Thai Massage has roots in the ancient medical system of Ayurveda, originating from India. In Ayurvedic terms, the entire universe is a dynamic dance between the elements of earth, water, fire, air and empty space or ether. Ayurveda re-classifies the five elements into three qualities or doshas called Vata, Pitta and Kapha. Vata is comprised of air and space, Pitta of fire and some water, and Kapha of earth and water. The root causes of disease are defined as dysfunctions in these three doshas. In general, when you are looking for a massage therapist, it is helpful to pick one with a healthy dose of Kapha, a dosha composed of earth and water, as evidenced by a calm, compassionate nature. Why? Overall, massage is a calming compassion-giving activity, which are qualities that belong to Kapha in the Ayurvedic system. In Ayurveda, each of us has a unique inborn constitution comprised of different quantities of Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. Some Thai Massage Therapists can determine what type of imbalance you may be experiencing in the body-mind and adjust their sessions accordingly. For example, inflammation in the body and/or anger and irritation in the mind are considered to be Pitta imbalances. In Ayurveda, water pacifies fiery Pitta, soothing the body-mind. A type of touch that is overly invigorating or stimulating, which you might describe as fiery in elemental terms, might fan the flames of a Pitta imbalance and make your symptoms worse. Fast movements belong to the dosha of Vata, composed of air and space. Since air feeds the flames of fire, introducing a Vata type of touch could increase the imbalanced Pitta even more. Some of us have had the experience of going for a massage hoping to de-stress and finding ourselves in the hands of a therapist practicing a more Vata, or highly active and busy, type of touch that didn't really relax us. The issue is that Stress ordinarily has a very high level of imbalanced Vata dosha, and what we needed was a calm earthy person to give slow, nurturing Kapha touch. When you are experiencing too much Pitta in your system, you are more likely to experience a reduction in symptoms through a soothing, fluid “watery” type of touch rather than touch that is “sharp” or painful or fast. Thai Massage is particularly known for its fluid or watery Tai Chi type of flow. Thai Massage, which has its roots in Buddhist temples, is also dubbed as the Art of Compassion. Interestingly, Buddhism names compassion as an anti-dote for anger, a Pitta symptom. Through Thai Massage, excess Pitta can be pacified and the positive expression of this dosha can emerge. The wonderful qualities of balanced Pitta include intelligence, drive and charisma. Thai Massages can be adapted to pacify whichever Ayurvedic Dosha is out of balance--Vata, Pitta, or Kapha-- and thus address the root causes of disease and dysfunction.
David Burrows, a Denver Massage Therapist since 1992, offers Relaxation Massage for Stress Reduction, and a toolbox of techniques for pain and dysfunction, in Denver, CO. He recently travelled to Thailand to learn Thai Massage and offers Lotus Palm Thai Massage. He is a Certified Ayurvedic Educator with 500 hours of training in Ayurvedic Medicine. You can visit his website at Denver Thai Massage Therapy