole body into the mat.

These are the areas where most people carry their deepest and most persistent tension. The receiver lies on their back (supine) throughout the lesson, which allows the front of the hips and the inner leg lines to be accessed with ease.

After grounding the lower body, we travel upward. We begin massaging the legs before moving our full attention to the upper back, shoulders, arms, hands, neck, and face — the places where we most visibly carry the weight of our inner lives. 

Returning to the hips and legs, addressing the lower back issue indirectly, this time with a richer toolkit, the hip flexors, piriformis, and IT band accumulate enormous tension in those who sit for long hours. We explore how to remedy this.

The receiver lies face down, and we work the entire back of the body — from the soles of the feet, up through the calves, hamstrings, gluteal muscles, the full length of the spine, the shoulder blades, and into the upper back and neck. This is a great closing sequence to end the course.