What is Ayurveda?

What is Ayurveda and what does it have to do with Thai massage?
Ayurveda developed in India over 5000 years ago. In Sanskrit the word “ayu” means life and “veda” means knowledge/science. Ayurvedic medicine uses a number of tools such as diet, behavior, lifestyle, herbs, massage and yoga. Like most holistic approaches, it focuses on balance as the key to healing and healthy living.

In Ayurveda there are three basic constitutions; Vata, Pitta and Kapha.
Vata is air/space, Pitta is fire/water and Kapha is water/earth. Within each person there is a unique balance of these three energies. For some people it might be fairly even, others might lean much more toward one (or two) of the doshas. These elements are a part of us and affect everything - our personality, the way our body looks and feels, our likes and dislikes, the way we fit in with the world around us. Some of these qualities are inherent while others fluctuate and shift.

When I first learned about the doshas I was a little skeptical. It seemed overly simplified and I wanted to avoid stereotyping people, especially in terms of body types or characteristics. But as I started observing my family and friends and asking them questions, the principles of the doshas really rang true. I saw that I have a lot of fiery friends in my life...and I've noticed several of these people are also fire signs. I don't know a lot about astrology but the aspect of the elements was always what sounded the most interesting to me.

So what does Thai massage have to do with any of this? Though Thai massage has a long history in Thailand, its origins are actually in India and it is interconnected with Ayurvedic and yoga practices. If you have received a Thai massage, you know it is very physical and grounding. There is flowing movement, stretching and sometimes deep muscle compression. But it is also energy work. A learned Thai practitioner will connect with the energy in your body and help move it. This doesn’t mean just one thing. It is unique for everyone, and unique to each session. A practitioner might focus on moving energy where it is stuck, settling energy where it is overactive, bringing warmth where there is coldness, or a lightness where there is heaviness. Maybe the emotions are also touched in some way.

All of this relates to the theory of doshas and the presence of these elemental qualities - air, fire, water, earth. Just to give an example - if someone has a lot of fire in their body he/she might respond to conflict with anger, have a hearty appetite or be more susceptible to infections and inflammatory diseases. He/she might have a strong initiative or drive to get things done, which obviously has its pros but can also have its cons if it's on the excessive side. The concept of the doshas made me realize that nothing is essentially “bad”. How can you attach a value judgment to something like "warmth"? It all depends on the context. Of course if there is an excess of heat, things are thrown off balance and problems arise.

This is very different from the Western approach to health, which teaches us to see illness or a problem as the enemy, as an evil invasion that has nothing to do with ourselves. Even though there are many wonderful things about Western medicine and it certainly has its place, it seems to encourage us to overlook the great power of preventative care and focus instead on having a certain kind of strength used to attack and kill off the symptoms, ignoring the root of the issue. When it comes to Thai massage, Ayurveda, healing and good health, it’s all about finding balance. 


Thailand Part 2

In his book, Bangkok 8, John Burdett write's this... at least I think he wrote it. He actually attributes it to a Professor Beckendorf, but I can't seem to find the reference so I am assuming Burdett wrote it. In some ways it's futile to explain the differences between west and east. But it's fascinating to try. I don't want to be perceived as just knocking western culture. There are problems here too. Big ones. Perhaps I'll get to them later. But for now, I thought this was a really interesting essay. It hits home to me in a general kind of way despite it's idealization. Perhaps it does to you as well. (By the way, the picture is actually some Balinese friends. And the rice on their faces is common during ceremonies.)

"Whereas your average Westerner does all he can to direct and control his fate, the latter-day Thai is no closer to adopting this attitude to life than were his ancestors a hundred or two hundred years ago. If there is any aspect of modern Thai psychology which continues to accept in toto the Buddhist doctrine of karma (so close to that Islamic fatalism often expressed by the phrase: It is written) it is surely in the conviction that que sera, sera. At first glance such fatalism may seem backward, even perverse given the dazzling spectrum of weapons Westerners now have in their arsenal against the vicissitudes of life; but anyone who spends much time in the kingdom quickly finds themselves questioning the wisdom, and even the sincerity, of Western attitudes.

