Thai Massage Dissected

by Natasha de Grunwald

Overview

Written by the UK's leading teacher and practitioner Natasha de Grunwald, a pioneer of Thai massage and bodywork for 30 years.


Thai Massage Dissected is a book aimed at massage therapists, yoga teachers, physiotherapists, osteopaths and all manual therapists who want to expand their therapeutic approach and are curious to learn about the body from a Thai anatomy and dissection perspective.


Therapeutic Thai massage and bodywork is a rich and diverse modality, so much more than the stretching and deep tissue work for which it is known. The book provides a richly curated combination of tools, techniques and protocols that will enhance all practitioners' skill sets. Natasha discusses the roots of this modality as Buddhist medicine, the five element system, the use of therapeutic herbs and Thai anatomy, whilst also writing about concepts such as proprioception and interoception. There is an additional chapter looking at traditional healthcare practices for women, informed by her time spent with village midwives on the Thai/Burmese border.


Natasha de Grunwald uses imagery from many hours spent in a cadaver lab to describe anatomical, textural layers and structures, bringing human form to life.


She consolidates this with a therapeutic perspective on Thai medical theory and how Thai massage and bodywork can be carried out in a clinical setting. This comes from her extensive research, studies and knowledge spanning over three decades.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781913426125
Publisher:	Jessica Kingsley Publishers
Publication date:	05/27/2021
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	272
File size:	19 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Natasha de Grunwald first studied Thai Massage in 1990 in Thailand and has returned there to continue her studies more than 16 times since.


She has travelled extensively, learning from teachers across the globe from New Zealand to New York to Serbia. Her pursuit for knowledge has led her to the Burmese borders to research with village midwives, to training with a Reusi (the Thai equivalent of a Shaman) and into a cadaver lab many times.


Having had a busy private practice since 1990, and having worked at Great Ormond Street hospital at the very beginning of her career, throwing herself in at the deep end through massaging women whose young children were dying from AIDS, Natasha has always been a practitioner with great insight and a passion to transform lives through touch.


In 2005 she opened London Institute of Thai Yoga Massage with a commitment to raising the standards and putting Thai bodywork on the map as a reputable physical therapy. She has since trained thousands of people from around the world and continues to do so offering the UK's only 300-hour programme and as the only UK teacher of therapeutic Thai massage and bodywork.

Table of Contents

About the Author vii

Foreword Gil Hedley ix

Preface xi

Acknowledgments xv

Introduction xvii

Part 1 The Experience

1 The Somatic Experience 3

2 Proprioception, Interoception, and Touch Perception 9

Part 2 The Body

3 The Body, Nature, and Thai Anatomy 21

4 Bodywork for the Element Types 35

5 Core Element Constitution 39

6 Physical Manifestations of Elements 43

7 Dissection and Thai Anatomy 47

8 The Five Textural Layers 51

9 Thai Medicine: The Five Roots 61

10 Sen and Channels 67

11 The Causes of Imbalance 81

12 Love Your Guts 87

13 Disease Through the Layers 95

14 Stretching and Movement 99

15 Herbs, Compresses, and Infusions 109

16 Energy, Life Force, Kwan, and Death 121

Part 3 The Practice

17 The Art of Consultation 131

18 How to Touch: A Therapeutic Approach 137

19 Body Mechanics 145

20 Physical Therapy Toolkit 161

21 Putting It All Together 183

22 Treatment Protocols 201

23 The Therapeutic Pause 217

24 Women's Health Care, Pregnancy, and Postpartum 219

25 Traditional Self-care for Practitioners 229

Glossary 233

References 239

Resources 241

Permissions 243

Index 245