Slava Kolpakov - Thai Massage with Neuromuscular Techniques: A Practitioners Manual

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Thai Massage with
Neuromuscular
Techniques

A PRACTITIONERS MANUAL

SLAVA KOLPAKOV

Foreword by Dr Richard Gold

First published in Great Britain in 2022 by Singing Dragon, an imprint of Jessica Kingsley Publishers

An imprint of Hodder & Stoughton Ltd

An Hachette Company

Copyright Slava Kolpakov 2022

The right of Slava Kolpakov to be identified as the Author of the Work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

Foreword copyright Richard Gold 2022

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

The information contained in this book is provided as a guide and without any expressed or implied warranties. Slava Kolpakov, LMT, assumes no responsibility for the use of techniques or other information included therein and disclaims all liability for errors or omissions, injuries, damages, illness, side effects, death, or any other damages which may result from the use of information contained in this book.

A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library and the Library of Congress

ISBN 978 1 83997 055 9

eISBN 978 1 83997 056 6

Jessica Kingsley Publishers policy is to use papers that are natural, renewable and recyclable products and made from wood grown in sustainable forests. The logging and manufacturing processes are expected to conform to the environmental regulations of the country of origin.

Jessica Kingsley Publishers

Carmelite House

50 Victoria Embankment

London EC4Y 0DZ

www.singingdragon.com

This book is dedicated to all healers whose aim is to deepen
the art of traditional therapies and continue practicing
and preserving the healing art of Thai Massage.

I owe the making and completion of this book to several individuals who have been instrumental in inspiring me in my healing work and personal life as well as carrying out the nitty-gritty of putting all the pieces of this project together.

To my wife, Theresa, who manages to lend an equal measure of her love, supportive energy, and a critical eye to all my endeavors; and our son Valentin, for his endless joy and brilliance and for making me laugh every day.

To my parents, Nina and Yuri, who have put me on this holistic path early on by teaching and role-modeling the virtues of caring, curiosity, and positivity.

To all my teachers, especially Dr Richard Gold, for his continuous open-hearted support, Jack Baker, for his original teachings of neuromuscular therapy and his editorial help in the neuromuscular portion of this book, Joel Sheposh, for opening the doors to the diversity of techniques of Thai Massage, Koji Hiroshige, for transmitting his passion for the healing arts and the focus of a Samurai warrior, and Masters Pichest Boonthumme and Jack Chaiya, for sharing their wisdom, experience, and being the teachers of teachers.

To Gerhard and Alex Gessner, for letting me use their peaceful yoga sanctuary, the Prana Yoga Center in La Jolla, CA, that is featured in this book in the photos, and for their endless support and friendship.

To all my friends, especially Marie Ahern, for her humor and honesty, and Avery Kretschman, Ann Joseph, and Katrinna Jasso, for their positive energy, willingness to help at short notice, and sharing turmeric lattes.

Prior to my first trip to Thailand in 1988, I had never even heard of Thai Massage. At that time, I was the president of a prominent massage school in San Diego (the International Professional School of Bodywork) that offered Chinese Tui Na and Japanese Shiatsu in addition to a full curriculum of Western-style massage and bodywork. I had already been a licensed acupuncturist for 10 years and had done advanced studies in China, Taiwan, and Japan. I mistakenly thought I was fully aware of East Asian styles of bodywork and massage. I went to Thailand primarily to pursue my interests in meditation, yoga, and, of course, Thai food.

Was I in for a pleasant surprise!!

Soon after I arrived in Chiang Mai in the north of the country, I saw a notice for Ancient Thai Massage on the back of the drivers seat of a Tuk Tuk, the wonderful motorcycle taxis that are prevalent in Southeast Asia. On the spot, I changed my plans, I pointed to the sign and asked my driver to take me to receive my first traditional Thai Massage. This literally turned out to be a life-changing decision.

In less than a year, I was back in Chiang Mai to study this traditional style of healing bodywork at the Old Medicine Hospital, at that time, one of only two government-approved schools in the entire country. Combining elements of assisted stretching, yoga, acupressure, and meditative mindfulness, Thai Massage is a unique and effective form of hands-on healing.

As a student, I took copious notes, shot video and still photos, and received numerous sessions of the work at the school and at various massage establishments in the city. At that time, the only teaching materials were simple line drawings. The material was taught in a traditional manner by teacher demonstrations and with no specific references to physical anatomy.

Before returning to San Diego, I arranged for my primary teacher to come to the United States to help establish Thai Massage. Along with others in the West, this turned out to be a stunning success, as evidenced by the remarkable growth and awareness of Thai Massage over the past 30 plus years.

In 2004, Slava Kolpakov enrolled in my Thai Massage program. He clearly stood out as an outstanding student with a keen interest to learn and excel. In addition, Slava also studied neuromuscular and sports bodywork. These styles of bodywork emphasize anatomical specificity and provide an excellent therapeutic complement to Thai Massage.

Slava is the perfect person to synthesize and merge two seemingly disparate styles of bodywork that have very different cultural and historical origins. Slava himself is a fascinating combination of origin and influences. He was born and raised in Siberia. He was taught yoga and meditation at a young age. He was a member of the Russian national gymnastics team from ages 9 to 15. In his early 20s he met an American woman in Australia during an ecological study program. He came to America to attend college. Ultimately, this woman he had first met in Australia became his wife. He came to California to study massage and bodywork. He moved to Boston to build a career. Through practice, study, and teaching, he successfully created a synthesis of neuromuscular bodywork and Thai Massage. With this synthesis, he created a new, effective, and profound form of healing.