Years ago, the territory of today’s Northern Thailand were inhabited by people coming from Southern China, India, Burma and Laos. Each of these cultures created rich medical traditions, such as Ayurveda, Traditional Chinese Medicine or folk methods of healing the body and the mind. The knowledge, handed down from generation to generation, was kept secret and improved by monks. In the times of the ancient Kingdom of Lanna it was decided that the knowledge accumulated through the ages should be structured. Under the inspection of physician Jivaka Komarabhacca, who was the court doctor of the Buddha, the fundamental medical assumptions were fixed, which became the foundations of the Traditional Thai Medicine. Human body maps showing the energy channels and marma points were carved in stone tablets and up to the present time they have been kept in shrines.The Lanna Treatments were developed by Buddhist monks from Chiang Mai province in Northern Thailand and are carried out by female therapists from Thailand, graduates of the massage school in the Wat Pho Temple.
Holistic Purifying Ritual
For years the Traditional Thai herbal bath has been used as a source of help to different diseases. It is a technique of healing respiratory system diseases, problems with the cardiovascular system, especially– thanks to its purifying advantages – it is proposed as a part of body detoxification. Herbs, such as Thai ginger, eucalyptus and lemon grass increase the removal of toxic substances. After the baths session there is a 1.5 hour traditional Thai massage or Sib Song Panna – a special type of Thai massage which cleans out the energy channels and strengthens vital powers. The ceremony improves the physical, intellectual and emotional condition.
Lanna Ritual with Thai herbs
The ceremony is recommended for exhausted and stressed people. It begins with a session in a herbal baths in a specially chosen mix of Thai herbs which have calming and tonic properties. The next stage is a Sa Moon Prai massage with warm herbal compresses made of ground herbs and spices (mainly: lemon grass, ginger, kaffir lime, camphorwood, eucalyptus). Initially, when the stamps are very hot, the masseur shortly presses and touches some places on the body. As the stamps get cooler, the massage gets more intensive and helps the active plant ingredients to be released and absorbed into hot skin.
The therapy calms, relaxes and ideally removes the muscle tension caused by stress. It ameliorates lymph and blood circulation and thus stimulates the metabolism and removes toxins. It is very soothing and deeply stimulates the senses thanks to the aroma of essential oils in the air.
Shan Ritual with Burmese herbs
Shan is located in the North-Eastern Burma. It is the native land of the noteworthy folk healers, who, particularly for the clinic, have developed a ceremony based on Burmese herbs. The treatment begins with a ritual washing of feet. Subsequently, the traditional Shan massage is performed, being a combination of influences of the Ayurveda, Tibetan medicine and Unani Tibb – the Persian medicine. The method includes intensive pressure, as well as muscles and joints stretching. The next stadium is the Mandalay Scrub based on rice powder, turmeric, ginger , cinnamon, green tea. At the end of treatment is recommended a relaxing herbal bath with the admixture of kaffir lime (a type of lime), tea leaves, pandanus and henna. The treatment has a purifying and nourishing effect.
Nuad Boran (Thai Yoga Massage)
During the treatment the muscles are pressed to make them relaxed and then they are stretched to widen the range of movements. Strong pressures stimulate the energy points which are located along the sen channels and eliminate the toxins accumulated in the muscles, which are the reason of numerous diseases.
The massage begins with the feet, and then goes through the other parts of the body towards the head. During the session the patient being massaged is situated in different positions – on the side, on the back, on the abdomen, in a sitting position and in hatha yoga positions. For this reason, the Thai massage is repeatedly called the “yoga for lazy people”. Unlike acupuncture it does not concentrate on points but all the whole energy channels. In all there are 72 000 distinct lines, but fourteen of them are the most significant. Sometimes the massage may be painful, in particular at the start. However it ideally relaxes, strengthens vital powers and reduces muscle and joint tiredness. It is the best option for men as it strongly improves the physical condition and supplements sports activities.
Sib Song Panna Massage
Sib Song Panna is a famous aristocratic family from the times of the Kingdom of Lanna. Nowadays this term is used to present everything which is exclusive, the first quality, chic, as well as the type of Thai massage designed exclusively for the members of the royal family. The massage is a combination of a few methods: pressing with the body (not only with the hands but also with thumbs, feet, elbows, knees and forearms), reflexotherapy, cooperation with energy channels, concentrating on the blood circulation and the lymphatic system, as well as yoga and stretching. It is similar to Nuad Boran, the traditional Thai massage, except that it is performed on a massage table.
Sa Moon Prai Massage
During the war of Ayuthaya( the historic capital of Thailand), the injured soldiers landed in Buddhist temples where they were treated with herbal compresses and healing massage. Nowadays this method is frequently used in Asian SPAs. Therapeutic Sa Moon Prai massage is a synthesis of two ancient healing conceptions –herbal medicine and energy massage. Hot stamps filled with a herbal composition are called the “hot pressure”, having a result similar to acupuncture. The ritual is performed along the sen energy lines, joints and acupressure points. Hot herbal compresses eliminate muscle pain. The massage is the best option for patients with spinal problems and Western civilization diseases (arms and neck tension, migraines).
Burmese Shen Massage
In this ritual the patient may find out the influence of Tibetan medicine, Unani Tibb – the Persian medicine and Ayurveda. It is a synthesis of joint and muscle stretching and the acupressure methods (steady, balanced pressure) and the components of Ayurvedic massage (longer, stroking moves). It is ideal for oil massage enthusiasts who love strong techniques and stretching.
Thai Massage of Feet, Legs, Shoulders and Neck
Thai ritual of legs, feets, hands, shoulders and neck is one of the most traditional therapeutic techniques making the use of the power of touch. It improves the whole body by eliminating the blockades impeding the flow of vital energy.
Thai Reflexotherapy
It is a particular sort of reflexotherapy. During the ritual a specially shaped wooden stick is used, which stimulates the body’s reflex points more effectively than hands or fingers. Thanks to its detoxication advantages the massage has gained a worldwide identification. When applied systematically it strengthens the whole body condition, eliminates the feeling of “heaviness” in the legs, normalizes the work of the vascular system. It is necessity to drink a lot of water, both before and after the treatment, to support the elimination of toxins from the body.
Traditional Thai Herbal Baths
A session in a herbal Baths, thanks to the herbal combination(Thai ginger, eucalyptus leaves, lemon grass) accelerates the elimination of toxins, soothes and relaxes. Furthermore, the oriental mask put on the face and body regenerates and nourishes the skin. The only traditional Thai herbal baths in Poland.
