What is Thai massage pt.4

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Thai massage is old world asian physical therapy. You’re not having a client do exercises but the therapist is helping extend range of motion in joints, softening muscle tissue and allowing the nervous system to idle in neutral.

Many people are keyed up. Modern life in cities is a constant blur and trying to remain sane is often a struggle. To say we’re scattered is putting it lightly. In yoga I’ve heard teachers talk about what it means to embodied. As a yoga teacher and practitioner I completely understand that process and its value. Thai massage allows me to give clients a small taste of that.

Life can be fun, full of joy and you can have less pain. Being in your body, enjoying the sensations of a therapist compressing muscle and moving you around can produce warm, glowing, nurturing sensations. In a culture where people touch little and have high degrees of back pain, Thai massage is desperately needed.

Low stress, better health and a more integrated sense of well being? Sign me up! Thai massage is the best.

How to forward bend

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Uttanasana or standing forward bend in yoga is an ubiquitous pose in yoga classes. The pose lengthens the back of the body, brings fresh blood into the head and is a component of surya namaskar or sun salutation.

Uttanasana and other forward bends can be problematic for those with lumbar spine issues and low back pain. Go slow. When someone has low back pain we usually recommend more back bending and less forward bending until the problem resides.

The hamstrings are inordinately tight, remember to go slow and breathe. Yoga is not a race, it’s all about feel. If the pose feels good, then it is good. Allow your chest to rest on your thighs and slowly lift the kneecaps to lengthen the legs and deepen the hamstring stretch.

What is Thai massage? pt.3

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Thai massage is bodywork designed for those who meditate or have the desire to do so. The bodywork has immense capability to help the human body heal but one of its additional long term the long term benefits is that it allows the receiver to drop in and tune into their own biorhythms.

Everyone develops muscle tension, small misalignments and imbalances which Thai massage helps unwind. Having your brain stop telling muscles to contract, you can then relax, ground and move more deeply into a meditative space. I’ve seen it time and again with clients who report surprisingly that they weren’t tired at all after a session and even had some trouble sleeping. Usually they report they felt so good they wanted to keep going and doing things. That same energy, can be channeled into meditation.

Instead of feeling lethargic after Thai massage most report feeling light, unencumbered and having increased feelings of mental well being. Insight would be a strong word but clearing muscle tension in the body allows one to see more clearly the issues at hand to focus and deal with them. As I write this I realize the depth and scope of the bodywork I’ve chosen to focus my career on. It’s got great depth.

What is Thai massage? pt.2

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Thai massage is bodywork that’s designed for those who do yoga. I’m consistently amazed that Thai massage hasn’t taken the yoga community by storm but I believe modern yoga is slowly starting to catch up.

Thai massage puts one through a series of poses similar to yoga poses and stretches many of the same muscle groups, like the hamstrings, glutes and calves. The difference is that a good Thai therapist can get about 10% extra stretch out of muscle and you as a receiver can just relax and let go. Typically in yoga you’re working many muscles to release a few. There’s no substitute for a regular yoga practice but Thai massage can help those who do yoga pin point problem areas to work on and excel in their practice.

The compressions in Thai massage on some areas like the glutes and hamstrings is something that’s difficult to achieve on your own. Bringing fresh, highly oxygenated blood into the area is good and generally refreshing. The letting go that happens during Thai massage allows the spine to stabilize and balance while the hips to open so you can sit and meditate, which is what yoga is designed to help your body do to begin with.

“Thai massage is to yoga as chocolate is to peanut butter.”~~Robert Gardner

Myofascial Pain Trigger Points

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As we continue the series on trigger points for self care we wind up in the hand and the thenar eminence. If you have carpal tunnel issues I suggest you take a look at these points and in addition any job that has you working with your hands is likely to make this area tender.

We’re working two different muscles in this area. Abductor pollicis brevis and opponens pollicis are the primary culprits. Long term, I just call the area the thenar eminence. The muscles are small, close together and can be treated in a short time period. Hold pressure in the lump of muscle between your thumb and wrist and you’re good to go. As long as you feel muscle tissue and tenderness hang out and treat the trigger points.

What is Thai massage?

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I’m often asked what Thai massage is. The answer is simple, for most people in the west, it’s the best bodywork you’ve never had. I stumbled onto the work 8 or more years ago and little has changed my life so fundamentally other than yoga. The two practices are the most healing regimens I’ve discovered in the past ten years of scouring the planet. Healing comes from within and both practices help you cultivate, increase and channel your own healing potential.

