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| Photo by Joachim Mueller Ruchholtz, 2011 |
THERAPEUTIC THAI MASSAGE IN LONDON FIELDS
Practice location:
I am based in London Fields, the "Green Heart" of Hackney, East London. I feel lucky to be living here in amongst this vibrant and ever changing community. The proximity to London Fields, the canals and Victoria Park helps to make urban life a little more relaxing with the feeling of space, growth and flow.
My journey to Thai massage:
I was seduced by the art of Traditional Thai Massage after receiving my first massage in the early 1990s in northern Thailand. My studies which started in Chiang Mai, Thailand in 2002 have led me to some wonderful and eclectic teachers in Mae Sariang on the Thai-Burma border, Rotorua in New Zealand, Luang Prabang in Laos via Chiang Mai again and finally back to my home town London.
Inspiration: Another strong influence comes from my original connection with Thailand, when I worked with a Burmese Women’s Refugee Project in Chiang Mai for two years. I have a long term dream to connect my passion for Thai Massage and Mediation with the work of community groups along the Thai-Burma border.
What about Thai massage?
Thai Massage has a strong connection with Buddhist philosophy as it was introduced to Thailand from India at the same time as Buddhism. The focus on loving-kindness and mindfulness is incredibly grounding for the practitioner and client. Surrendering to the moment is key and often clients feel a deep sense of spaciousness, focus and clarity as a result. I myself have found that practicing Thai Massage and yoga helped me to balance some of the pressures and challenges of working as a community mediator in inner-city London, which was my main field of work for nearly 15 years. In recent years my practice continues to sustain me during inevitable challenging life transitions.
My style as a therapist and teacher:
I offer a calm and at the same time enthusiastic presence in my practice and teaching and am very excited to be able to share the simple beauty of northern Thailand and its culture with others. I have been involved in various community projects over the years including massaging at Holloway women's prison, voluntary work with a local women asylum seeker yoga project, a community shared-space massage project called Massage Shala and an art project which is in the very early ideas stage at the moment. It would be wonderful to keep in touch with clients and practitioners as much as possible with your amazing feedback and support.
Thai Massage has a strong connection with Buddhist philosophy as it was introduced to Thailand from India at the same time as Buddhism. The focus on loving-kindness and mindfulness is incredibly grounding for the practitioner and client. Surrendering to the moment is key and often clients feel a deep sense of spaciousness, focus and clarity as a result. I myself have found that practicing Thai Massage and yoga helped me to balance some of the pressures and challenges of working as a community mediator in inner-city London, which was my main field of work for nearly 15 years. In recent years my practice continues to sustain me during inevitable challenging life transitions.
My style as a therapist and teacher:
I offer a calm and at the same time enthusiastic presence in my practice and teaching and am very excited to be able to share the simple beauty of northern Thailand and its culture with others. I have been involved in various community projects over the years including massaging at Holloway women's prison, voluntary work with a local women asylum seeker yoga project, a community shared-space massage project called Massage Shala and an art project which is in the very early ideas stage at the moment. It would be wonderful to keep in touch with clients and practitioners as much as possible with your amazing feedback and support.
4 comments:
Your story is so inspiring. I am so interested to find that there is a connection between Buddhism and Thai massage.
Thank you so much for your words and I’m sorry it’s taken me 9 years to respond! I’d love to hear more about you and what brought you to my Thai massage blog?
Wonderful xx
Wonderful xx
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