From Thailand to Evanston: My Continuing Journey in Traditional Thai Bodywork
Every time I return to Thailand, there is a moment when I think, I'm back.
It may happen while walking down a familiar street, seeing a temple I have visited before, sitting down for a meal with friends, or meeting a teacher I haven't seen since my last trip.
Thailand stopped feeling like simply a place I travel to a long time ago.
I originally came because of Thai bodywork. I wanted to learn more, understand the techniques better, and study closer to the source. But somewhere along the way, the trips became about much more than taking another class.
I made friends. I found teachers I wanted to return to. I discovered places that became meaningful to me. I began spending more time at temples, learning about traditions and paying attention to the culture surrounding the work I practice every day.
So when people ask why I keep going back to Thailand, there isn't one simple answer.
I go back to learn. But I also go back because part of my life is there now.
And every time I return home, I bring a little of that experience back with me.
Today, that journey continues in a new place: Evanston, Illinois, where I am now welcoming clients at Thai Stretching.
Returning to Thailand to Learn, Practice and Reconnect
One of the funny things about experience is that the more you learn, the more you realize how much there still is to learn.
Years ago, I might have gone into a training thinking, I need to learn this technique.
Now I pay attention to much smaller things.
Why does the teacher place a hand there?
Why that angle?
Why does one movement feel completely different when you slow it down?
Why does something I have performed hundreds of times suddenly make more sense when another practitioner demonstrates it?
That is why I continue studying.
I don't return to Thailand because I need another certificate for the wall. I return because Thai bodywork isn't something I believe you simply "finish" learning.
Sometimes I revisit techniques I already know.
Sometimes I discover that I have been doing something correctly, but finally understand why it works.
And sometimes I have to forget what I thought I knew and look at it again with fresh eyes.
Those are often the lessons I remember most.
Thai bodywork can look simple from the outside — pressure, stretching, movement.
But when you practice it for years, you begin to understand how much is happening underneath.
You learn to notice how someone breathes. Where they resist movement. Where the body protects itself. When to apply pressure and, just as importantly, when not to.
That kind of understanding doesn't come from one course.
It comes from years of touching, observing, practicing, making mistakes, asking questions and continuing to learn.
Returning to Thailand gives me time to learn, reflect, and reconnect with the traditions behind my work.
Time for Meditation and Reflection
My days in Thailand aren't filled only with classes.
Some of my favorite days are actually the quiet ones.
I visit temples. I walk. I sit. I meditate.
I've spent time at places such as Wat Pho in Bangkok and temples around Chiang Mai. Sometimes there is no big revelation. There doesn't need to be.
You simply sit somewhere beautiful and ancient, away from appointments, phones, clients, errands and everything waiting for you back home.
And for a little while, you don't have to be anywhere else.
That quiet has become an important part of my trips.
Bodywork requires you to be present with another person. It's difficult to give someone that attention when your own mind is running in ten directions.
Meditation reminds me to slow down.
I often return home with new techniques, but I also return with something harder to put on a certificate: more patience.
And my clients probably benefit from that just as much.
Time spent at temples gives me space to slow down, reflect, and reconnect.
Giving Is Part of the Tradition
There are small moments in Thailand that stay with me.
Flowers placed carefully at a temple.
Lotus blossoms. Candles. Food offerings.
Someone stopping during an ordinary day to make a small gesture of respect or gratitude.
At first, you notice these things because they're beautiful.
After spending more time there, you begin noticing the meaning behind them.
Giving is woven into everyday spiritual life in Thailand. It isn't always something large or dramatic. Often, it's very simple. That idea has stayed with me.
In bodywork, we talk a lot about what clients receive: less tension, easier movement, relaxation, relief.
But this work is also an exchange between two people.
Someone trusts me with their body. They give me their time. They allow themselves to be vulnerable enough to relax.
For me, participating in these traditions in Thailand has become a quiet reminder to approach my own work with gratitude..
Flowers and lotus blossoms are closely connected with temple offerings and everyday spiritual traditions in Thailand.
Teachers, Friends and the People Behind the Journey
If you looked through my photographs from Thailand, you would see plenty of temples and beautiful places.
But some of my favorite photographs aren't particularly impressive.
They're dinners. People sitting around a table. Friends. Teachers. Ordinary moments.
Because eventually, a place becomes important because of the people you know there.
Over the years, I've returned to see teachers I've studied with before. Friendships developed. Familiar faces started appearing on every trip.
And some of the best learning didn't happen during a scheduled class.
It happened while talking after training.
Over food. During a walk. While watching someone work.
Or when a conversation that had nothing to do with massage suddenly made me understand something about the way people approach healing, touch or care.
Those relationships changed the way I think about my profession.
I'm not flying to Thailand, collecting techniques and bringing them back to America.
I'm maintaining a relationship with the people, culture and traditions that taught me this work.
There is a difference.
Learning also happens through friendships, conversations, shared meals, and years of connection.
Seeing the Roots of Traditional Thai Bodywork
Wat Pho is one of those places where you can physically see how far back this tradition goes.
Today, people often discover Thai massage through a spa menu or a short video online.
At Wat Pho, the perspective is completely different.
You see representations of traditional positions and teachings connected with Thai medicine throughout the temple grounds. You're reminded that these movements existed long before massage studios, booking apps and social media.
I find that humbling.
It also makes me think differently about responsibility.
If I'm going to teach Thai bodywork or offer it to clients, I want to understand more than where to put my hands.
I want to understand where the practice came from.
I want to respect the people who taught me.
And I want the work to retain some connection to its roots, even when I'm practicing thousands of miles away in Illinois.
Traditional Thai bodywork positions represented at Wat Pho in Bangkok.
A New Chapter: Thai Bodywork in Evanston
After returning home, I bring these experiences back into my work.
They influence how I approach each session, how I work with the body, and how I teach other practitioners.
If you previously knew me through Thai Blossom Chicago, I would love to welcome you to my current practice.
I am now seeing clients in Evanston.
My services include traditional Thai bodywork and other Thai techniques designed around each client's individual needs.
You can view current services, session options, pricing, and booking information on the Thai Stretching website.
Whether you have worked with me before or are experiencing Thai bodywork for the first time, I look forward to welcoming you.
Learn Thai Bodywork With Me This September
My journey also continues through teaching.
On September 27–28, I will be teaching Table Thai Bodywork Training in the Chicago area.
This two-day, hands-on training is designed for massage therapists and bodyworkers who want to learn how Thai bodywork techniques can be used effectively on a massage table.
September 27–289:00 AM–5:00 PM2-Day Training16 CEU Hours$725
You will learn practical techniques that you can begin bringing into your own bodywork sessions.
Thailand, Chicago and now Evanston have all become different parts of the same story.
I go to Thailand.
I learn.
I spend time with people who have become important to me.
I slow down.
I come home.
I work with my clients.
I teach.
And eventually, I realize there is something else I want to understand.
So I go back again.
Maybe that's what a lifelong practice is supposed to look like.
— Edita
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