Relief For Lower Back Pain

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Relief for lower back pain is something many are looking for. In all honesty I can do little for low back pain on a table massage. Thai massage allows me to give you real relief for lower back pain by allowing me to access the structures that are causing it to begin with.

This video shows a piriformis stretch you can do in a chair to help you see how the gluteals affect the lumbar spine.

The problem often goes deeper into the hips and pelvis than most realize and the psoas in particular is so tight and restricted it allows little of the fluid movements we had as children. Release the musculature, allow normal contraction and relaxation and whoila, pain goes away. People look at me like it’s magic but it’s not. Thai massage is just common sense. Don’t waste your time going to a spa, they don’t offer Thai massage…yet.

Learn Massage Techniques

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Anyone can learn massage techniques. You don’t have to be licensed and what’s good for you, is good for your family and friends. The Austin Thai massage group has been so active recently that we’re drawing attention from locals and others online via facebook. A licensed therapist was asking questions and trying to figure out what was up with the group because it didn’t resemble anything she’d ever seen before. The group has slowly turned out 20+ people every Thursday for the last several months and as we grow, we diversify and things get louder. There’s acroyoga in a corner, some flirting going on in the other.

It’s taken time for me to grow accustomed to what we do. In all honesty I’m a licensed therapist and teacher in TX so I began joining the group in a teacher/mentor role and taught little bits. Now it’s been so long I can watch people I taught teaching new people who come in. In some ways it’s a much more traditional model than the spa/client industry and marketing we do in the U.S. It’s starting to ruffle feathers. People aren’t licensed, don’t know contraindications or medical history and have never attended massage school.

When we work I usually look around the room to see if anyone is doing anything that could do harm. If so I stop, go chat with whoever is working and guide them. For the most part the acroyoga community has enough intuitive sense to avoid things that don’t feel good and based on that response to pleasure, they do really wondeful intuitive work. At the same time this open space allows for the most interesting improvisation I’ve ever seen. Acroyoga and Thai massage mash together with friends in something that’s akin to the anarchy at Burningman, all for free.

The form this takes looks nothing like the formality of going to see a massage therapist. That is where I think the problem or in my opinion, the solution comes in. What if massage becomes fun? A group activity? That last part, a group activity is what I’ve been pondering more and more on many levels. Thai massage, because you’re clothed can be done publicly. Think about that for a minute, let it marinate. Public massage where other people are around giving and receiving work. That one point is so contrary to our dominant model is it any wonder we’re ruffling feathers.

“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.”~~Jesus

Thai Massage Is The Best!

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I’ve been doing lots of promotion on various facebook groups related to massage and Thai massage in particular. One of the things I’ve noticed is that other massage therapists talk about Thai massage as a modality. For the life of me I can’t fathom what they learned or were talking about. A modality seems to be something you add to your massage like Reiki, hot stones, reflexology and trigger point therapy. To me that’s akin to saying you learned this little thing that’s an add on.

Big Twist Robert Gardner Wellness

Thai massage is The Best Bodywork I’ve Ever Had. I’ve looked under every rock, nook and cranny for more and I’m still practicing it 9 years later. Thai massage is So vast I find it never ending. Much like Chinese medicine you become a master after years of work with people and developing pattern recognition. People seem to think that Thai massage is just some stretches and that is completely not the case.

Heel Push Robert Gardner Wellness

If you’re a client with back pain, it can help. If you’re a therapist trying to avoid burn out this is how you do it. Thai massage is deeper than any other massage I’ve ever had. I can, if I wish lean 185lbs of heel into you. Thai massage…is the best.

Thai massage, Yoga and Awareness

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Landon Sykes and I spend lots of time hanging out and discussing the nuances of Thai massage. As males in a female dominated field we share a rapport that often finds us trading bodywork then having beers afterwards. I decided to record one of our conversations so you get an idea of what we’re doing with amazing bodywork in Austin, Texas.

Landon has been a massage therapist slightly longer than I have but we both focus on Thai massage. When we discuss yoga and Thai massage and the effects we’ve seen in clients it’s from observation over the years. Putting your hands on that many bodies over 10 or more years gives you a solid idea about muscle tightness, rigid inflexible joints and what happens when you don’t get work regularly.

You can schedule a session with Landon by calling 512-318-4387

Patience

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As business is growing and my work shifts more towards teaching I remind myself to be as patient with myself as I am with clients. I have high hopes for my community and for bodyworkers and put myself to the test time and again. I don’t want to settle for second best and I don’t think you should either. My only concern is my pacing.

If I decline a session it’s because currently I only take a single day off each week. Soon I hope to make that two. I love working on people but even I have my limits physically and energetically. I promise to spend as much time taking care of myself as I spend working on helping you with your aches, pains and health.

So many clients mean I spend more time teaching and promoting other therapists to work with you. Teaching has it’s own joys and I love students seeing the light and how they can not only help others but live a good life in the process. Here’s a list of upcoming classes. Thank you for helping build my practice.

Massage marketplace and schools

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Tyrone Chuang and I are great friends who met through our love of Thai massage. I recorded a conversation we had about Thai massage, massage in the marketplace and the role that acroyoga and massage schools have in influencing bodywork culture.

