Sawadee ka! That means Hello in Thai Language. It’s one of the 10 words I remember from my 3 months of Living and studying in Thailand back in 2016.
If you have not heard the story I will give you a brief recap. After becoming a Yoga teacher and teaching for a few years I went on to receive my Reiki Masters certification. Throughout the few years of teaching I realized that I enjoyed the assists and therapeutics of Restorative Yoga more than anything and that I wanted to connect more with my students on a Physical level.
While I was pregnant with Sofia I developed Sciatica an awful pain in the Butt! It occurs when the Sciatic Nerve gets pinched, pulled or something puts pressure on it, in my case she was laying mostly on my left side putting immense pressure upon it. I like to refer to it as the Psychotic Nerve!
During this time the only treatments that helped were some Thai Therapeutics I learned in Yoga Teacher Training and a few friends who had taken a course in Thai Massage.
I really Loved and appreciated the relief I received from Thai Therapy but I could not find a practitioner who was qualified or fully experienced in the treatment I desired. A few people I knew took the beginners course at The Sunshine Massage School in Chiang Mai Thailand giving me some good and trusting authority on the school and city, so I decided to pack my babies up (they were 3 and 14 months at the time) and take them on a 24 hour plane ride to Thailand and attend the Sunshine Massage School for 3 months, ALONE.

It was by far THE MOST EMPOWERING ADVENTURE I had ever taken!
I had the best Thai Mary Poppins Nanny i could ever hope for and an amazing rental on an old Tree Farm directly below the Famous Doi Suthep Temple in the Chang Phueak neighborhood.
My teacher was FABULOUS and so Knowledgeable in Yoga, Anatomy and various teachings of Thai Massage. I had class Monday – Friday from 9-4 pm with people from all over the world. We learned Traditional Thai, Therapeutic Thai, Herbal Compresses, Thai Medicine, Field Work and how to be a respectful and responsible practitioner.
The Thai refer to Thai Yoga Therapeutics as Nuad Boran which in Thai language translates to Thai Massage. It is the practice of Moving and stretching the body and its limbs in various yoga postures while applying pressure by palming, thumbing , or using the knees, hands, elbows or feet along the “Sen” (energy) lines to remove blockages so that the body and all its parts can breath, move and perform better.
Make Sense?
America does not offer this modality at any of its Massage Schools. It is closely related to Yoga as it is used in Yoga practice to re align and go deeper into the postures. It is Mainly performed wearing loose clothing and on a mat on the floor. It can also be done on a table for those people who find it difficult to get down on the floor. I particularly use a massage table when I work with clients who have had strokes, Paralysis, have bad hips and knees or are amputees. Yes I actually have 3 different amputees who I work with often.

Unfortunately In America you cannot use the word “Massage” without a license. The problem is that the Massage schools do not offer Nuad Boran as a modality of Western Massage. From my understanding The Massage Boards when asked to identify the logistics of Thai Yoga Therapeutics do recognize it as a “Massage Practice” so they want to regulate it, but do not offer a way to get licensed for it even though it is recognized as a Continuing Education Credit. By definition Yoga and Reiki both fit under the category of “Massage” so soon i foresee both needing a license to practice.
I personally have 230 Credited Hours and am Certified as a Thai Massage Therapist in practically every other country. I am also a 350 hour Certified Yoga teacher, Reiki Master and Ordained Minister. I have been teaching Yoga for 6 years and have been practicing Thai Yoga Therapeutics for going on 3 years and I love it more every day!
ALSO (BONUS) I am starting Massage School to become Licensed in Western Massage Therapy starting this Month! Woot Woot! So stay tuned for more magic coming your way!