Thai Massage School- a typical day

I have now been attending ITM (International Training Massage School) in Chiang Mai, Thailand for two and a half weeks and am loving it! The teachers are wonderful and the school has done an amazing job sharing a part of Thai culture with travelers from all over the world. Here we learn Nuad Bo-Rarn, Northern Style, which emphasizes more on stretching and less on pressure than the Southern Bangkok Style. Due to this style of yoga being very passive, it is often called "Lazy Yoga," (for the recipiant that is!) Whether you are already a body practitioner taking CE credits or want to have a hands on Thai experience, a try at Thai massage seems like a must while in this country.

A typical day at school is as follows:
(I make the 10 minute walk to school from my guesthouse, usually arriving sweaty and stinky as it is normally in the mid 80s and humid by 8am. Luckily the school is air conditioned)
The mornings begin Monday through Thursday promptly at 9am with Mantra and Thai Yoga/Qi Gong exercises, (so you best be early to wash your feet!)
9:30-9:45 time to integrate with a coffee/tea break
9:45-12:00 lessons, demonstrations, and sometimes time for practice
12:00-1:00 Lunch break (hurry to your favorite street vendor or restaurant and return promptly to wash your feet again!)

1:00-3:00 More demonstrations and time to practice
3:00-3:10 Daily Mantra with the entire school together
3:10-5:00 Optional opportunity to practice with faculty watching and assisting. (I am a good student and stay everyday!)

Fridays are "same same but different," when it does not rain, all students meet on the South West side of the Old City in a park at 8:30am for Thai Yoga/Qi Gong Exercise in the park. We are then all driven back through chaotic traffic by many Red Trucks and served fruits, sticky rice with mango, cakes, teas, and coffees! 

When you are finished eating, it is time for taking a test based on the weeks lessons! The skill assessments are based on: appearance, etiquette, time management, pressure, posture, attending the morning exercise, and then selected movements from the course. So far I have been fortunate with a great partner, teacher tester, and an understanding of the course and have receieved 100% on both my level I and II tests! (For those of you at home who are reluctant to let me practice Thai massage on you upon my return, maybe I have now won some of your confidence?)

Level I completed!

 Here I am practicing working on Energy Lines on the leg. Lydia from Greece is one of my classmates.

After a long day of learning, practicing, and walking around on a hot day, groups of us often venture to a local juice and smoothie house for drinks and discussions. It's fun to taste everyones drinks and compare the tastes. Because in Thailand sugar is added to everything, most of us request of smoothies to be without: added sugar, as well as ice, and water. A smoothie with 3-5 fruits will cost 35 Baht (about $1.05) and a smoothie with 3-5 fruits and yogurt will cost 55 Baht (almost $2).

The smoothies tend to quench my thirst and and boost my hunger. There are so many great places to eat that it can often be difficult to make a decision. I prefer dishes with noodles to rice and often chose a place for a good noodle dish. I'm not going to lie, before retiring for the night, a few of us love to get a Roti off the street. My two favorites are Roti with Banana and honey and Roti with strawberry jam and condensed milk. I usually am in bed before 11am as I can not seem to sleep past 7am!
Pictured above: Pad See Eww and a woman making Roti