Böcker av Kam Thye Chow

An authentic guide to Thai yoga massage, a unique therapy that combines stretching, breath work, assisted yoga postures, and pressure point therapy. • Includes more than 80 illustrations, 30 charts, and a complete series of postures for a two-hour full-body massage. • Author Kam Thye Chow has taught massage in Thailand and throughout Europe and North America. Until recently Thai yoga massage was virtually unknown in the West. It has its roots in both the ancient healing traditions of Ayurveda and Thai Buddhism. In this unique practice, the therapist gives a full-body massage that combines palming and thumbing along the Thai energy lines and pressure points with gentle stretching, movement, and breath work reminiscent of tai chi. Using his or her own hands, feet, arms, and legs, the practitioner gently guides the recipient through a series of yoga postures, creating a harmonious and therapeutic “dance” that leads to greater physical awareness, grace, and spiritual energy. In this comprehensive guide for practitioners, Kam Thye Chow leads readers through every aspect of this dance--from its history and philosophy to a detailed presentation of a complete Thai yoga massage session. This important reference includes more than 80 illustrated postures, 30 charts and drawings, and a complete series of postures for a two-hour full-body massage that focuses attention on both the upper and lower body, which receive equal stress in the Western lifestyle. Information on contraindications, anatomy, and physiology integrates Western medical knowledge and theory with this ancient tradition. Massage therapists, physical therapists, nurses, and other medical professionals will find Thai Yoga Massage an important and innovative complement to their practice.

HEALTH / BODYWORK In the unique healing system of Thai Yoga Massage--based on yoga, ayurveda, and the martial arts--the practitioner uses his or her own hands, feet, arms, and legs to gently guide the recipient through a series of yoga postures while palming and thumbing along the body's energy pathways and pressure points, known in the Thai tradition as sen lines and in ayurveda as marma points. Providing a way to expand one's Thai Yoga Massage practice, this book includes step-by-step photos and guidelines for an advanced Thai Yoga Massage series of more than 50 postures as well as successful treatment plans for 8 common ailments: stress, back pain, stiff neck and sore shoulders, arm and hand exhaustion, headaches, constipation, fibromyalgia, and anxiety/depression. Each treatment plan offers a customized one-hour Thai Yoga Massage posture flow specific to that ailment along with ayurvedic and yoga recommendations for continued healing and prevention after the massage session. This comprehensive guide also illustrates the exact location of the sen lines and marma points, detailing their therapeutic indications and connections to ayurveda and the five kosha bodies, as well as explaining how to incorporate them into sessions for deeper healing. KAM THYE CHOW, one of the first Thai Yoga Massage practitioners in North America, has taught Thai massage in Thailand and throughout Europe, Canada, and the United States. The author of Thai Yoga Massage and Thai Yoga Therapy for Your Body Type, he is the founder of the Lotus Palm School in Montreal. Kam Thye Chow lives in Montreal.