Sometimes I wish I could take a photograph mid-treatment, at the moment after I’ve finished working one side of someone’s body and I compare it with the other, still waiting its turn.
What I usually see is a leg that’s a couple of inches longer or a shoulder sitting noticeably closer to the ground. Every part of the body can look and move differently depending on which side has been worked and which hasn’t, and the difference is often visible from across the room, not just something you feel with your hands.
I still find this remarkable.
What Thai yoga massage does is combine assisted stretching, compression along the body’s energy lines, and joint mobilisation. I work with one limb, one side, one section at a time. When that section softens, it can genuinely change. Range of motion opens up, tissue that was holding tight lets go, and a joint sits differently. The other side, which hasn’t been touched yet, is still holding its usual pattern. Put side by side, the contrast is what makes it visible.
The shift is not permanent of course. Nobody leaves with one leg longer than the other. But it’s a real, visible change in the tissues, in the tension and the joint mobility. And this shift tells you something: that the tightness you’ve been living with isn’t fixed. It’s a pattern, and patterns can loosen.
I love when I see this change
I love seeing the longer leg and the one shoulder still higher than the other. Because that’s not mystical at all. It’s not a feeling, although you will feel it too. It is very mechanical and you could actually put a tape to it.
I actually made a video recently, showing the difference in the mobility of the hip on both legs after a Thai massage stretch. Find it here, if you are curious to see.
And if you haven’t had a Thai yoga massage, come and see me. You will likely feel looser afterwards, and you’ll notice how much space can open up in your body.
