It’s a stressful world we live in. The Rat Race is very much alive, and we are running in it as fast as our little feet can carry us. It never seems like it’s fast enough, or far enough, but we run, run, run anyway, gritting our teeth and pushing for just another few kilometers until we finally succumb to exhaustion and a fitful sleep. The demands of the job, of family, of society, keep adding weight on your shoulders, your feet hurt from carrying it all, and as for your back- well, it feels like an elephant stepped on it. What can you do to help take the pressure off, to help soothe the pain?
Fortunately, there is help available in the form of an ancient healing art that is more popular now than ever, because it’s needed now more than ever: The art of massage. These time-honored techniques have even been translated over into the world of technology thanks to electronic massage chairs เครื่องนวดเท้าเพื่อสุขภาพ and foot massagers that utilize gently rotating discs hidden beneath soft fabrics to emulate the effect of massaging human hands, and they never get tired!
Having one of these amazing devices in your home to fall into after another day at the rat race can make a big difference in the way we feel, removing that tension and stress, and allowing us to enjoy a truly restful sleep. Give one a try, chances are you will be going home with it!
Massage is indeed an ancient healing art, but how did it all begin?
In recorded history, the origins of massage therapy as we know it today began about 5,000 years ago, but chances are the practice really reaches back to the dawn of humankind, long before written records were kept. The simple pleasure of giving and receiving massage feels almost instinctual. It is practiced in one form or another, publicly or in private, in nearly every culture in the world. Sometimes I am even able to convince my wife that I am worthy of one of her excellent foot massages, among the most soothing and healing experiences in existence!
What we know is that around 3000 BCE massage began to gel as an art and a science in India. Massage was a sacred practice passed down from even earlier times as an important tool used to relieve pain. It can be to heal injuries, prevent illness, and even cure certain maladies.
This became an important component of the Hindu practice of Ayurveda, or “healthy life”. It is a medical doctrine based on the concept that people fall ill. Because they become out of sync with the natural world, making them more susceptible to sickness and pain. Massage therapy was used to put the person back in sync. It is[[ by restoring their physical body’s natural balance in order for it to be able to achieve natural healing.
Around 2700 BCE the massage arts practiced by the Indians spread eastward along with the Hindu Religion into Southeast Asia and China. Here it was quickly adopted by all who learned of its healing powers. It remains an important part of many Asian nation’s cultural and health heritage. Thailand in particular is considered a well-respected global hub of massage therapy and care.
When the wave from India arrived in China it found a receptive home. Because the Chinese had already developed their own set of similar techniques, and welcomed innovations into their existing medical practices. They had also arrived at a conclusion. That the disease was a product of deficiencies and imbalances in the body’s natural energy paths. This created a synergy of Indian Buddhist spiritual yoga and massage training, and Chinese Taoist medicine and martial arts. The resulting Chinese Yellow Emperor’s Classic Book of Internal Medicine is thought to be one of the leading informative texts on the art of massage therapy. It is along with related fields of thought and practice such as acupressure, acupuncture, and herbal medicine.
Massage techniques were also heading westward from the subcontinent, around 2500 BCE massage therapy entered into Egypt. It is we know because of its depiction in tomb paintings of the era. The Egyptians had independently developed their own bodywork techniques. These have been credited with the creation of Reflexology. It is the science of applying pressure to specific areas of the hands and feet to promote healing. They, too, adopted the Indian techniques into their healing system.
Traveling Chinese Buddhist monks brought both their religion and their massage techniques to Japan around 1000 BCE. Here they melded with native physical therapy Shiatsu. Does the process sound familiar?
The Thai Ministry of Public Health monitors the nation’s massage industry. Contact them if you need more information on the subject.