If your answer is Yes!, then you should follow Massage Around the world on this blog, because we are going to explain you in detail how the best schools and masters can be found. We are going to inform you about our upcoming trip to India, Little Tibet , Thailand, etc., as we want to share our experiences and best practices with you!
MASSAGE SCHOOLS IN ASIA
During the last eleven years I have been travelling around Asia, looking for the best schools, masters, Spa professionals, as well as researching new holistic massage techniques, in a professional manner (I mean, I did it because I really enjoyed it, but also because it was my full time job), so believe me if I tell you, that I really know how difficult it is to find high quality teaching and training. I am not saying that all the schools, Lamas, masters and teachers in Asia are inadequate, not at all, what I am saying is that sometimes we spend a significant amount of money, time, and effort, to travel to the other side of the world to drink from the original sources of knowledge, and once we are there, most of the times we do not get what we had expected. Because this experience can be very frustrating I am going to give you a few recommendations, that I normally give to people who write me asking about this subject.
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR STUDYING MASSAGE IN ASIA:
- What drives your motivation to travel to Asia? Studying? Pure pleasure? Or a mix of both? All three options are great, but you need to be clear on what you want. If you travel four weeks with a partner (who has zero interest in massage), I would recommend something that fits both of your expectations. This means that I would never recommend you to spend the entire four weeks studying in Delhi, just because you will learn from the best sources, as most likely you will return home divorced…In this case, Goa or Kerala could be a great option as they offer something for everyone.
- If it is the first time that you travel to the country my advice is: Try to enjoy at least ten days travelling around, because equally important as learning the massage technique, is to understand the local culture and traditions, because they are the roots of the traditional medicines. Once you have decided the type of trip that fits you…move on to the third point.
- Try to be objective with your targets and take it easy; you will have many opportunities to come back and keep studying and learning more each time. Do not try to study and learn in three weeks what others study during five years.
- Before you travel to a foreign country to study a completely different massage technique, based on an unfamiliar medical discipline, I warmly recommend you to study as much as possible about it in advance for several reasons:
- Most of the times the courses are too short, and they barely teach theory and move to the practical part very fast (and this has sense, because you can study the theory at home, but not the hands-on practice).
- If they explain theory, most of the times they do it in a very poor English…so, it is better to go there equipped with some basic knowledge on the subject. That way you will learn faster and make the right questions on the spot, rather than once you arrive at home and try to assimilate it all, (L too late).
- Last but certainly not least; if you study the technique in advance, you will know if you really like it or not, and if it is worth spending a few thousand dollars on, and your well deserved annual leave. Lets avoid turning your dream trip into a nightmare.
Ok, now that you have clear the type of trip that you want, and you are sure that you are really keen on the subject, it´s time to think about the trip itself; how to choose the school or master, and understand how to learn from and within other cultures, etc…We will address all these questions in the next posts.
Wishing you all a meaningful day,
César Tejedor
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