Thai Massage Sacred Bodywork

No, you need to take 1000 hours of massage training at a qualified school in order to be able to sit for the NYS massage licensing exam. Please go to the following link for more info: http://www.op.nysed.gov/prof/mt/mtlic.htm

Yes, Ananda Apfelbaum is approved by Yoga Alliance as a continuing education Approved Provider.

Yes, Ananda Apfelbaum is approved by the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork (NCBTMB) as a continuing education Approved Provider and is also sponsored by NCBTMB to teach New York LMTs continuing education that is accepted by the state of New York for license renewal. Her Approved Provider number is 451263-10.

Yes, all of Thai Massage Sacred Bodywork’s courses and training programs are approved and authorized by NCBTMB and by NY State as CE courses.

No, CEs are defined as continuing education and are just that – they become applicable only after you have gotten your massage license or after you have gotten your yoga teacher certification. Any training, even if it is a continuing education course, can not be counted as continuing education hours until after you have a massage license or a yoga teacher registration.

Wow, so many names! But there is no difference. These are just different names for the same form of bodywork.

Yes, the first two courses: Supine & Prone and the Side-Lying, Inverted & Seated courses can be taken in either order. The Putting It All Together workshop can be taken only after completing both of the aforementioned workshops. Ideally, you’ll take the Supine & Prone workshop first, followed by the Side-Lying, Inverted & Seated workshop followed by the Putting It All Together workshop. However, if you need to first take the Side-Lying, Inverted & Seated workshop and then the Supine & Prone workshop later on, that’s fine. The first two workshops, regardless of the order you take them in, can then be followed by the Putting It All Together workshop which goes over the material learned in the first two courses. After these three workshops which comprise the Basic Training Program have been completed, you can take the Advanced Training Program.

In Thailand, traditionally there were no levels. The training took place over a long period of time under the guidance of a master. Here in the west the material has been divided into levels, but there is no standard for what should be covered per level. Different schools and teachers have therefore created their own syllabus and divided the material accordingly. The important thing is to learn Thai bodywork from a qualified teacher and to learn how to work on a mat on the floor as it is always traditionally done on that way. You need to learn techniques from the supine, side lying, prone, inverted and seated positions. That way, by the end of your studies, you can give a complete Thai Yoga Massage session. In our Basic Training, we teach you many techniques from all the aforementioned positions. And then in Advanced Training we teach you even more techniques.

If you don’t have a massage license, you will need to say you are a Thai Bodyworker or a Thai Yoga Bodyworker and not say you are a Thai Massage therapist as the words “massage therapist” are solely reserved for those who have passed the massage licensing exam in the state they practice in. In NYS, all massage work – including Thai massage – is considered massage. All massage therapists are required by law to have a massage license. Therefore, many people who do Thai Massage, but who are not licensed massage therapists, get around this by leaving out the word massage and calling their work Thai Yoga bodywork or Thai Yoga, etc., instead of Thai Massage.

In order to practice Thai Massage legally, you need a massage license from whatever state you work in. To get a massage license you need to go to a massage school and then pass the licensing exam of the state you will practice in. Certification does not fulfill the need for a massage license. Here’s a link with information: http://www.op.nysed.gov/prof/mt/mtlic.htm.

Thai Massage is good for deep relaxation, for stretching tight areas of the body and increasing range of motion. It improves circulation. It energizes and harmonizes the whole system. Thai massage also speeds up the recovery time from jet lag. It helps one get in touch with deeply held emotional and/or physical traumas.