HISTORY OF THAI MASSAGE

The authorship of Thai massage is attributed to the North Indian physician Jīvaka-Komārabhacca (other spelling: Jivakar Kumar Bhaccha). Even today he is revered in Thailand as the "father of medicine" and is mentioned in a devotion (thai: Wai Khru) at the beginning of Thai Massage ("Om Namo Jivago...").

Jīvaka-Komārabhacca was a contemporary of Buddha and lived in India in the 5th century BC. In the Pali Canon, the ancient scriptures of Buddhism of the southern Theravada school, he is named as the personal physician of the Indian Magadha king Bimbisara. King Bimbisara was attached to the Buddha and visited him repeatedly. Jīvaka-Komārabhacca was also in contact with the Buddha and provided medical care to him and his community of monks.

Thai Massage must have been handed down in Southeast Asia in a circle of monks who moved from India to Myanmar - probably orally in Buddhist temples at first for many centuries. This can have happened at the earliest from the 3rd/2nd century BC, as it was only then that Buddhist teachings began to spread in the Southeast Asian region.

There is also the assumption that the Buddhist monks themselves developed the Thai massage in order to cure themselves of the consequences of long meditation postures.

The only written remains on Thai Massage are written on palm leaves in Pali language and Khmer script and were engraved in 60 stone tablets in 1832 by the then Thai King Nang Klao (Rama III) in the temple Wat Pho in Bangkok. (Epigraphs can still be seen there today). All other evidence was lost as early as 1767 when the ancient Thai royal city of Ayutthaya was destroyed by Burmese conquerors.

Since the knowledge of this massage art presumably left the Indian subcontinent with Buddhism, it is no longer practised in India today. The techniques spread there are known as Indian yoga massage or Ayurvedic massage. It is conceivable that forms of massage already existed in Siam that mixed with the new teachings, and it is also possible that over the centuries traditional Chinese medicine gained influence on the method through trade relations with China.

Traditional Thai Massage is also linked to Buddhism in its practice today. It is applied with metta (a term used in southern Buddhism for loving kindness). The masters are usually deeply religious people who perform the massage in a state of mindfulness, equanimity, compassion and compassionate joy.

HOW THAI MASSAGE WORKS

According to traditional Asian teachings

The foundation of Thai massage is the Ayurvedic system of 72,000 energy lines (nadis), of which ten (sip sen) are worked on in Thai Massage. According to Ayurvedic teachings, the person is to be supplied with prana (life energy) via these energy lines, on which the so-called marma points (energy points) are located (known as acupressure points in Japanese Shiatsu). Prana is supposed to be supplied to the body through breathing. In the stretching positions of the Thai Massage, the muscles consume oxygen and the person is stimulated to breathe more deeply. Intensive pressure massages also cause increased breathing. Deep breathing promotes relaxation and regeneration (increased prana). In the teachings of Thai Massage, pressure on certain marma points and energy lines corresponds with relief of the following physical ailments, among others:

headaches
nausea
constipation
diarrhoea
ringing in the ears (tinnitus)
sleep disturbances
shock
cough
knee pain
back pain
dizziness

The scientific point of view

Pressure point massages stimulate blood circulation. Stretching allows the muscles to relax. Yoga positions influence the skeletomuscular system and affect posture. Rotations, flexions and extensions of the spine can be intensified through traction and have an effect on physical mobility. Positions in which the legs are raised promote blood circulation and lymph flow. The rotation of the joints contributes to the production of synovial fluid and thus to physical suppleness.
Deep relaxation activates the parasympathetic nervous system, increasing blood flow to the internal organs and stimulating the metabolism.
Mindful touch can trigger physical well-being, and lifting techniques can lead to a feeling of security.

Thai Massage in Thailand (and the western world)

Thai massage is practised in Thailand in the family environment or by local masters for health care and is used in hospitals for regeneration, comparable to physiotherapy in western countries.

(Source: Parts of Wikipedia - https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thai-Massage)

The shady reputation of Thai massage as an exotic sexual service goes back to the Vietnam War as I was told in Thailand. At that time American soldiers spent their leave in Bangkok and frequented the local massage parlours. The closeness of the massage and the friendliness of the Thais probably led to situations of paid sexual acts, which is still attached to the reputation of Thai Massage today. But from its origins, Thai massage has nothing to do with sexual acts - it is rather a practice that has its roots in a spiritual Buddhist practice ('Metta' practice / practice of loving kindness), in addition to its positive effects on health.