Swedish and deep tissue are the most common forms of bodywork in the US currently. In 20 years or less I believe Thai massage will be as ubiquitous as what you receive at any spa or chiropractors office. As I try to write this blog post I recognize that anything I say about Thai massage, doesn’t even remotely do it justice. It’s the best.

My Thai massage classes start with an Intro. to Thai massage class that’s 14 hours. This introductory class is a solid get to know you but my full training encompasses not just traditional Thai massage as taught in Thailand but a blend of western bodywork like trigger point therapy, rehab exercises and a full gamut of information related to pain management and spine rehabilitation from 8 years as a yoga teacher. Where does the yoga end and the Thai massage begin? Chicken or the egg?

You can study Thai massage in many places. You can only study what I do, with me. I’m helping shift how bodywork is practiced in Austin and the rest of Texas. When I am old, I wish for people to thank me for helping them when no one else could. I want students to cherish what we’ve shared and allows them to help others, build careers as healers and saved their hands all at the same time. I want both to understand that I’ve put humans above profit and healing above all else.

How to mulch your garden

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Learning how to mulch your garden is really simple. If you search online you’ll find many tips, tricks and ways but over time I’ve learned that I’m a lazy gardener. The lazy way of mulching is sheet mulching. I want the most benefit for the least amount of effort. Anyone who gardens around Austin, Texas knows what we’re up against climate wise, geographically and rich alluvial soil isn’t on the agenda. Mulch helps you build soil and building soil is what organic gardeners do.

After a long hot summer this is what my garden looked like.

Supplies you’ll need:
1) Mulch..preferably truck loads of it.
2) Cardboard. No gloss, just brown or white paper that’ll decay
3) Pitchfork and wheelbarrow

This style of mulching applies to various gardens including ornamental plants but I use wood mulch for paths in my garden. Currently my focus is on edibles and I find that wood mulch and cardboard is the easiest way to take care of weeds, build soil long term and as the mulch decays it just makes better soil to be brief. You put down cardboard to smother bermuda grass. We all love bermuda grass as Austin gardeners right? Blech! The stuff is pernicious. Stop weeding it and start smothering it. It’s harder working than we are but it’s definitely not as smart.

So you put down cardboard and cover it completely with mulch 3-6″ deep. If at a later date you have more weeds you can spot mulch. In summer things are dry and hot and I do little gardening. The result is that after two years my garden is full of weeds but have no fear, you can do the same to your garden bed by weedeating heavily, putting down several layers of newspaper and putting compost on top 3″ or more deep. Same style, different result. You can plant directly in the compost. Over time both of these methods, for the paths and the garden, will keep you cool and gardening.

So how does this relate to back pain, spine care and a good life? Mulch provides cushion, meaning less impact, particularly on your lumbar spine. Masanobu Fukuoka used to become frustrated that farmers wouldn’t walk barefoot in their fields to feel the soil underneath them. Create better gardens, create better spines.

Okra…isn’t so bad, looking at least.

Myofascial Pain Trigger Points

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Myofascial pain and trigger points from flexor carpi ulnaris should be the next spot you look at after working with flexor carpi radialis. The referred pain caused by trigger points here will be similar to flexor carpi radialis but in my experience the pain runs down towards the underside of the outer hand and to the middle to pinky fingers. If you believe you’re having carpal tunnel syndrome, check this area.

I find the forearm extensors to be the first stop in dealing with carpal tunnel syndrome but I recommend looking at these two trigger points in addition. Spending time at a computer is something most of us will continue for a long time so regular maintenance is a must. When you work the trigger point, go slow, it can be tender. You’ll find it exquisitely painful then hang out, breath and see if it releases.

Cranialsacral Therapy pt.6

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Hugh Milne was Rajneesh’s (also known as Osho) bodyguard for years. I didn’t find this out until recently and hadn’t realized he’d written a book on it. As Milne described in this video he had to watch people as Osho’s bodyguard.

Many of the things that stood out from Milne’s book had to do with listening. The listening wasn’t with your ears alone, it was all of you. Pay attention. He encouraged watching body stance, posture, physical expression. Watching the video it became clear that he’d practice deep observation as Osho’s bodyguard.

In meetings and organized talks he’d watch for signs of agitation in the audience. Those were the people he’d approach and make light chat with. Depending on how they reacted he acted as bodyguard. I found it remarkable to see two of my teachers had worked so closely together, something that intrigues me forever. Here they were Rajneesh and Milne in close contact, a fact I’d never realized before.

