Positive Health Online

Christine Townley's DVD Thai Massage – Nuad Bo Rarn is beautifully presented. It gives that calm, meditative and peaceful feeling to the viewer, which is intrinsic to Thai massage.Her introduction is very clear and informative. It includes lovely visual images of temples and buddha statues in Thailand as well as images of Thai massage stretches and techniques. The many benefits to receiving and giving Thai massage are also discussed in detail.Christine presents the practical chapters very clearly and thoroughly. Her tone is slow, calm and easy to follow. She works her way through a typical Northern style massage. This gives an in depth look at a how a traditional Thai massage would be, long and methodical, incorporating acupressure along the energy lines of the body with applied yoga stretches.Starting with the feet, loosening the ankles and pressure points on the sole of the feet, this DVD then takes you through working on the energy lines of the legs with palming and thumbing techniques, various leg stretches, massage on the abdomen, chest, arms and face. Moving the patient into the side position, it continues with some more stretches and energy line work. Christine then works on the back of the patients body, including a cobra stretch, and then ends by massaging the shoulders in the sitting position as well as other shoulder, neck and back techniques applied with the patient seated.Many people ask me if Thai massage, Thai Yoga massage and the various other names that it is known by are different massages. This is not the case; they are all names for the same ancient healing art that has been practised in Thailand for over 2000 years. There are a few different styles of Thai massage though, and as it is such a rich and diverse art form, within those styles there are many different sequences that are taught. Therefore, this DVD, used as a manual, is only recommended to students who have learnt this particular sequence or those who are already at an advanced level. I do not recommend using this DVD as a manual for new students of Thai massage who are learning a different sequence or style.I feel that I do need to say that it is definitely not advisable to try and learn Thai massage from a book or DVD. You would need to find an experienced and qualified teacher and take a professional accredited course. However, this DVD is useful to give you a good feeling of how the massage looks, the theoretical background, as well as the history and sprit of Thai massage.I hope Christine's DVD reaches and inspires many people to either go and receive or learn to give Thai massage.About the ReviewerKira Balaskas has studied traditional Thai massage extensively in Thailand with many masters of the art, including Asokananda, a pioneer for Thai yoga massage. Kira has been practising and teaching Thai yoga massage in London since 1989. As well as running regular courses in the UK, Kira goes back to Thailand regularly to teach and further her own studies. She can be contacted on thaimass@hotmail.comFurther InformationThai Massage can be purchased in video or DVD format. The Video is £22; DVD (double) is £27 (including postage and packaging). Please contactchristine@thaimassageuk.com;www.thaimassageuk.com