The concept of Thai massage believes that our lives are components of the following five factors:
- The body is like a component of concrete; all body or elements with the power of the materials. The main elements are; earth, water, wind, and fire
- Emotion means feeling happiness, distress or from the touching of fire, wind, and nerves
- Comprehension means settlement or knowing the symptom (sign) characters
- Volitional means activities, components or qualifications of making up our mind, good or bad
- Perception means knowing the emotions from the nervous system and mind
Everything in the world is alive or not alive. The body is composed of four elements of life: Earth, Water, Wind, and Fire.
- Earth Element: the 20 parts of the body represented by the earth element are there with solid properties as follows: hair, body, nails, teeth, skin, muscles, tendons, bones, bone marrow, spleen, heart, liver, ligaments, kidneys, lungs, colons, intestines, stomach, rectum and brain
- Water Element: composes the liquid part of life, flowing and being absorbed into the body. The water element resides in the earth element and requires the wind element for movement. The water element is composed of approximately 12 liquid substances produced by the body. These are; bile, mucus, lymph, blood, sweat, liquid fat, solid fat, tears, saliva, nasal mucus, synovial fluid (lubrication of joints) and urine
- Wind Element: constitutes lightness and circulation throughout the body. It is the part of life that provides energy for movement in all activities and functions. There are six types of wind energy flow within the body. First, wind which flows from the lower body to the upper body. Second, wind that flows from the upper body to the lower body. Third, wind that flows inside the abdominal cavity but outside of the stomach and intestines. Fourth, is the wind that flows inside the stomach and intestines. Fifth, is the wind that flows throughout the entire body via blood circulation, and the sixth wind is the breath through inhalation and exhalation
- Fire Element: consists of the heat and energy of life. Fire has the nature to burn and destroy. This function relates to the other elements as it assists the wind and water element in the body to flow with the right temperature and heat energy. Fire keeps the earth element warm to maintain the body organs in a healthy condition.
The union of all four fundamental elements of life is the key to maintain health. Imbalance on one or the others may cause illness. The body components of bone, muscle, and tendons are the main instructor; there is the blood circulation system, nervous system, and lymph system, all dispersed through the body. The inner organs are in other positions.
The ancient Royal Traditional Thai Medicine text indicates several characteristics of the human body; thick 1 kuep (the length from the thumb to the middle finger), wide 1 sok (the length from the middle finger to elbow), length 4 sok = 1 wa (the length from the middle finger to elbow times four), also wind to be placed permanent,t huang luk 2 ong ku lee, the muscle components of 72,000 lines and 2,700 tendons twined inside the body as well as 300 pieces of bone.
Concerning massaging, sen has an effect on the body. Sen means to maintain elements (controlling organ elements) and the perception of the body.
Characteristics of Sen Sib
- Itha Line: Begins from the medial navel running up through the left side of the left nose
- Pinkla Line: Begins from the medial navel running up through the left side of the right nose
- Summana Line: Begins from the medial navel running up through the left side of the tongue
- Kanlataree Line: Begins from the medial navel running up through the end of the finger and toes
- Sahadsarangsri Line: Begins from the medial navel running up through the left eye
- Tawaree Line: Begins from the medial navel runing up through the right eye
- Lawusank Line: Begins from the medial navel running up through the left ear
- Ulangga Line: Begins from the medial navel running up through the right ear
- Nantagrawad Line: Begins from the medial navel running downwards to exit at the anus
- Kisha Line: Begins from the medial navel running downwards to exit at the sexual organ and the urethra
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