Is Thai massage, massage?

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Over the years I’ve grown past borders, boundaries and certain conceptions. The way I work is based on ten years of experience and the practical necessity of doing what works. My work comes out of helping myself first, then I pass that information on to you. I’m doing quite well and it helps me speak authoritatively on the subjects I address regarding health.

A client commented on my work and asked how I knew to work a spot on his leg. I told him that his arches are fallen, that it’s rotating his legs inwards and causing a case of flat back that contributing to his low back pain. No frills, no fuss, just alignment. He told me he didn’t think other massage therapists would have noticed his feet and I’m again reminded of why I’m teaching Thai massage and what I do. I’m good at it. Really good. I’m not just rubbing cream on you, I’m trying to find the key that unlocks your posture and allows you to heal.

Thai massage isn’t really massage as far as most are concerned. Someone told me recently that their spa job didn’t like them stretching clients. The concern was that she was helping make the clients better and therefore the clients would leave. How would they make money? Thai massage is so far out of left field to most people that they can look at it and be puzzled. I practice it, teach it and promote it because it works. Simple, so simple most massage therapists are ending their careers early and losing out on what I consider the best bodywork around.

Thai massage is done on a mat, not a table. Thai massage is done with clothes on, not nude. Thai massage is done without creams or lotions. Those three things can leave a massage therapist disoriented, I’ve seen it in my classes. They settle in quickly and I’m drawing the creative, the visionaries and healers in our profession to the work but I see the momentary bewilderment in their eyes. Thai massage takes what you think bodywork is and turns it upside down.

When I teach at a local massage school, the first thing I do is take off my shoes and do a headstand. The whole class looks at me puzzled and I ask them, “what does this do?” As they speak and we talk about it I’m sending a message visually, I’m here to turn your education upside down. If you grab what I’m teaching, take it and use it you’ll come out on the other side whole. No ego, no pat on the back, this is hard work but it’s worth every bit of effort.

Is Thai massage, massage? Depends on what you think massage is. What’s your goal? My goal was health. I wanted no back pain. I wanted to stand tall, to sit upright and be able to meditate. I can do all of those now. Do you want less back pain? Do you want to heal from old injuries? Do you want better posture? Do you want to make contact with your soul? Do you want to be centered and calm? Do you want a better life? Thai massage can help give you that.

No ego. Ten years experience. On a good day I sit and realize my spine feels cushioned, whole and supported by angels and clouds. I can only smile. My work, my life and my practice are the same. This isn’t a intellectual exercise, this is real life. Massage as most think of it only took me so far. I still use it when appropriate but most people need Thai bodywork or Thai massage. I see you stand and feel your pain from slouching. I sense your anguish and frustration with life. I feel it because I’ve been there, past tense. I’ve kept working on it and every day it gets a bit better. Less strain, less stress, better breathing. That can also be yours.

Come get a session, find out for yourself.

Massage therapists, forget what you’ve been taught. Step into a new way of doing things. You’ll save your hands and build a career, the kind that will allow you to prosper spiritually and financially. 20 years from now Thai massage will be as ubiquitous as swedish and deep tissue. Trust me.

Hydration

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I was asked to write a specific post about water and how much of it one should drink. In thinking about the topic I decided to do a quick google search and discovered that as presumed there are widely variant numbers and ideas on what should be the amount someone drinks in a day. Of those variables, here are a few: Are you male or female, exercise regularly, pregnant, high or low altitude, dry climate.

All of those surely factor but in thinking about how much water someone should drink I went back again and again to it’s your body. I can’t give you a definitive amount. Much like exercise or how deeply you should go into a yoga pose you have to feel that out for yourself. I will give you my personal experience.

I’ve practiced Bikram yoga for 6 years. In those years I’ve learned to drink more water consistently but recently noticed I was getting headaches after class. I was dehydrated. We use no central a/c in our home, the temperatures are going up and I wasn’t compensating for the amount I was sweating during the day. When I pass through the kitchen I drink another large glass of water, probably 8 to 12oz. or so. I keep doing this most of the day and urinate frequently. I’d prefer to drink a little more water than I need knowing that my body will eliminate the rest. When I urinate I expect to see the color as light yellow or clear. That’s all you really need to know in my honest opinion.

Urine color can be affected by B vitamins which I get in the form of nutritional yeast so keep that in mind. Also after a night of drinking I notice a darker yellow stream. Long term I think urine color is the surest way to keep track of whether you’re drinking enough water or not.

