“We overestimate what we can achieve in a couple of months and underestimate what we can achieve in 3 to 5 years.”

This is what I also tell my students at the end (also at the beginning) of any course I teach at Blue Garden Chiang Mai. Many students who come to Chiang Mai are highly motivated to learn Thai massage and believe that this can be done in a short period of time. Then, at the end of the course, they see what they are capable of, which may not be to conquer with what they thought they could do. I am also using this quote. And it is true that I look at any skill; learn a new language, learn a profession. It takes time, dedication, motivation, and failure. Nobody becomes an accountant in just a couple of weeks or a great chef. It takes time. And the same goes for Thai massage, it takes more than a couple of weeks, requires training, touching many bodies. And when you want to become a good therapist, give yourself this time and permission to grow, don’t rush.

So when you come to Chiang Mai to become a Thai massage therapist. How to practice patience:

Take time to learn the basics; After a 1 or 2 week beginner course that includes an advanced Thai massage course. It will completely overwhelm you and you will feel lost. Instead, repeat the beginner’s course, maybe 2 or 3 times.

When you’re a beginner, don’t sign up for teacher training; Imagine that you have never done Thai massage, you have never given a professional massage before and think about becoming a teacher in just 3 months. Think how ridiculous it really is; You have never done Thai massage and in 10 weeks you are qualified to be a teacher. (maybe change the Thai massage at an accountant or nurse). What kind of teacher will you be? Instead, use your time to focus on the basics and the basics.

Take and plan time to practice; Let’s say you are lucky and you have the possibility to come to Chiang Mai for a longer time, maybe 2 or 3 months. When you finish a course, the following week do not go to another training. Take the course you just did or better find a friend to practice with. Review and practice the material for the next 1-2 weeks and then perhaps repeat the course again. There are centers and schools (also our place Blue Garden Thai Massage Training Chiang Mai) that give you the possibility to use their space to practice.

Take time to learn the basicss; This is not a typo. I put this in 2 times, to emphasize the importance of learning and practicing the basics, its foundation. The basics are the foundation of practice, when the foundation is solid and solid it will make your career that much easier. When I was learning I spent a great deal of time mastering the basics and this really paid off. Having seen the benefits in both myself and my students, this is one of the main reasons why I organize the 1 month Foundation Thai Massage intensive training once a year. This month we are completely focused on learning the fundamentals of Thai Massage, intensive teaching and lots of practice.

Warmly …

Remco