Christian Jeukens

 

Certified Massage Therapist, Certified Thai Massage Teacher

 

My search for holistic wellbeing began with exploration of Buddhism and Vipassana meditation. As meditation became a passion for me, I began to use my experience to help other meditators on their path. Since physical well-being is interconnected with psychological and emotional wellbeing, the logical next step for me was the study of Western & Asian forms of bodywork.

 

I particularly came to love Thai Bodywork in all its local styles and variations. I studied with many exceptional teachers, including Khamtanong, Sinchai, Jack Chaia & Dr. Nooy. Still, something seemed to be a missing. I didn’t know how to put all the knowledge I had together to create the same transformative process which made things so much better for me in working with my own pain and aches.

 

Two discoveries had a huge influence on my development as a therapist and teacher. The first was learning with Ajahn Pichest Boonthume. Pichest’s style is based on natural postures, use of body weight instead of force, and “listening” both to your own body and to your client. Learning from Pichest completely transformed my practice – it helped me combine the deep introspection and body awareness of my meditation practice with the physical part of giving massage. As a result, I have been studying his teachings for almost a whole decade and have spent more time in Thailand than in Germany :)

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I also started following the latest developments in pain science. This changed my understanding of what I was doing and how it helped. It’s not about rolling out muscles or fixing something that’s “broken.” People are highly complex, intelligent, constantly changing organized beings, with an enormous capacity for self-healing. My job as a therapist is just to help people tap into that self-healing potential.

 

As a therapist I don’t mash muscles or sculpt fascia. I aim to communicate with the intelligent system that keeps your body functioning. Through skillful touch, I communicate to your nervous system, giving it input that the body is safe. This enables your system itself to release tight muscles and connective tissue and diminish painful sensations. We’re just creating some space in which you can help yourself. It’s not predetermined or linear, like “if A then do B” – since every person is different, the approach has to be adjusted to each person at a particular time. This is the approach I bring to my work as a therapist and as a teacher.

 

Learning of course is a continual process. I continue to return to Thailand for a few months each year to reconnect, recharge, and learn more from my teachers.

I am fully certified as a Thai Massage Therapist and Teacher through the Thai Massage School of Chiang Mai. I am certified by the Thai Ministry of Education and Health to provide certification to students in Thai massage internationally.