Your body needs water to do most everything it seems and you hear these numbers tossed about that you’re 60% water and so on. What I do know is that I find everything else works better when I’m well hydrated. I eat less, feel more flexible, have easier and more frequent bowel movements and if I do decide to drink I don’t feel as hung over the next day. Bottom line, drink more water, what’s the downside?

Alcohol in particular can take it out of me and over time I drink less. A solid single beer is usually enough for an evening, sometimes even at a party. I have a large glass of water before the beer and another after. I have to drink more water due to the dehydrating effects alcohol has on me personally. Austin is a dry climate and as a party town I think it more important for people to have extra water here.

Bikram yoga tricks me into drinking more water. You simply have to hydrate more due to the water loss from sweating that occurs during class. You’re twisted and squeezed out like a sopping rag again and again in class. You learn, as I still am, to hydrate during the days before class and it builds into your habits.

Long term how much water you need is up to you and your lifestyle. I say drink until your urine is clear or light yellow. What’s the harm? I feel better when I’m getting enough water and of all the things related to health that are complicated water is the one that seems fairly simple. Tea? Coffee? Soda? I say just drink more water. If you have any of those regularly they add to the amount of overall fluid you drink but in the end your urine color should be the judge.

This post is much simpler than talking about what one should eat. Hand to forehead. 😛

Where does yoga lead us?

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This is the first of what I consider a video dharma talk. Dharma is used in a specific context within buddhism and I use the term loosely. In all things take what makes sense to you and leave the rest behind. My purpose in posting the video is to bring more clarity to the spiritual component of hatha yoga and how a regular practice within this realm can change your life.

Hatha yoga practice leads to meditation. This is the entire purpose of a hatha yoga practice and what it’s designed to do. The vibrant health that comes from a practice hopefully allows someone to live a long full life where they can continue their meditation practice and spiritual pursuits. A balanced body leads to a balanced mind and then you tap of the door to the spirit. The integration of these parts of your being continues. Yoga means union.

I’d like to thank Erich Schiffmann for the added encouragement to post this video. The ease with which he complimented my videos as being heart felt made this a much easier process.

What use is money?

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Over time I continue to explore my issues and concerns with money. Running a business and working the logistics has its ups and downs. People think massage is glamorous, yoga teaching as well but mainly I wash lots of sheets and spend time saying, “lift your kneecap.”

One strong theme running through my concerns with money runs contrary to what I hear other bodyworkers engage in. I do not operate a revolving door.

If you come to me and get Thai massage and based on my experience I think you’ll do better long term by practicing Bikram yoga, I’ll tell you so. When you come in for bodywork I will give you 110%. Always, every time within my own limitations. I set myself out a long time ago to do anything within my power to help people heal. If yoga will help you be well longer so that my sessions are unecessary then so be it.

Many when hearing this from me wonder, “how will you make money if the clients leave?” I laugh when I hear this as I think it runs completely contrary to how healing services should operate. I don’t put a bandaid on a tumor and expect you to come back every week. I like having return clients but even my regular clients I try to lift up enough so they can work on themselves. There’s More than I can do out there. You can feel Better than what I provide. That’s called yoga. It’s you, harnessing you to make a better you.

Here’s the point: I will Never put money above your health and well being. Never.

So, if I work with someone who has carpal tunnel syndrome and they get better, they may stop getting sessions with me. Good. How will I get clients? I will have clients because that person refers their friends and family. When they meet someone at the grocery store with carpal tunnel problems where will they send them? That’s how businesses are made and grow.

Nothing I do is a trade secret. I’m giving it away. Youtube videos, blog posts, public demonstrations and teaching sessions in the Austin Thai massage and therapeutics (you can find them on facebook) group are free. They cost nothing to clients or students. Why do I give it away?

I believe health is your birthright. It’s yours though often you may have to work for it. That information should be freely available. I had to work to find it but I offer it for free. Why? My world is not made a better place by holding knowledge at bay for another dollar. My world improves when people with good posture, healthy spines and good breathing wander the landscape. They’re happy, they’re healthy and they live better lives that enrich mine.

Hopefully I’ve worked hard so you don’t have to. You don’t have to search. You have questions, you ask. Money will come, money will go but I never set out on my healing path for money. If I have ill health, what use is money? If I have ill health, nothing else matters.

Quit focusing on money and focus on what inspires you. Money has to be considered to pay the bills but I will never operate my business and healing practice to squeeze a nickel out of someone. People first. Healing first. Money? You must consider it but I don’t let it control all of my actions. I will never treat you as a commodity.