When he has paid up his taxes, his life insurance, his medical insurance, accident insurance, retrained himself in the latest marketable skills, saved for his kids' education, paid alimony, bought the house and car which his status absolutely requires he buy within the rules of his particlular tribe, given up alcohol abuse, nicotine, extramarital sex and recreational drugs, spent his two week vacation on some self-improving (but safe) adventure holiday, learned to be hypercareful of what he says to or does with memeber of the opposite sex, the average Westerner may - and often does - wonder where his life went. He may also - and invariably does - feel cheated when he discovers existentially that all the worrying and all the insurance payments have availed him not a jot or tittle in protecting him against fire, burglary, flood, earthquake, tornado, the sack, terrorist activity, or his spouse's precipitate desertion with the kids, the car and all the spare cash in the joint bank account. True enough, in a kingdom without safety nets a citizen may well be brutally flattened by accident or illness, where a Westerner might well have bought himself a measure of protection, but in between the bumps a Thai still lives his life in a state of sublime insouciance. The standard Western observation is that the Thai is living in a fool's paradise. Perhaps, but might the Thai not reply that the Westerner has built himself a fool's hell?"

Thailand - Jai Dee

I've got a lot to say about my studies with Pichest this year. I've got a lot to say about my experiences with some other local Thai healers as well. However, before I do, I want to share a general feeling about Thailand and Thai people.

When Paul Weitz and myself were at Sunshine School speaking with Max, the director of the school, he said something that caught my ear.
He said, "There is a language problem here but it's not what you think. People here speak from the heart and it comes out differently from us westerners who speak from our head." He then gave me this Einstein quote that reads, "The intuitive mind is a sacred gift...and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift."

We came across this Thai way of thinking again a few days later when we met Ma Noi, a local traditional healer.
She has some land a bit north of the city where she and her husband live. She wants to give it to anyone who will use it to benefit the people who need help in her community. She wants no money for it. But she wants to make sure the people who take it can work with her and respect the spirit of the land. It was hard to take this in. This generosity. This complete lack of greed or want. We are conditioned in our culture to not trust this.
But when Pichest talks about giving and sharing, that you can't take it with you, he is speaking not just how he thinks people should behave, but what is necessary in order to be happy. That especially in the west, we want and want and take and take, but in truth, we can't take any of it.
And it only creates more suffering inside us as we try to hold onto things that ultimately are not ours. This is the mindset, the heartset of the people here. A people who can immediately sense if you have a good heart (jai dee).
And where the true measure of a person can summed up in that simple statement, jai dee.

Graduation, February 2010

The CSTM graduates of February 2010!

Seva, January 2010

Our vision for doing community service on a larger scale was realized as we treated 20 staff and community members of Association House in Humbolt Park to free Thai massage. Our students got as much out of it as the people who they served. Thank you to Kate Beck for helping us to organize the event. Thanks to Lynda Guillu for the amazing pictures. We are hoping to be back a few more times this year!

CSTM Presents the 2009 Fall Graduates!

Paul Fowler and Paul Weitz are proud to send another group of Thai Massage Therapists out into the world. Congratulations to the Chicago School of Thai Massage Fall 2009 Graduates!
Photo from left to right back row: Paul Weitz, Lisa Brown, Lisa Stevens, Paul Fowler
Front row: Nick, Luis, Yuko, Emily holding her son, and Troy
Missing from the photo is Luis as he has composed the group shot.

Workshop - Thai for the Table with Tina Ntanos

This workshop was held the weekend of December 4 – 6th 2009 and was open to all body workers, the focus was how to adapt Thai massage techniques to clients while using a massage table. The curriculum provided a short history of Thai massage with plenty of time for hands-on demonstrations. Six licensed massage therapists choose to spend a delightful weekend incorporating Thai stretches into their routine. By Sunday, this well polished group effortlessly glided from pose to pose, while soft music played in the background. Tina’s calm gentle voice guided them through the sequence. Each student was able to translate the instruction into unique and individualized movements, finding their own rhythm and flow with supporting breath work. Great job everyone!