Chiang Mai has gained a reputation not only as a spiritual destination but also as a hub for alternative healing practices in Southeast Asia. Offering healing rooted in ancient Ayurvedic and Chinese traditions, Chiang Mai stands out among other wellness destinations. Here, you will find numerous practitioners who prioritize healing and results over financial gain and social media popularity.
Many alternative hybrid modalities have emerged in Chiang Mai as a result of integrating local healing principles. One such practice, Tantric Tao massage, offers opportunities for sexual healing from past traumas, rejuvenation of life force energy, and the cultivation of more fulfilling sexual pleasure.
Overview of The Healing Culture of Chiang Mai
The quickest way to spoil a healing holiday in Chiang Mai is by visiting a disappointing massage place. With so many options, it's important to choose wisely, as not all locations uphold renowned standards.
To avoid disappointment, learn about the principles of Thai massage and research reputable places. Based on Ayurvedic and Chinese healing, traditional Thai massage has been refined in Thailand over thousands of years, focusing on healing through energy work. The main Thai massage schools in Chiang Mai—TTC Spa School Massage, MCI Thai Massage School, and Sunshine Massage School—offer in-depth programs and uphold high standards in Thai and Western medical knowledge.
Beyond these schools, many respected massage masters, including renowned blind masters, teach independently. Thai massage effectively addresses physical issues, using energy systems for healing. These principles also underpin Western practices like osteopathy, chiropractic care, and craniosacral therapy.
Alternative Healing Practices in Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai attracts Western practitioners from various modalities seeking deeper knowledge of energy bodies—knowledge that isn’t always accessible in the West. In many public spaces, students exchange their healing crafts, fostering a culture of collective growth and learning unique to the city. This curiosity has made Chiang Mai a birthplace for hybrid practices that blend Eastern and Western techniques, such as Osteothai, Structural Chi Nei Tsang, and Tantric and Taoist massage.
Tao and Sexual Healing
Nestled in the lush gardens of Doi Saket, 40 minutes from Chiang Mai, the Tao Healing Center, founded by Grandmaster Mantak Chia in 1994, offers a unique healing opportunity. Taoism, like Thai healing philosophies, emphasizes energy as foundational to our physical and mental well-being, ultimately seeking harmony in life.
A key aspect of Taoist philosophy is balancing Yin and Yang—feminine and masculine principles—within an individual. Practices like Tai Chi, sound, visualization, and breathing help achieve personal and environmental harmony by circulating Chi energy for healing and longevity.
Taoist philosophy focuses on cultivating life force energy, which influences sexual response and offers healing benefits. Unlike Western views centered on pleasure, Taoism sees sexual energy as fundamental to universal energy, with creative potential. Historically, the Chinese emperors used Taoist secrets to enhance health and longevity.
Cultivating Sexual Energy at Tao Garden
At Tao Garden, individuals learn to cultivate sexual energy through practices for men and women, including circulating energy, semen retention, and jade egg exercises. Sublimating sexual energy enables individuals to transcend short-lived orgasms, becoming multi-orgasmic, and achieving a spiritual connection with the divine.
The Interplay of Tantra and Taoism in Holistic Healing
Tantra is another Asian system with long historical roots and shares commonalities with Taoism. Drawing its knowledge from Buddhism and Hinduism, Tantra emphasizes the connection between the physical and spiritual worlds, often incorporating sexual practices, meditation, and ritual. Tantra teaches that form (Shakti) and consciousness (Shiva) are complementary forces, and their balance is essential to achieving liberation or spiritual awakening. The Shiva/Shakti concept mirrors the Taoist idea of Yin/Yang.
When exploring Tao and Tantra, one can see many similarities in their approaches. Practitioners of one method often explore the other to expand and complement their knowledge. Taoism offers a more structured and detailed approach, often linked with anatomical body systems, like inner organs and blood vessels. In contrast, Tantra discusses the energy body in more spiritual terms, allowing for intuitive interpretation and creativity. Ultimately, both practices guide students toward liberation and healing by strengthening their energy body, clearing past blockages, cultivating sexual energy, freeing the mind, and expanding consciousness.
Healing Sexuality Through Tantric Tao Massage
Students of Taoism and those interested in exploring sexual energy for healing and awakening can benefit from Tantric Tao massage in Chiang Mai by working with a trained practitioner.
