Dive into the worlds of Ayurveda and Element Theory, adding another layer to your customization practice and another way in which you can help meet the needs of each individual. We’ll also add a whole toolkit worth of using your knees, feet and forearms as your massage tools. The intensive is a really unique way to immerse yourself back into your practice (and also to get treatments for yourself, because I know it’s been a little while).
Please note that this package is only available to current students who have participated in a minimum of Module 3 of the Navina curriculum. You do not need to be certified, but you need to have taken Modules 1-3.
The retreat centre is located in walking distance to 2 beautiful waterfalls with natural pools that are accessible to you at any time during the day (outside of class time). The beach is located about 25-minutes up the road and we’ll be going to one of them.
Course information:
Thai Massage & Ayurveda –
Ayurveda, often translated as “the science of life,” is one of the world’s oldest systems of health and wellbeing. While originating in India, many of its principles have influenced the development of traditional Thai medicine and massage. In this module, we’ll explore these concepts as another lens through which to observe the individual in front of us and further customise our treatments.
Rather than replacing an understanding of anatomy and physiology, this course invites us to broaden our perspective by integrating traditional ideas within the evidence-based approach that underpins the Navina curriculum.
Throughout this module, you’ll:
- Explore the foundations of the three doshas, the five elements, and the Vayus, and consider how these traditional concepts relate to Thai massage.
- Learn how Ayurvedic principles can help inform treatment intention, posture selection, and the overall flow of a session.
- Expand your practical repertoire with approximately 45 minutes of additional massage techniques, including further development of abdominal work.
- Revisit familiar techniques from Modules 1–3 through a new lens, exploring how traditional concepts can influence assessment and treatment decisions.
- Reflect on the relationship between physical techniques, practitioner intention, and the broader experience of giving and receiving massage.
By the end of the course, you’ll have a deeper appreciation of the historical philosophies that continue to shape Thai massage today, while developing a broader and more adaptable approach to your own practice.
Expanding Touch Techniques & Enhancing Sensitivity –
One of the defining characteristics of Thai massage is the variety of ways we can interact with the body. In this module, we move beyond the hands to more completely explore how the knees, forearms, and feet can become refined and sensitive tools, allowing us to work more efficiently while expanding the possibilities available within a treatment.
The focus isn’t simply on learning new techniques – it’s on developing greater touch sensitivity, improving practitioner biomechanics, and discovering how different tools can create different therapeutic experiences for both practitioner and receiver.
Throughout this module, you’ll:
- Learn to confidently incorporate your knees, forearms, and feet into massage treatments with precision, control, and sensitivity.
- Develop the ability to deliver the full spectrum of pressure – from gentle, superficial contact to deeper work – using different parts of the body.
- Compare the strengths of different touch techniques and discover when each is most appropriate within a treatment.
- Expand your practical repertoire with approximately one hour of additional massage techniques that integrate seamlessly into your existing practice.
- Explore how greater versatility in touch supports more personalised, adaptable, and sustainable treatments for a wide variety of clients.
By the end of this module, you’ll have a broader toolkit, a deeper appreciation of touch sensitivity, and a more efficient way of working that benefits both you and your clients.
This is an opportunity to expand your practice in our stunning new centre in the jungles of Costa Rica. Join us.
If you secure your place with a deposit, we’ll contact you as soon as possible to set up your payment plan arrangements. To read through the payment plan policies in advance, please see this page.
Early Bird rate until Nov 30, 2026.