If you’re a massage therapist I recommend listening to this one. Tyrone recently got his massage license after attending massage school locally in Austin, Texas. He’s way ahead of the curve when it comes to bodywork and the anatomy he learned in school has heightened his skill set.

What is Thai massage again?

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I hear this question often and nothing prevents Thai massage from blowing up in our area other than the fact that no one knows what it is. As I teach the work, hear more perspectives and refine my own I’ve come to think of Thai massage as a mixture of yoga and the martial arts, without the martial. It gives you the ability to do great healing work but if used inappropriately much like karate or kung fu you can hurt someone.

Thai massage easy twist

In short it’s amazing, simple and easy to use bodywork for the masses. In 20 years or so Thai massage will be as common as swedish and deep tissue is now. Trust me. There’s a class coming up in May. Sign up.

Thai massage leg pull Robert Gardner Wellness

Workbook

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We’re a week or so away from unveiling my Introduction to Thai massage workbook. I’ve spent countless hours and energy pouring myself into the sequence, text and design components of the material.

The absolute hardest part of teaching or releasing anything definitive in Thai massage is the fact that every session is different. A workbook, text or a book are not improvisational. Thai massage is improvisational by its very nature. No two bodies are the same and even though the dance is similar I’ve never had two of the same sessions.

The photos and text are being compiled and I go back and forth with my associates to make sure we release something that’s easy to read, easy to understand and shows the basics of Thai massage in a way that anyone can use. Stay tuned, the workbook will be here soon.

New Classes

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The new studio is shaping up nicely. I had my first yoga class in it last night and though we need to still do some unpacking and organizing I think the space is going to be wonderful for the classes we’ll be having.

Looking at trends and listening to student feedback I keep hearing some common themes like these:

1) CEU classes are too expensive.
2) I’m going to burnout or injure myself due to excess massage work.
3) Client retention is poor.

When I hear these I’m puzzled, then I remind myself, I don’t really work like other people. I’ve had the same issues but I escaped. The reason I escaped is because I focused on Thai massage exclusively and diversified my work to include education and teaching yoga.

In an effort to work with students I plan on offering a once a month (to start) CEU class that’s only 2-3 hours. Each class will probably focus on specific subject matter like: carpal tunnel syndrome, thoracic outlet, marketing for massage therapists, Thai for the table, postural assessment, trigger point therapy for common ailments and Thai foot reflexology.

The ongoing Intro. to Thai classes and further Phase 1,2,3 classes will continue but this will give therapists with more time and money constraints more access to high end education. Also note, my blog and youtube channel are full of free education. Use it! You can also come to the Thai massage open practice tonight at Casa de Luz. Join the Austin Thai massage group on facebook to keep in touch.

See you soon!

Low Back Pain

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Thai massage is the best bodywork for dealing with low back pain in my experience. I spent years doing table work to little effect on low back issues but when I learned Thai massage and started using it, low back pain clients glommed onto me in a way that I found puzzling at first. I didn’t realize exactly why it made such a difference but over time it became clear.

People usually feel pain right in the center of their low back, some describe it as a band across the low back and others often describe feeling pain running down their legs they call sciatica. Where they point to, isn’t where the problem is. That is why Thai massage is so effective in dealing with low back pain, it goes to the source.

The source of most low back pain comes from the hamstrings, the glutes and the pelvic bowl in my experience. What is Thai massage really great at accessing? All of those just listed. I’ve seen it so many times there’s a pattern that is ingrained in the way I look at posture.

The video shows a simple way of stretching your hamstrings while in an chair at your office. It’s a good start but long term, get regular Thai massage and start taking yoga classes. Trust me, I’ve learned a lot in the past 11 or so years.

Teach to learn more

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Teaching the Intro. to Thai massage class this past weekend at Casa de Luz this weekend was great fun. We had I believe 12 or so students at final count and everyone was excited to receive work and learn to help others. Every group of students is different and brings their own unique flair to class.

This time I noticed we had at least 4 students with no formal yoga or massage training. 1/3 of the entire class just decided, this stuff is great I want more and decided to take a 14 hour class in it. I think that speaks volumes for how popular Thai massage is becoming.

One student has told me that they believe this will change their entire massage practice of over ten years. Their whole way of working, flipped and changed for the better. We helped do all of that in 14 hours. I don’t think that speaks volumes for my teaching, so much as the power of Thai massage itself. If you don’t know what it is, learn soon.

If you’re a massage therapist looking for a different way, if you want to save your hands and avoid burn out, this is it.

Thank you to all my students, for teaching me with beginners mind.

What do you teach?

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When students ask me what I teach I typically tell them bodywork or Thai massage. If they ask more questions I say that I teach yoga, yoga therapy and help people with back pain. I do whatever I can within my power to heal and help others do the same. As a human, I’m a flawed, errant and odd individual but therein lay my divinity, I embrace that duality.

Thai massage and yoga aren’t different things to me. They’re just two sides of the same coin. The person I am, always is. What do I teach? All that I know. Come learn. We only have 3 openings left in the Thai massage class this coming weekend. Click here to register.