You cannot purchase integrity. That’s what I have. I’ve earned it. You deserve a bodyworker as good as I am. That’s what I’m trying to create in Austin, Tx. We’ve come here to heal.

Warrior 1

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Warrior 1 pose or virabhadrasana 1 is a common pose in a standing series in hatha yoga. It makes a great transition pose from various standing postures including warrior 2 and triangle though the foot alignment is slightly different.

Remember that as you attempt the pose the shorter the stance, the closer the feet are to each other the easier it will be. You can always scoot the 90 degree foot out further if you need more depth. Align the hips so your guns face forward and lift the spine. A 90 degree knee gives you the workhorse in your quadriceps and builds strength in your lower body. Pull the belly in and lift your spine. Long slow breathing through the nose while retracting the neck will complete the alignment through your spine and relish the sense of space you create.

Lift your arms in any position you like but slowly work them up above you for extra lift. No slouching. Use your breathing to massage your body into position.

Try going through several poses in sequence including this one. Triangle and warrior 2 are good options.

Feeling

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I found a book at the thrift store today that was about yoga. It caught my eye from the bin and realizing it contained American yoga teachers I flipped through its pages and decided to purchase it for the library.

Looking at the section on Erich Schiffmann it quoted Erich as saying that he only heard Krishnamacharya say three things. The one that caught me was, “yoga is not mechanical.” I’m unsure of the context or how the phrase passed Krishnamcharya’s lips but it struck me.

All during classes I’m talking students through the physical. Move your knee here, turn your arm this way, reach towards the mirror. They sweat, they struggle and often they laugh. In leading them through practice I’ve always told them it’s your yoga, not mine. I’m leading them through what I know of yoga asana. This physical manifestation is very mechanical. Iyengar was often criticized for this in his teaching of yoga but I find the paradox contained within yoga practice keeps me coming back for more.

An asana may be physical but it’s not mechanical. There are pieces and parts, anatomy moving here and there but in the end what do you feel? Done without feeling yoga is just exercise. Done with feeling yoga not only helps keep you in shape, it can teach you who you really are. It’s a path. The discovery of where it leads is the fun part, the journey.

Focusing on the anatomy of a yoga pose is a fun exercise for me. With an anatomy background I enjoy knowing what my body is doing in certain poses but it will never replace the feeling. In a deep forward bend where I feel calm and serene do I consider my hamstrings? Usually I’m just lost in some feeling, some sensation of what is going on. Merge. Breathe.

Excluding the feeling of a pose is a little like discussing love and explaining that dopamine and oxytocin are released and promote the sense of being in love. It can help explain the science and mechanics but does nothing to express the feeling of having your lover embraced in your arms.

Long term the practice gives you intuition. I stop thinking so much and start feeling to the point that of the available actions, I choose the one that suits the situation best. Improv as life. Do your yoga asana with feeling and the real yoga begins. I’ll see you soon in class.

Triangle pose

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Trikonasana or triangle pose is an extremely common standing posture in hatha yoga. Its simplicity allows a beginner to do the pose while true mastery may take years. I’m not even close and I’ve been working at it for 8 years. This pose is an easy transition from warrior 2 though the feet are often closer together in triangle. This pose works deeply into the hamstrings and hips and often new students feel sore in these areas the day after class.

Go slow, feel your body flow into the pose. Work on the alignment and be less concerned with depth. It’s not about doing the pose perfectly, it’s about feeling your way through the pose and breathing into a new space. Triangle may be one of those friends for life poses you’ll return to but it always has something to teach you. If necessary align yourself from the ground up. Start at the feet, how do they feel? Can you be more grounded? Can you feel more anchored to the floor then lift out from that? Work your way up the body, like running yourself through a scan. Feel the pose, embrace it. Breathe and love the space you create.

The twist in the pose comes after you’ve lengthened your spine. Students slouch in this pose frequently and I find the hand reaching out to the mirror to be the easiest way to prevent this from happening. Once you’ve felt it several times it’s easier to not make that mistake but when you start really reach out to create a long spine before you concern yourself with twisting. When you do twist, twist from the lower spine first then spiral out to the up stretched hand.

If you decide to turn your head make sure you’re balanced and grounded. It’s not uncommon to fall out once you turn the head so ground into your feet first. Don’t rush to turn the head, go slow, feel the twist through the neck. Tuck your chin and when you look up your chin will be closer to your shoulder. This chin tuck is safer for your cervical spine and if you feel strain take note, you’re probably not tucking the chin.