There are several places in Chiang Mai where you can experience the healing power of Taoist massage, which is somewhat similar to Thai massage. More specialized techniques include Chi Nei Tsang—abdominal organ massage—and Karsai Nei Tsang—internal sexual organ massage (vaginal and anal). These practices, heavily influenced by the teachings of Mantak Chia and other Taoist practitioners, are effective in addressing pelvic floor tension, urinary issues, and sexual dysfunctions. Like Thai massage, these techniques focus on correcting energy flow distortions in the abdominal and pelvic floor areas. They are usually performed separately due to their significant impact, allowing the body time to heal and adjust.
Tantric massage, on the other hand, provides a full-body experience designed to address the entire energy system and body in one session. It includes energy re-balancing and also works with pleasure as a healing tool. In a Tantric Tao massage, you might experience a full-body massage, including genital massage—Yoni massage for women and Lingam massage for men—with elements of Taoist massage.
Benefits of Tantric Massage for the Body and Nervous System
The three main principles connecting Taoism, Tantra, and Ayurveda (from which Thai massage originates) are:
- A holistic approach to health, where physical, mental, and spiritual aspects are inseparable and must be addressed together.
- The concept of energy as a connective force, known as Chi and Jing in Taoism, Shakti in Tantra, and Prana in Ayurveda.
- An emphasis on harmony and balance among the body's energies and the feminine/masculine or yin/yang aspects.
Following these principles, it's clear that healing physical illness is impossible without addressing the energetic body, mental state, emotions, and nervous system. In tantric massage, all these aspects are considered. The practitioner takes time to understand which parts of the client's system are most out of balance, including:
- Physical tensions, especially in the pelvic floor, due to trauma, stress, or surgeries.
- Emotional and psychological state.
- The nervous system's condition, whether it is regulated or in a fight-flight-freeze state.
- Client’s spiritual aspirations, if applicable.
Then, the practitioner selects the most appropriate tools to help the client achieve their goals, such as releasing pelvic tension, connecting with and cultivating sexual energy, healing sexual trauma, processing unpleasant emotions related to sexuality and intimacy, learning to build a healthy sexual practice, becoming multi-orgasmic, and experiencing sexuality in an expanded way.
By guiding the client’s awareness through various elements of the session—physical sensations in the body, breathing and energy flow, emotions, and nervous system states (arousal/relaxation)—the practitioner and client collaboratively build a unique path to healing and expansion.
Beyond Pleasure: Deep Self-Connection and Expansion of Consciousness
In a world where sexuality is easily accessible through pornography, more people are questioning if that’s all sexuality has to offer. Many ancient spiritual practices believe that sexual energy is key to awakening, placing Taoism and Tantra at the forefront of this exploration.
In these traditions, sexuality is seen as sacred and harnessed as a life force for healing, rejuvenation, and longevity. While pleasure is an important aspect of healing, focusing solely on it, such as orgasm, can cause one to miss the chance to experience a higher state of bliss: a oneness with divinity or the universal principle known as the Tao. Tantra teaches that these elevated states are achieved by cultivating the energies of Shakti or Chi.
From a scientific standpoint, energy refers to the electromagnetic impulses that flow between nerve cells. This phenomenon, known as neuroplasticity, keeps our brains active and vital by forming new neural pathways. Circulating orgasmic or sexual energy throughout the body engages and activates nerve cells in the brain, helping to prevent both mental and physical aging.
During a tantric massage or other Tantric/Taoist practices, it's common to experience a quiet mind, a flow of energy, and a connection to a larger reality, whether understood as the Tao or a divine presence. This state facilitates a profound sense of self that transcends the body, emotions, and thoughts—something that is always inherently present within us.
Why Experience Tantric Massage in Chiang Mai?
If you're interested in exploring the spiritual potential of sexual energy, Chiang Mai is a great place to do so. Supported by two trusted institutions—the Tao Garden Retreat Center (for Taoist practices) and the Mahasiddha Tantra Yoga School (for traditional Tantric practices)—you can safely explore these two main schools and their distinct approaches. In classes and courses, you can learn the theory and self-practices necessary for cultivating sexuality and achieving expanded states of consciousness.
