Passive yoga: discover the benefits of stretching

Who has not stopped to observe with some envy (and wishes to be able to do the same!) At a cat stretching, twisting and stretching slowly, meticulously and pleasantly?

These felines are true masters in the art of stretching, and that mastery allows them to maintain a state of perfect relaxation, flexibility, alertness, strength and agility. In Thailand there is a therapy used for millennia that allows us to experience and delve into this feeling: I mean Thai massage, also known as "passive yoga".

This type of massage has its roots in the confluence and fusion of different techniques, all of which come from oriental medicine: the meditation and serene concentration techniques typical of the Buddhist philosophy, herbal remedies and yoga poses sourced from Ayurvedic medicine in India, and acupuncture points practiced in traditional Chinese medicine.

The tradition of Thai massage

Thai massage is not only a preventive and relaxing technique, but it is really a medical-curative therapy, it is even could be considered as a philosophy of life, since it encompasses all the vital areas of the human being: the physical, the mental and the emotional; worked through stretching, feeding, meditation, full breathing...

This type of massage is called passive yoga because its origins are related to a series of deeply rooted beliefs in Asia: it has traditionally been defined as a series of rhythmic sequences of pressures, twists, and stretches that the therapist performs with their hands, feet, knees, elbows, and arms; with the aim of harmonizing, restoring and unblocking the flow of energy (or Chi) that runs through 10 main energy channels or Sen meridians that are distributed throughout the body, balancing the 4 basic elements that constitute every living being, and whose blockage or disharmony is would cause pain and disease.

These elements are:

• Land: that makes up the bones, joints, muscles, tendons, ligaments... the solid part of the body.
• Water: that agglutinates the fluids, the blood and the secretions.
• Fire: which regulates body temperature, governs digestion and metabolism.
• Air: that balances respiration and blood circulation, and regulates the vitality of the body and mind.

The practice and benefits of passive yoga

To carry out this restorative work, the therapist takes the patient (who, dressed in comfortable clothing, lies pleasantly on a futon), to the limit of his joint mobility at all and each of the body structures, in order to relax the muscles, recover the inter-articular space, balance the nervous system, mobilize the viscera for their good functioning, boost the blood so that it adequately irrigates all the structures and organs of the body and streamlines the lymphatic circulation to purify the body, granting a deep sense of relaxation and physical and mental well-being, strength, vitality, flexibility, stillness...

After a session, which lasts between one and two hours, we have the feeling that we are taller, that we breathe better, and that we have improved our body posture. The mind clears, the muscles relax and a smile appears on the face along with a special sparkle in the eyes... in the same way that the cat, after stretching, is fully alert to any stimulus, able to jump into the race, maintaining that innate elegance and balance in his movements so typically felines!

In the medium term, passive yoga strengthens the immune system, tones the whole body and relaxes the nervous system, balances emotions, increases respiratory capacity and blood oxygenation, strengthens ligaments, makes joints more flexible, activates the lymphatic and circulatory system. Helps with insomnia, stress and chronic fatigue, muscle aches, low back pain, sciatica, headaches, constipation ...

Bibliographic references:

• Chia, Maneewan and Chia, Max (2008): Nuad Thai: traditional Thai massage, Gaia.
• Plasencia, J.J. (2000): The traditional Thai massage, RBA Books.
• Avraham, B. (2006): Thai massage: theoretical and practical manual, Obelisk.