Wow, friends! I don’t even know where to start. Let me tell you about my first Thai Massage Therapy experience. I have a million things to say about this experience that it had to be more than just an instagram post.
My regular routine this past year has included meditation, reading and yoga and connecting weekly with friends via Facetime. When I make time for me I’m a better mom, a better employee and a better friend . Through Yoga and Ayurveda I’ve learned that our emotions and our traumas stay in our bodies and I truly believe that we need to heal our mental health to avoid developing disease in our bodies down the road. After my Dad was diagnosed with cancer this year I really knew I had to do something to heal what was happening in my mind, my body and my soul.
What is Thai Massage Therapy?
I’ve heard a few things recently about Thai Massage Therapy- mostly that it is a deep, therapeutic experience that uses yoga stretches and gentle pressure to release tension. Within 24 hours I had 2 friends recommend Thai Massage YQR to me so I took it as a sign and made an appointment with Karen right away. Karen’s website describes Thai Massage as “a dynamic healing experience where the therapist moves you through yoga stretches while massaging along your body’s energy lines and pressure points…This full body treatment relieves muscular tension, boosts the immune system, improves circulation, mobility and flexibility, helps arthritis and back pain, and leaves your body and mind relaxed and rejuvenated.” I have had multiple back injuries in my past that continue to impact my life today so I felt this would be great to try.
“a dynamic healing experience where the therapist moves you through yoga stretches while massaging along your body’s energy lines and pressure points”
The massage started with a 30-min foot massage where I learned my feet were incredibly tight and I unintentionally resisted the relaxation almost the entire time. This didn’t make sense to me as I felt very relaxed and safe in Karen’s presence. After the foot massage I laid down on a floor mat while Karen slowly started moving my legs and massaged up and down the sides and front of my lower body.
What should I expect in a Thai Massage?
I expected a very intense and deep massage and a very deep stretch. Karen exceeded these expectations ten fold. The tension release was incredible. My muscles felt relaxed, yet strong and the next day I felt free from tightness in my front chest and back shoulders that I had been feeling for months. I highly recommend this service if you are an athlete, if you work out or run, new moms, and definitely for those who sit at a desk all day.
What I didn’t expect blew my mind. This is the exciting part. Thai Massage works through your energy lines and because of this some people can experience a physical reaction to the energy work. This is a new concept to me – one I’ve always been sceptical about – until now. When Karen started working on my legs my entire body started trembling as if I had the chills but I wasn’t cold at all. Once she started on my hips I couldn’t control my jaw chattering and my body trembled uncontrollably. The trembling lasted the entire time I was laying down. During the work on my hips I had an incredible emotional release. Thoughts that have been burdening me daily suddenly changed tune. I felt stronger, and clearer in my challenges and felt an incredible release of negative thoughts. I really struggle to describe what this feels like but if I tried it would sound like this: My negative thoughts were surfaced to skin level where they left my body through an invisible energy field. Yep, it sounds crazy and witchy but stay with me! I had previously heard that we hold emotional trauma in our hips. I’ve been struggling with hip pain and tension for the last year and the energy and thoughts that were released were all negative thoughts I had regarding a relationship in my life that is unhealthy and brewing negative thoughts and self hate in my mind for the last year. After the hip work I felt an INCREDIBLE weight lifted and suddenly viewed my struggles through an entirely different lens.
Then Karen worked on my upper body. As mentioned, I’ve had a lot of physical trauma to my upper back and the stretches were so great, she took me to a physical stretch I have been totally craving during my yoga workouts but just couldn’t get there on my own. This part felt mostly physical until the end when she “karate chopped” my back and drew the energy out of my shoulders with her hands. You’ve likely had this done in a massage or have seen it in the movies. I’ve physically experienced this technique during deep tissue massages but not like this. While Karen finished working on my shoulders I felt her LITERALLY draw the energy up my back and out of my shoulders and a ton of thoughts came rushing through my head. Suddenly, I was crying. I couldn’t explain it but I couldn’t stop. There she left me and I’m not even sure for how long. I don’t want to explain the thoughts that were brought up but they were heavy, and then they turned powerful. I sat in meditation and just allowed the release to flow out of my body – as if I knew exactly what to do.
“for the very first time in my life I was able to look in the mirror and say “I love myself”- AND BELIEVE IT”
I’m not sure how long I was sitting (and crying) for, but I listened to my body and when I was ready I stood up to stretch. When I looked up there was a mirror I didn’t really realize was there and for the very first time in my life I was able to look in the mirror and say “I love myself”- AND BELIEVE IT. It sounds crazy – I know. But I’ve never been able to say it and truly mean it.
Adding Thai Massage to my self-care routine
This year I have dedicated as the year of self-care. Like real self-care. I’ve known for awhile that there are things buried deep and I’ve been digging slowly to try to uncover the things that are holding me back or keeping me in old patterns. When I left the appointment room and met Karen again she gave me the BEST hug I’ve ever had and invited me to sit down to share what just happened. She told me I had released A LOT and encouraged me to embrace the experience, do the work, and find a God damn counsellor hahah. She didn’t know anything about me before the appointment but after the appointment she was able to tell that I needed a routine, that I needed to start taking care of my self and that I needed to release the guilt I have when I do. She is a mom, and an entrepreneur so I felt truly understood.
This experience may have changed my life. I can tell you that it will now be a regular self-care routine for me and I hope you found some inspiration in my story to schedule some time to take care of you. You are worth it.
Yay, a Discount Code!
If you want to try a Thai Massage I highly recommend it and if you are lucky enough to live in Regina please do yourself the biggest favour you will ever do and go see Karen at Thai Massage YQR. I had a 2 hour appointment (which actually ended up being closer to 3) but she also offers 90 minute appointments that include the 30 minute foot massage. I want to share my experience further so Karen was kind enough to give me a code to share with you for $20 off your 90 or 120 min appointment – use code chelsea$20 when you book and dm me and let me know how it was!!
Questions about Thai Massage? Ask away in the comments!
I am not affiliated with Thai Massage YQR but I did receive a free massage for sharing my story. All opinions are my own and 100% authentic. Let me know if you have questions, I would be happy to share my experience on a deeper level.
