My name is Erin Marie Porter, and I am a NC licensed massage therapist #12333 and certified yoga instructor. I am the owner of FLOW Bodyworks, where I offer massage as well as one-on-one therapeutic stretching and yoga. Thai Massage, often referred to in the West as Thai Yoga Massage, is often described as "having accupressure AND yoga done to you at the same time." Knowing this or the specific te
chniques that Thai Massage includes cannot effectively relate the actual EXPERIENCE of the massage. To me, it is magical to receive this type of bodywork and it is just as magical for me to give it. It can be done in a light, flowing, relaxing way, or it can be intensely therapeutic, depending on the client's needs and preferences, which always guide me in my work as a massage therapist and bodyworker. Chances are the amazing effects of the massage will be experienced for days afterwards! Clients tell me they are more relaxed in body and mind and, at the same time, energized, effects which don't always occur simultaneously with other types of bodywork. The short story here is, Thai Massage will connect you to your heart-mind-body in a special healing way that you have not experienced before. Here are the BASIC DETAILS of Thai Massage: It is performed on a large cushioned mat on the floor. Depending on the needs of the client and the amount of time allowed, the session could include bodywork with the client lying down (back, stomach, side) and/or sitting. Clients are fully clothed when receiving Thai massage, and it is given without the use of lotions or oils. However, a Thai warming herbal balm or a cooling herbal balm may be applied to localized areas of discomfort, such as the neck, feet, or lower back, to help ease soreness, muscle tension/tightness, increase circulation, and reduce inflammation of tissues and joints, among other uses. Hot herbal compresses can also be applied to specific areas of the body or to the entire body to allow for deeper muscle relaxation and, therefore, more energy flow throughout the body, especially in areas of the body that are experiencing a lack of energy, sluggishness, weakness, etc. The hot herbal compresses are applied over top of the client's clothing, which allows the client to feel the comforting, relaxing but still very therapeutic wet heat and the interesting texture of the compresses while providing a layer for protection for the skin primarily for when the compresses are first removed from the heat source. The compresses can be used in a general way for overall relaxation and warming up the body and/or as a more intense therapeutic tool to get deeper into the body to allow for greater opening and healing. I recommend that my clients wear dark-colored, loose-fitting clothing for this reason, as well as to provide for freer movement and breathability. If you prefer, I have on hand several extremely adjustable unisex tops and bottoms that were specially made in Thailand, hand-stitched in a lightweight silky smooth material that feel like comfy pajamas, which lends that much more to the authentic traditional Thai Massage experience. TECHNIQUES used in Thai Massage: Primarily, Thai massage techniques include hand compressions, thumb presses, forearm rolls, elbow presses, knee presses, and heal presses, all of which are applied to the body's Sen lines (energy lines), allowing for greater energy flow throughout the body. Each of the techniques have varying degrees of lightness or intensity, so the same techniques may not be used on everyone or even the same person each time because what they want and need may change. Also, traditional Thai Massage includes gentle stretches and potentially increasingly deeper full body stretches, depending on the needs and flexibility of the client. However, no yoga experience is needed. No specific level of flexibility is required. At FLOW Bodyworks, I also offer Integrated Table Massage, incorporating relaxing but firm Swedish massage, deep tissue, myofascial release, Thai and sports techniques. My intention is to integrate a variety of techniques in my massages to ultimately help my clients heal themselves, but I can certainly exclude any of these techniques, as well as adjust the depth, intensity, and speed of my massages according to my clients' preferences. In other words, I want to give you the massage that YOU want and need, and even that can change from one treatment session to another. I am a certified yoga teacher with a special interest in working one-on-one with clients to help them achieve better fitness and/or physical healing through individualized stretching and yoga. I offer one-on-one therapeutic stretching and yoga as either part of the scheduled massage session or as a separate session. As part of the massage session, I use yoga in one of two ways. I use yoga as either as an assessment tool to determine imbalances in the body and therefore guide me to massage certain areas of the body more in depth and use specific techniques to bring about more body balance. Or I use yoga as therapy after the massage session to address areas of tightness, inflexibility, and/or pain; in this case of therapy, I give clients specific stretches and yoga postures to bring about even more circulation, flexibility, and pain relief. Therapeutic stretching and yoga in addition to the practice of receiving massage can more fully address imbalances in the body (heart, mind and spirit) in a way that is longer lasting than either self-care practice would be individually. To schedule an appointment, please call 828-702-9211 or email me at Erin@FlowBodyworks.com. I look forward to working with you! Yours in Health & Wellbeing,
Erin Marie Porter, LMBT
NC License #12333
