Is Thai Yoga Bodywork for you? Kathy Dinh, a yoga therapist and founder of Seeking Soma of Oklahoma City, said it's ideal for those who suffer from pain, are stiff from injuries or surgeries, or need help with flexibility.
Thai Bodywork is a form of body energy work. It uses conscious touch, stretches, range of motion, and other techniques to affect the whole system to relieve pain and restore balance. The practitioner guides you through a series of postures while massaging the muscles, working along the body's energy lines and pressure points.
Kat is a 200-hour and 500-hour advanced yoga teacher and an internationally-certified Yoga Therapist. She is certified by the Thai Massage School of Chiang Mai in Thailand.
"Thai bodywork is manual, hands-on type work. It uses compression, specifically on the meridians, which are these energy channels in the body, according to Chinese medicine," Kat said.
"When people say, 'I'm sore here or I have tight muscles,' stretching helps. But what really helps is actually putting the pressure on the myofascial, which are the connective tissues in your soft tissues. Sometimes what's needed is a direct manual compression to help release that tightness."
Materials: Stay fully clothed; Wear comfortable loose clothing
1. A Thai bodyworker has knowledge about the energy channels in the body that affect overall health.
2. In Chinese medicine, the idea is that illness is due to energy channels being blocked.
3. Thai bodywork is much like assisted yoga combined with acupressure and stretching.
For more information or to book a session, visit seekingsoma.org.