Try the transition from warrior 2 into triangle. Find a foot spacing that allows you to leave the feet where they are and go between both poses to feel the difference. Most of all, breathe. The breath will take you more deeply into the pose. If you feel strain back off, breathe deeply and let it slowly work its magic.

MIS retreat

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Long ago I became excited due to there being a gathering at Bharsana Dham. This gathering was of friends and students of Erich Schiffmann. The gig didn’t go through, plans were scrapped due to logistics and I kept track of the Moving into Stillness forums for when they might return.

The time finally came this past weekend and I was excited to go meet someone whose work I admire and who has become a role model of sorts for me. Being in a largely female yoga community means I don’t have as many male teachers to inspire me or emulate. My practice is largely isolated and I was tickled to arrive in Camp Allen to discover other yoga teachers from Austin whom I’d never met.

Being largely solitary my joke became saying, “Krishnamawho?” It was nice to discuss my interests and have others understand. Discussions about Krishnamacharya, Iyengar and the American yoga community flowed off of lips easily and I relished a chance to have other perspectives on a practice we’ve all grown to love. All those I spoke with were warm, welcoming and had a sense of family I find inspiring. Not even I felt like an outsider.

Erich, I admit, was intimidating to me. This isn’t so much due to him as due to my notions of yoga teachers and having admiration for his work. He walked into the studio, gave a few people hugs and walked over slowly and without saying a word gave me a large welcoming hug. I was almost taken aback and realized I’ve chosen the right line of work. Years ago I had an afternoon spent with people who became my friends for the day. At its end I gave a man a large hug and was told later by my then girlfriend that he’d been very uncomfortable with this. Working as a bodyworker means my sense of physical intimacy with people is often more intimate than some may be comfortable with. It’s just a hug, a symbol of affection for another person and I decided that if someone wasn’t comfortable with my hugging them then well, that was simply something we’d all have to work out. In this instance with Erich I felt home. After our embrace I said, “I’m Robert, I live in Austin.” His reply was a simple head nod, “Oh yeah, nice to meet you.” Nice to meet you, post hug, I shouldn’t feel so amazed but hey if you’re in my line of work you notice physical contact.

Through the event which was a very informal hangout I found everyone calm, relaxing and open. Being that most of us have read and absorbed Erich’s book Moving Into Stillness I felt we were mostly all on the same page. I was treated very well and receptively and I’d like to thank those in attendance for being so warm and open to this curmudgeon of a yoga teacher. You give me hope for yoga community.

Erich has always come across as down to earth in his book and videos and I found his presence in person to be no different. There was no air about him, no sense of exhaltation and certainly no sense of supremacy. I sat down for lunch, Erich took a seat next to me and over conversation he told me he’d watched some of my videos on youtube and that, “they were good.” This was enough for me to feel guffawed. I’m sure I kept it internal but to me it was akin to getting a letter from Iyengar where he wanted to talk yoga with me.

Later in discussions I presumed why Erich would compliment my work. He seems to be almost as tech savvy as I am, which is to say he’s run the camera, editing software and knows what it’s like to pour your heart and soul into a youtube video. He said he could tell the videos were “heartfelt” and that was enough of an encouragement for me. Having someone I admire in the yoga community tell me my videos were good felt like a small blessing.

During the event I felt no lack of humanity among those in attendance including Erich. There was no air, no condescension. I’d like to thank Erich and the community for welcoming me with open arms. I hope I can create the same open space in my classes and studio that you presented to me this weekend.

Mastery

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Working with a client yesterday it dawned on me the skill level I’ve attained. Doing Thai massage isn’t the same as receiving it. The only thing I’ve noticed is that I believe I’m occasionally a little heavy handed due to not receiving the work regularly but overall I’ve absorbed it. It’s in my cells, not something abstract I read in a book. When people tell me they have pain in one spot, I know to look at another. When they’re having pain I can discern the structural issue and often help.

Working with students in my last Thai massage class a chart was pulled out with sen lines, the energy lines in Thai massage. I glanced at it, something I’ve not looked at in what seems like years and just giggled internally. I feel them. Map? Model? Chart? I laughed realizing others don’t even know they’re there, I just sense them after years of working on people and myself. I no longer need the model.

I’ll probably always have moments of I’m not good enough, I think my perfectionist streak leads to that. In the end I realize I’ve devoted the past ten years of my life to healing. I heal myself, heal others and try to find new areas and ways to continue that path.

You can get a massage anywhere. Nothing beats experience. I often tell people these days I focus on chronic pain issues, working with athletes like dancers or yoga practitioners. I can work on anyone but my nuanced skill set means these niche groups seek me out.

