By Rita de Cassia Cerqueira |Translation: Flavio Gondin
In a recently visit to Sao Paulo, Brazil, our editor Lindenberg Junior have participated as a special guest of a extraordinary experience. He was invited for a Thai massage workshop with the instructor and expert in the theme, Sonia Imenes. After the workshop, they had a positive conversation and Sonia explain a little bit about her work and this millenary therapy practice and its functioning.
The Thai Massage is still less known in western part of the world. Indeed, it is a holy practice and a pillar of traditional Thailand’s medicine, as well as the use of medicinal herbs and the meditation practice. Considered as a “Blowing of Light of Buddha’s Mind”, the Thai Massage is a millenary technique that has been practiced on the Buddhist Temple of Thailand. Its origins came from long time before, such as two thousand and five hundred years ago, with the teachings of Shivago Komarpaj, known as the father and founder of East-medicine and also he was contemporary of Gautama Buddha, according to the holy texts written on leaves of palm-tree in Pali language.
Elements brought from Yoga and Taoism give to Thai Massage a special particularity, such as harmonious and slow rhythm, and the lengthens with gradually more deep pressure and the spirit of compassion that induce the canalization of the cure, give to the person a feeling of deep relaxing and meditation. Body and mind become harmonized through the soft shaking of the body that looks like a harmonious dance, just such as an alive mandala in movement. Its effects are deep, and it works since the structure and physical form level until the highest level of energy.
In exclusive interview to Soul Brasil, Sonia clears some curious points about Thai Massage. Let’s know: Soul Brasil: Thai Massage has been very spread in society in last years. In your opinion, why this is happening only now? Sonia Imenes: I believe that things happen in its proper time. 20 or 25 year ago, almost nothing was spoken about the massage and its practice was still a taboo, as well as with other therapies which acted on body. Then, we began to hear about Shiatsu and the first notions on East medicine.
Many things turned since then, like the search for new human values and new meanings for living. Making therapy and searching for new healing methods are no longer considered a “peculiar” fashion. First known techniques, like Shiatsu, were the most proper to these times. In most traditional application of Shiatsu, the contact with the body is still limited to pressures of fingers on particular meridian points.
Then, with the Zen-Shiatsu it was made a more wide contact with body. With the Ayurvedic this contact changed to be more wide yet, and today with the Thai Massage, confidence amongst patient and the professional – people are more prepared to a relationship in this level, nearer to spiritual values and more opened to other people.
We have asked two extra questions to Sônia Imenes, an actress, dancer, and Thai massage therapist who lives in Sao Paulo, Brazil. She has contributed with this article.
Soul Brasil: I would like to know if there are different methods inside Thai Massage?
S.I.: There are basically two different approaches inside the Thai Massage: a “stronger”, which employs more physical power, and the other “softer”, which I using most, and consider the most appropriate to western world. This approach features by shaking movements in a very slow rhythm inducing a deep relax. The lengthens are also applied, but here in a softer way, respecting the body limits.
These two combined elements from Tai-Chi and Yoga in a meditative fashion empower the healing and the massage’s benefits. I think it is the main “plus” of this techniquehich answer to our need to inner serenity and better outer relations whips.
Soul Brasil: How do you see the Thai Massage development forward?
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