However, some students find it challenging to experience energy flow in the body, even after practicing for some time. This often occurs when energy blockages exist that the new student may not yet be aware of. In these cases, a tantric massage can be an effective solution; the practitioner can help clear these blockages and guide clients toward harmony.
Understanding the Differences Between Tantric Massage and Erotic Massage
Unfortunately, not every Tantric massage advertised online is authentic. Often, erotic services are marketed under the umbrella of Tantric massage, but their purpose differs significantly.
Authentic Tantric massage, as a healing and awakening tool, focuses on a holistic view of the individual and is not limited to pleasure; in fact, pleasure is not the primary goal of such treatment. The energy work performed by the practitioner can evoke stronger pleasurable sensations that are often felt throughout the entire body rather than just in the genitals.
Here are a few differences that can help distinguish authentic Tantric massage from erotic massage:
- Authentic Tantric massage requires a minimum of three hours to adequately prepare the body and energy system for a meaningful experience.
- A sacred environment is an inseparable part of this treatment.
- A practitioner must wear a uniform and avoid any erotic engagement with clients.
- Ejaculation for male clients is not offered since the aim of Tantric massage is to channel and utilize sexual energy for healing and spiritual growth.
Benefits of Tantric Massage in Chiang Mai
Here are a few ways men and women can benefit from receiving a Tantric Tao massage in Chiang Mai.
Benefits of Tantric Massage for Men
The benefits of lingam and prostate massage include:
- Help with getting control over premature ejaculation by regulating the nervous system, learning energy circulation techniques, and release of the tension of the pelvic floor.
- Improving erections by building up the blood flow to the system, activating arousal due to a bigger amount of the energy in the body, and releasing of pelvic floor tension.
- Developing higher sensitivity for pleasure in the body and learning new ways to experience orgasmic energy.
- Healing sexual trauma and emotions associated with it.
- Improving daily energy levels and gaining more clarity and focus of the mind by cultivating life force energy.
- Dealing with sexuality- and intimacy-related emotional difficulties, such as attachment struggles, fears, performance anxiety, shame, disgust, and other emotions.
Benefits of Tantric Massage for Women
The benefits of yoni massage include:
- Expanding orgasmic potential for women by opening up all the orgasmic centres.
- Gaining awareness of one’s own arousal and pleasure mechanism (as it is unique for everyone).
- Releasing pelvic pain and tension.
- Addressing numbness in genitals and other parts of the body by using gentle nervous system balancing and sensitization practices.
- Healing sexual trauma and emotions associated with it, and re-establishing healthy boundaries.
- Addressing sexuality- and intimacy-related emotional difficulties, such as attachment struggles, fears, performance anxiety, shame, disgust. and other emotions.
Don't miss the opportunity to experience the unique healing opportunities that Chiang Mai has to offer. Supported by traditional healing principles and contemporary Western discoveries in human physiology, and led by passionate, dedicated practitioners, Chiang Mai is the ideal place to safely heal the body, mind, and nervous system while enriching your soul journey and seeking spiritual guidance to foster a better connection with yourself.
As you consider your journey, remember that authentic experiences in this vibrant city can vary. When choosing your practitioner, ensure they have reputable education, experience in their field, positive testimonials, and an established practice.
Embrace the chance to heal or expand your sexuality and life force energy in a way that cultivates joy, balance, and a profound sense of self. Whether through workshops, classes, or Tantric massage, Chiang Mai is an excellent place to start or deepen your knowledge of sexuality, healing, and spiritual potential.
About the Author
Julia Vaya-Mai is an experienced Tantra practitioner with eight years of experience and a commitment to continually enriching her practice with modern methods such as Somatic Experiencing, Somatic Therapy, Sexual Coaching, and Nervous System Regulation Therapy. She provides an expanded diagnostic approach to identify the possible roots of sexual issues and offers a variety of tools tailored to individual needs. Reach out for consultations, online healing and therapy sessions, sexual or Tantra coaching, and bodywork while in Chiang Mai.
References:
https://www.sunshine-massage-school.com/history_of_traditional_thai_massage.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taoist_sexual_practices
https://www.taotantricarts.com/theory.html
Pictures source: https://www.pexels.com