When I got out of massage school I started to notice the patterns in peoples posture. Session after session I worked and ten years in I’m Really good at what I do. I’m good enough that I’m teaching others what I do without review, without advanced preparation and railing off on concepts related to energetics, physiology, anatomy and bodymind. This won’t lead to a puffed up I know it all attitude but it does lead to my charging what I’m worth, being confident in my skills and continuing to grow and develop.

It’s humbling to look back, remembering times when I’ve almost given up. I refused. I knew what I had worked it just took time to develop and marketing has never been my focal point. I can work on the marketing but how are healers created?

Heal yourself. Keep working on others and practice healing them. Then you can develop mastery in your chosen field.

Teaching

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Teaching yoga has gotten into my blood in the last 6 years or so. My classes are more Iyengar oriented than vinyasa flow but students are invited to open, express, explore and delve into poses while I correct alignment. When I have doubts, need more information or anatomy, I go look it up. If someone desires a teacher who knows it all, they’re out of luck. Even when I recently had a small injury to my knee I used it as an opportunity to look at knee anatomy and make sure my students are safe concerning what I teach.

I’ve taught mixed yoga classes, yoga classes to seniors, yoga classes in offices and yoga classes where I had to entertain a child running around during. Embracing the present moment is what yoga is all about. If you can’t throw yourself to the wolves and make it up, you’re not a very good teacher. Practice with all things.

My yoga will continue to grow. I’d like to work on the vinyasa and explore new poses to add to my sequences but overall I’ve grown comfortable teaching beginners, one day that may turn into teaching intermediate students.

Thai massage classes are another thing all together. The anatomy is the same but Thai massage classes are like teaching yoga to the 3rd power. You’ve still got many students but now you’ve got one student working on another and the first thing you learn is when giving instruction is to say, “You are the giver and you are the receiver.” The rest of the commands go from there, otherwise no one has a clue who’s moving and who’s relaxing.

My recent Thai massage class really made me feel like this is going to work. There are small things to improve but when therapists who’ve worked 20 years tell you this is the best CEU class they’ve taken, you’re onto something. The work is new to them, completely unhinged and out of left field. Massage therapists who work on a table, with naked clients and cream are told, “Get rid of your table, keep the clients clothed and lose the cream.” We change gears completely. Then on the second day I start to hear, “This doesn’t stress my hands as much. My shoulers are more relaxed.” I just smile.

This isn’t new. This work is 2500 years old and said to have been invented by the Buddha’s doctor. I’m just passing it along.

There’s an Austin Thai massage and therapeutics group on facebook and I’ve been asked on occasion to lead them. I relish any chance to talk about this work I’ve grown to love over the years. I find out what the students want to work on and off we go. I lead, talk, discuss, demonstrate and explore for two hours and I notice a familiar face. The students being worked on get this beatific expression. The muscles in their face grow slack and there’s a relaxed smile that reminds me of the smiling Buddha statues. This familiar expression is a person telling me unconsciously that they didn’t know life could be this easy, relaxed and effortless.

I just smile and keep sharing. Teaching gives me the opportunity to say things that even I find amazing afterwards. When I easily flow from a discussion about piriformis anatomy and function to Jesus walking on water I’m at home. The students feel the sincerity, they feel that it’s not about money, not about business or some scheme. Thai massage and the work I teach is about healing.

You want to learn? Come.

Warrior 2

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I’ve heard Patricia Walden, one of Iyengar’s senior teachers, call standing poses friends for life. I believe warrior 2 or virabhdrasana to be one of those key standing postures that one will always return to in their practice.

This pose is difficult for beginners to get into completely. Having their bent leg at 90 degrees takes time and strength building in the core and legs. The further the legs are apart the more work done my muscles to hold the pose. If you find it difficult keep good foot posture but decrease the distance between the feet. Always keep the knee above the ankle, none of that moving it out in front.

The second most common problem I see for people in warrior 2 is they don’t open their hips. This was a revelation to me when I was first shown, I’d been almost completely unaware of my hip positioning in the pose previously. Both legs are opening out and stretching apart through the hips. Both legs are turning out so that there’s some focus on having the outer or pinky toes ground into the floor. Most people will sag through the hips and sag through the shoulders. As I often tell my students, “No one slouches into battle! Hips open, shoulders back and down, open the chest.”

As you gain strength increase the distance between the feet. Warrior 2 makes a good transition into triangle pose or trikonasana if the feet are closer together than I have in the video.