Thai Yoga Bodywork or Ruesri Dat Ton is a traditional Hermit exercise developed in Thailand about 2500 years ago. In ancient times, Hermits (monks) lived and trained themselves in the mountain for their Buddhist practice. From doing meditation for a long time, their muscles and ligaments became tight and sore, so that they had to stretch and release pain in order to stay healthy throughout their trainings. That was considered the origin of Ruesri (hermit) Dat (self) Ton (stretch.) Although it was influenced by Ayurveda and Yoga originating in India, Ruesri Dat Ton’s breathing method and pauses are quite unique compared to any other exercise method.
Ruesri Dat Ton is also considered a healing yoga. It builds muscle tone and toned muscles have less chance of injury. It also helps to regulate weight by helping to maintain a balanced metabolism. Additionally, Thai Yoga stretch muscles lengthwise, causing fat to be eliminated around the cells, thus reducing cellulite.
There are about 200 Ruesri Dat Ton poses that are officially approved by Thai Health Agency. In each class, I offere 10 to 15 poses which are selected from 50 basic poses. After the meditation and warm-up, the students will practice these poses in the seated, standing, and prone positions. During the exercise, the student holds the breath at the end of the inhalation, and sustains the pause for 5 to 8 seconds. Stretch and isometric contraction of the muscle during the pause will stimulate the energy line(sen) of the body. As the pause is released with an exhalation, the blood circulation will increase and negative energy will be released from the joints, vessels, and organs. As a result, you will balance the energy flow of the entire body.
The movements are gentle and slow throughout the class, and constant practice of the slow movements help to develop deep postural muscles that keep the stability of the body in daily life. According to oriental traditional medicines, age is measured by the flexibility of the body and the spine. This believe may be due to the flow of blood and oxygen to the brain and organs is unrestricted when the spine is flexible. As many postures keep the spine flexible by gently twisting or flexing it in all directions, practicing Ruesri Dat Ton over time can help you look and feel years younger than your age.
Ruesri Dat Ton, done correctly can be used as the preventative health care. It helps improve life beyond all expectations, enhancing general health, awareness and peace of mind.
