One obvious difference of Thai Massage and Yoga is that Thai Massage is a massage that involves two people and you are passive during the session. You get to lie on the Thai mat relaxed and enjoy the bodywork done to you. Yoga (in this case, we’re talking about asana, yoga poses, practice on your mat) is a practice that you move your own body and no one else is usually helping you to do your stretches and movements (unless your teacher is assisting your pose).
Thai Massage is often called “Lazy Man’s Yoga”. I’ll be facilitating the yoga like stretches for you and you will work on your breath and relaxation.
<When and Why to try Thai Massage?>
– You can fully relax and let me do the job. It can be your self-care routine that you can relax and get refreshed.
– You might have some restrictions (tightness, pain and injuries etc) in your body and with yoga, you might not be able to move your body the way you want, but Thai Massage will let you move into the poses deeper and better with an assist. In the case of your discomfort and pain, Thai Massage can make you feel better about ease into the pose and movements.
– You might see a quicker result in mobility and flexibility.
– You do not have enough time to spend on learning yoga at this moment so Thai Massage can be a quicker solution.
<When and Why to try Yoga?>
– You want to be active and not just work on flexibility but also strength.
– You can build your daily/weekly routine around your yoga practice for the rest of your life and it’s free once you learn enough from the professionals.
– You can practice with your family and friends together.
Both practices have some similarities though. You will engage yourself with conscious breathing which can really help activate your parasympathetic nervous system and that will help you with relaxing and calming. You will also cultivate the body awareness by feeling the different parts of your body.
Thai Massage and yoga both work on the whole body, so you will feel the whole body energized and integrated as a whole. You will feel the energy flow in the whole body and your body will feel more free and open at the end of the session.
Of course, combining both practices, Thai Massage and Yoga, would be even better. You will see and feel the quicker progress in your overall health and wellness.
