A hands-on practice shaped by Yin Yoga and Zenthai Shiatsu
In 2011, I traveled to Chiang Mai to study Thai Massage at the Old Medicine Hospital / Thai Massage School Shivagakomarpaj, completing 60 hours of training with Parawat Poungpiam. I originally went because I wanted to become a more skillful Yin Yoga teacher and assistant. Yin students remain in postures for several minutes, creating opportunities for supportive touch and work with areas such as the neck, shoulders, hips, and legs. Thai Massage gave me a broader vocabulary for working with touch, movement, pressure, and support.
Receiving my certificate from Parawat Poungpiam in Chiang Mai, 2011.
Over the years, I continued studying with Alok Rocheleau and Anjuli Mahendra, and in 2018 completed Zenthai Shiatsu Level One with Gwyn Williams. What began as a way to deepen my Yin teaching grew into its own bodywork practice, including private sessions, retreats, festivals, and dozens of workshops.
I was most drawn to the connection that could happen without many words. Working through touch asked me to pay attention to breath, tension, movement, pressure, pacing, and how another person was responding. Gradually, I relied less on following a sequence and more on sensing, adapting, and responding to what was happening from moment to moment.
At a Glance
Training began in Chiang Mai, Thailand, in 2011
60 hours of Thai Massage training at The Old Medicine Hopsital
Zenthai Shiatsu Level One, 36 hours, 2018
Additional study with Alok Rocheleau and Anjuli Mahendra
Private practice, retreats, festivals & dozens of workshops
Workshops taught at major festivals including Lightning in a Bottle, Envision, Symbiosis, Lucidity, Beloved, SoulPlay & Sedona Yoga Festival
Thai Massage training in Chiang Mai, 2011.
Listening Through Touch
Thai Massage became as much a practice of sensing as doing. Sessions were typically 60 to 120 minutes, clothed and floor-based, using compression, rocking, passive stretching, joint movement, assisted holds, and breath.
I learned to track how each person responded from moment to moment. Breath, tension, resistance, ease, range of motion, and changes in movement all gave me information about pressure, pacing, when to continue, when to soften, and when to change direction.
What I valued most was the connection that could happen without many words. The work asked me to stay present, notice sensation through my hands and body, track how the other person was responding, and adapt to what was happening in real time. Over time, sensing and responding became as important to me as the techniques themselves.
Listening and responding through touch.
Teaching Thai Massage
Workshops gave me a way to share Thai Massage in a relational, playful, and participatory setting. People practiced in pairs, learning techniques and sequences by both giving and receiving them while developing greater sensitivity to pressure, pacing, movement, breath, and how the other person was responding.
As my teaching evolved, I became more intentional about consent and choice around giving and receiving touch. I built in clearer ways for people to communicate preferences, request changes in pressure or position, decline a technique, change partners, or remain with the same person. Consent became an ongoing part of the exchange rather than a one-time agreement.
I taught dozens of workshops at studios, retreats, and festivals, including Lightning in a Bottle, Envision, Burning Man, Symbiosis, Lucidity, Beloved, SoulPlay, Sedona Yoga Festival, and others. At Lightning in a Bottle and Envision, workshops reached more than 400 participants. Teaching at that scale required clear structure and communication while still leaving room for individual pacing, choice, and moment-to-moment responsiveness.
Teaching Thai Massage at Lucidity Festival.
Past Workshops
These flyers offer a snapshot of the workshops I taught over the years, from dedicated Thai Massage workshops to partner practices that brought Thai Massage together with Yin Yoga, live music, and cacao. They reflect the range of settings and collaborations through which the work developed.
What People Have Said
Thank you for the most wonderful Thai Massage workshop you taught at LIB. I came to your afterward to share that it was quite possibly the best experience I had there. Everyone in the room was present, and the connection was so real. I loved your cueing and the lessons you shared with such ease. I hope you were able to witness that.
– Chi Nguyen
James is the real thing, a healer who knows how to heal. He has studied and absorbed the true meaning of Thai massage, and understands when to go deeper, when to soften, and when to pause.
– Dr Venus Maher D.C.
James is a very present, strong, and humble yoga teacher and massage therapist. He stays connected to himself while he connects with others. That’s a rare quality in a human being.
– Spencer Sherman
What Stayed With Me
Thai Massage deepened my understanding of how much information is available through the body. Breath, tension, ease, movement, resistance, and changes in response all helped me sense what was happening from moment to moment.
The practice taught me to stay with what was actually present rather than rely too heavily on a plan. A sequence could provide structure, but the quality of the work depended on sensing, adapting, and allowing another person’s responses and choices to shape what happened next.
As the practice developed, consent, pacing, and responsiveness became inseparable from the technique itself. The work was not only about what I knew how to do with my hands. It was also about how carefully I could sense changes in another person’s responses, communicate clearly, and adjust as the exchange unfolded.
What stayed with me most was the value of creating enough structure to support an experience without trying to control it. That understanding continues to shape how I approach teaching, touch, and relational practice.
See what’s coming up next through Upcoming Events.