Nowadays, we often learn sitting down in a room or through digital screens. Massage cannot be learned like that, it’s an oral and physical tradition. It is passed from skin to skin and heart to heart.
I have been studying with multiple teachers since I started my exploration of Thai yoga massage. But all of them have studied with the same person. He is the initial source of Thai massage knowledge in West. His name is Asokananda (Harald Brust) and he was a leading pioneer in the revival of Thai Traditional massage in Thailand in the late 80’s.
The school that he found in a remote Lahu village in Northern Thailand is still there, still spreading the knowledge and the Metta – the loving kindness of this practice. Being there for me shifted something. Realising that I have a very strong connection to that place was like finding a missing piece of a puzzle.
In Eastern traditions, the connection to one’s lineage is sacred. In Thailand there is a deep emphasis on Wai Khru – the ceremony of paying gratitude to the teachers who came before us. We, Western people, often forget this.
It may sound cliché, but this journey to the Lahu village reminded me that I am part of something much larger than myself. No matter how it sounds, that feeling of belonging is powerful. It is a potent source of strength and inspiration, and my practice has felt completely transformed since I returned.
Related articles:
