Relaxation and stress management go hand in hand. Both yoga and massage can help you achieve this. Yoga improves breathing, energy, and vitality, while massage lowers blood pressure and heart rate, allowing muscles throughout the body to relax. Together, they are the perfect combination for relieving stress.
Yoga and massage have a lot in common. Yoga is actually a form of self-massage. It stretches and breathes space into areas that are tight, massaging the internal organs by bending and twisting them, while breathing nourishing breaths throughout the session. Both yoga and massage detoxify the body, increasing circulation in the blood and lymphatic system.
And just as you may feel a bit of pain in the healthiest possible way after a yoga practice (or a workout), a deep massage can leave some tender spots that require time to resolve on their own. Because massage therapy is used as a form of healing and, for many, so is yoga, the two can go perfectly hand in hand. Of course, not all massage therapists aspire to be yoga instructors, nor do all yogis want to go to a massage therapist. However, many people are now joining the two careers and creating a total health and wellness duo. Yoga can be practiced before or after a massage.
The benefits of yoga before a massage are the reduction of lactic acid, increased circulation and lymphatic drainage. A massage before yoga is advantageous, since it extends yoga stretches, amplifies the asanas and relieves tension that restricts joint mobility. I use and teach yoga to help people recover from more strenuous physical activity, from long periods of inactivity such as those experienced in sedentary work, and from strenuous mental work. Having a level of achievement in the yoga system is a great advantage in being able to practice Thai massage postures correctly, especially if you have an experienced instructor like Shama to guide you in it. Most people who teach yoga or are massage therapists do so for the healing aspect, not to mention the spiritual and holistic aspects. Even though you know that there is a massage after your yoga session, continue to pay attention to what your body tells you and exercise within your limits. My website is an online yoga resource for beginners to explore yoga poses, meditation techniques, and more.
There are a lot of overlaps between the two, and treating your body with both massage therapy and regular yoga sessions will help you find greater balance in your life. On the other hand, this is sometimes brought to an extreme where Thai yoga massage is no longer really a massage but rather an assisted yoga or stretching session. One can only benefit from Thai massage and rely on sessions to improve or perpetuate health if you can combine them with traditional yoga training. The Costa Rica School of Masotherapy is the world's leading study abroad program for massage therapy and yoga. As a yoga practitioner, it is easy to understand the principles applied in Thai massage and consequently be more effective. But it's easy to see the difference between someone who does Thai massage and has experience in Hatha Yoga and someone who doesn't. Yoga socks are great for keeping your feet in the correct position and preventing them from slipping during practice.
It may be an appropriate name as it reflects the fact that Thai massage has its roots in the Indian yoga tradition. The way yoga and massages complement each other is a beautiful dance between the spiritual attention of yoga and the release of physical stress that comes from a life-affirming body massage. I am also a massage therapist and many clients often ask about yoga and the difference between a Thai massage and Thai yoga. The answer is simple: Thai massage is more focused on stretching while Thai Yoga Massage combines stretching with acupressure points. In conclusion, relaxation and stress management go hand in hand with both yoga and massage. Yoga improves breathing, energy, vitality while massage lowers blood pressure and heart rate allowing muscles throughout the body to relax. Together they are the perfect combination for relieving stress.