I encourage my students to practice this observational skill in their bodywork practice. It cuts our work when we can observe posture in particular to figure out what people are doing to hold themselves in positions that hurt more than they help. If we can educate, it makes a huge difference. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Being devoid of attachment to particular outcomes is ideal as a bodyworker. We want to help but being too fixated on outcomes leads to stress, strain and burn out. Relax. Enjoy your work with people and watch them, assist them, make them aware of their own patterns and practice, practice, practice.

Jesus didn’t become a healer over night.

Being able to sit and deeply listen is the core of cranialsacral therapy. Just making contact is more than doing anything. In that deep stillness, the client’s healing can come out. When we’re not trying to do anything is where most of the healing seems to happen.

Myofascial Pain Trigger Points

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Pain due to carpal tunnel syndrome and myofascial pain from trigger points is all too common. In our previous blog posts we went over chest and shoulder girdle pain and we’re slowly working out way down the arm. This is pt. 4 and the muscle I want to cover is flexor carpi radialis.

Trigger points in this muscle will send pain down the hand near the wrist. It’s an easy to reach spot and if you spend your time at a keyboard doing computer work try this out. Even if you’ve no debilitating issues it will probably be tight as mine is, from doing manual labor. Use slow continuous pressure from your implement of choice. I show using finger pressure then a steady elbow in the video.

Flexor carpi radialis is a good starting point for forearm and hand pain. Check out the anatomy of the muscle and also keep in mind that you may compress and remove blood supply to the hand temporarily. This flush of fresh blood is a good thing and to be encouraged, we’re cleaning you out from the inside out.

If you can use a tool like your elbow or a small knob feel free to be creative. Any small amount of work you do is cumulative. Good luck and keep carpal tunnel syndrome at bay.

Change

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I’m currently working plenty and delivering some of the best bodywork Austin has to offer. There are many changes underfoot and I admit being nervous about changes in business or living situation. As with all things I attempt to take it with grace and calm, an ongoing yoga practice makes a huge difference.

As I age, change and life continues to throw me curve balls I couldn’t imagine, I find myself in awe. In the middle of interactions with people, social situations, working with clients and students I’m usually trying to put my best foot forward. After years of practice in the healing arts and having relationships with people I’ve come across ongoing spiritual truths. The first among these is that all things change.

This fundamental fact, if you really grasp it, means that clinging to anything is pointless. Some have issue with this teaching. Saying you’re unattached often feels like you’re detached or being emotionally distant instead of involved in change or others tumult. I think it’s just the opposite. Holding someone in the midst of turmoil calms and soothes them while recognizing the fundamental fact that you’re both floating on a sometimes rough ocean. No one is harmed when emotions are calmed and burdens recognized and shared.

When things are good, it’s easy to sit, dwell, hang out and enjoy the sun’s rays. When it’s raining and you’re in your nice clothes with somewhere to go it’s far more difficult. You’re still on the same ocean and a storm is brewing. What is our goal in the midst of all this flux? Your goal is to become a cork. Just float. Life’s changes and your emotional responses to them will go on unceasingly. The hard part is sitting, dwelling in that state and allowing it to come and go just as joy will. Don’t avoid. Embrace.

Be a cork. Float.

“Behold, O monks, this is my advice to you. All component things in the world are changeable. They are not lasting. Work hard to gain your own salvation.”~~The Buddha’s final teaching

Myofascial Pain Trigger Points

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Myofascial pain trigger points in infraspinatus are a problematic area to work on. They’re hard to reach but this video shows an easy way to access and treat these yourself. Infraspinatus is one of the muscles that make up the rotator cuff. This muscle in particular is an extremely common dysfunction I see in my bodywork practice. Due to its function in moving the upper arm around it means that it’s used when people lift their arms out in front of them. This happens in such common activities as driving, using a computer or many manual labor tasks like hanging sheet rock.

Keeping muscles in the rotator cuff relaxed seems to be good in preventing long term injury or a torn rotator cuff. When you think about tightening a guitar string to the point that it snaps, that is what can happen to a tight infraspinatus. Releasing chronic contractions and trigger points in the area go a long way to helping ease this tension and set things back in good working order.

Remember to go slow, breathe through your nose and relax onto a golf ball or tennis ball when you do this. Take your time and also keep in mind that the area can be extremely tender to the touch. Feel free to fold a rag or towel over your tool of choice to soften the pressure. The area is muscular, not bony and it takes time to get the superficial muscles to relax and allow a deeper tissue to be relaxed and released. Try it first for about 5 minutes, you can extend duration from there.