Pain Clinic

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My whole practice has been helping people understand what I do. At its core I practice Nuad Boran. My practice is a mix of Thai massage, yoga, yoga therapy and 13 years of practice on myself and others. I can usually help other pain sufferers because I’ve worked through those same issues in my body and those of my clients during that time.

Robert Gardner Wellness Pain Clinic May 11th

 

The clinic will allow you to observe for Free, get 30 minutes hands on work for a $40.00 fee and also allow you to do some yoga therapy and stretching while seeing how I work. There are only 10 spots available and you can register using the online scheduler here on the website.

What do I do? Something no one else does. Come see and find out why.

Want To Get Better?

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As I’m finishing writing the Table Thai workbook I’m amazed at all that’s going on. Classes in different cities, community classes at Blue Honey Yoga, private practice is booming and all the while I feel less like a massage therapist every day. I suppose these changes are normal growth, small turbulence in an active practice.

Robert Gardner Wellness Thai Massage is better

I love massage therapists and the public and I’m doing everything I can to show them there’s a better way. If you don’t know what Thai massage is yet, get ready for the rest of 2014.

Thai Massage Is Good For Your Body

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I’ve spent lots of time over the years giving Thai massage and it’s as good for the receiver as much as the giver. As a receiver you get deeper consistent pressure and the range of motion involved in unparalleled. Those aches and pains you get in your back and neck go away and stay away longer than table massage.

As someone who gives the work I get a chance to move, breathe, stretch and exert muscles. I burn more calories than giving table massage and have a broader range of motion while using my whole body not just my arms and hands. This full bodied practice reminds me of moving meditation again and again.

Teaser Video

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Here’s a teaser video from the new Intro to Thai Massage Video- Coming Soon!

The MassageNerd Interview

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I had my interview about Thai massage in the U.S. tonight. It was nice to finally get a chance to speak to Ryan Hoyme commonly referred to as the MassageNerd. He’s become a celebrity of sorts in massage circles in the U.S.

Looks for more videos soon.

Thai Massage Videos Download

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The Thai massage videos for download from this series will be available before Thanksgiving. I’ll keep you posted but enjoy the teaser videos for now.

Metta

Thai Massage Can Make You Better

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We just finished another full Intro. to Thai massage class at our studio. That means I’m surrounded by 8 or more eager students trying to pull together a routine I’ve put together to try and help their clients, family and friends feel better. I give teaching my all and quite honestly have to hold back due to time. I told students several times that we need to lock everyone in a cave for several months and practice, then they’ll understand the teaching. It’s So simple it takes time. It’s like describing how to make wine. You ferment grapes. It’s never that simple.

When I consider what I’m trying to do. I return again to Jiro Ono. He doesn’t practice Thai massage but when I saw the film I understood immediately. He’d settle for no less than perfection of his craft and art. I don’t want to control Thai massage or make sure it’s traditional, I want to set it free. I want to be able to look back and know that I helped teach the best bodyworkers the US has to offer. When students ask about new moves or techniques I think of Bruce Lee saying, “I fear not the man who knows 10,000 kicks but the man who has practiced 1 kick 10,000 times.”

Come. There’s work to do. It demands your soul.

Thai Massage Is The Best

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Lately things have been hectic with classes and business plans. We’re hopefully going to have videos of the sequence used in the Free Thai Massage Workbook available sometime in November. In the midst of all the teaching and sharing I’m amazed at how advanced such an ancient tradition is.

I gave a demonstration to massage students at a school in Houston yesterday and heard a loud laugh. I looked around and asked what was funny and everyone’s eyes went to the door. I looked behind me and saw a student gazing through the window at my demonstration with this look of complete amazement. Thai massage doesn’t often Look like other kinds of massage. 😀

Robert Gardner Wellness Thai massage cobra

I wrote a brief article for Massage Career Guides about Thai massage as well. It’s been wonderful to share this ancient healing art.

Thai Massage and Buying Local

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Landon Sykes and I have meandering conversations from time to time. I decided to record some of them which have become part of the video you’ll watch here. Landon tends to have a broad mental scope and we often talk about issues like the one we discuss in the video.

One of the themes we run into regularly is that people see the importance of buying local when it comes to coffee or produce but don’t necessarily consider their massage the same way. Buy local not only helps your therapist but changes the interaction with a therapist in subtle ways.

Buy local, it’s not only for coffee.

Low Back Pain

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Low back pain is one of the areas that Thai massage excels at providing relief. In my 11 years experience nothing provides such consistent results other than a regular yoga practice, fortunately I do both.

The complex interplay between hips, pelvic bowl, sacrum, lumbar spine and all the musculature involded means it’s hard to pinpoint exactly what every back pain in the area comes from. The psoas is often involved from being shortened and the hamstrings often pull the lumbar spine towards flat back. Long term these are bad, in the short term you feel stiff and immobile.

I started using the Ma roller in a more advanced way to help clients help themselves at home. Thai massage has me doing these sacral movements and stretches for you but the Ma roller allows you to work on yourself. Notice the lumbar flexion or flat back then the lumbar extension or temporary lordosis we create. You’re stretching and pressing into some of the deeper structures at the base of your spine and if you’re like most of my clients, your back pain will get better.

Go slow, breathe and keep moving. I’ll see you soon for a Thai massage session or class.

Thai Massage Open Practice

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Thai massage open practice fell into my lap over a year ago. Someone started the event in their home as an offshoot of the acroyoga community here in Austin and the first night I wandered in I was asked to teach a short sequence. Now, a year later, when new people wander in I can watch a regular teach someone new a similar short sequence and smile.

Currently our community on facebook has 260 members. You can join to get regular updates about our events. To my knowledge we’re the largest organic Thai massage community in the United States. We’re not affiliated with any particular teacher or lineage and we’ve taken Texas independence seriously. From the beginning I decided to lay no ownership over the group and to allow it to create its own community that’s self policing.

Thai massage open practice

Our numbers have grown and thanks to the help of Casa de Luz we’ve had a constant space to operate in this past year. People who come are nearly religious about their zeal for what we’re doing here in Austin, Texas. I laugh when I ask someone how they found out and they announce that a friend of a friend mentioned it to them. In Austin, laid back and organic has shaped how we do things, including one of the most innovative Thai massage communities in the U.S.

Thai Massage Is More Effective For Low Back Pain

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Thai massage is more effective for low back pain. Of all the things I’ve used nothing else comes close. I can go into explanations but come get a session and find out. Here I have another discussion with Tyrone Chuang about Thai massage and some of the differences between it and deep tissue or swedish massage.

Long term as a teacher I try to give students more tools. My goal is to help educate and refine students options so they have longer more lucrative careers in massage and bodywork while helping their clients. Metta <3