The purpose of Thai Massage is to provide relaxation, balance to the body's various centers, healthy blood circulation, and activation of the body's energy lines or "Sen" as they are called, the practitioner's attitude and physical approach to administering Thai Massage are of utmost importance.
The Thai Masseur is put through a thorough training and apprenticeship before being left on his own with a patient and the "Method" of the Thai Massage is the foundation of its proper application. Those trained in the art of Thai massage are required to cultivate the following thirteen points of attitude and method as they learn the basics and move on to apprenticeship.
Work is to be done in a meditative and concentrated state of mind. This is the purpose of the short chant the Masseur is required to recite prior to beginning each massage as well as at the end of each massage. It's a Buddhist chant that allows the Masseur to summon up the personal energy and focus to concentrate on the health of the individual patient.
In beginning the work on the patient, ask first if the patient has any illness or has recently had an operation. The Masseur is trained to avoid certain physical applications depending on the person's general physical condition. From the beginning, the Masseur is taught to work in a slow, gentle and soothing style. The Thai Massage is never rushed. It is meant to take place over a period of 2 1/2 to 3 hours and the Masseur is never in a hurry to meet a timetable. The time is flexible and the Masseur works at his or her steady pace until the massage is complete.
The working of the energy lines is the most fundamental aspect of the Thai Massage, but both before and after the working of these lines the Masseur is trained to apply palm pressure to the legs, the arms and the back for the purpose of body relaxation . The palm pressure applied is not a hard press, nor is it the rough sort of working you might receive in other types of massage. In Thai Massage the palm pressure is intended to both loosen up and relax.
The various pressure points on the body are as essential to Thai Massage as the energy lines. These points are akin to the pressure points in Chinese acupressure, the basis of the concept being similar, but the working of the pressure points in Thai Massage is much less specific and all on the exterior. The Masseur presses these points to achieve a state of relaxation in the patient. This is done because the points within the body build up levels of stressed energy that must be relieved. The Masseur is taught to work the area of each pressure point, after pressing, by applying a broader pressure using the thumb, the finger, or the palm and moving in a circular motion.
Above, it was stated that the Masseur first asks the patient if he has any illness or if he has recently undergone any sort of operation. An example of the importance of this question, and the answer, in Thai Massage is the areas of the body the Thai Masseur might work in applying pressure. In the case of one with high blood pressure, heart disease or varicose veins, the Masseur will never stop the blood flow at the groin or in the armpit area as this could do bodily damage. These and various other health aspects are an important focus in the training of practitioners of Thai Massage.

The whole idea of Thai Massage is the working of the entire body. The Masseur too is trained to think in terms of the "whole body" concept, and not just yours. The pressure we have been referring to, an essential part of the Thai Massage Method, is the natural and balanced pressure applied to