workshops

**In-Person Workshops – subscribe to newsletter below to stay in the loop!!**

*To expand accessibility for folks who are facing financial hardship and/or have been marginalized, tuition is offered on a sliding scale for independently held classes. Please honestly consider your own situation and pay what you can. You may find this guide by Alexis J Cunningfolk to be a useful tool.

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Traditional Thai Massage & Bodywork; Foundations

Ready to delve into the amazing world of Thai bodywork?  Have you already had a taste, but need a refresher to give you the confidence to share your gifts?  Perhaps you are feeling stagnant in your work and want a completely different angle to approach the body or maybe you are experiencing pain/repetitive injury from the way you are currently using your body, and would like to discover some new tools (feet, knees, femurs, etc.).   

In this Traditional Thai Workshop Series, you will learn the basic theory and foundational techniques to give a 90-120-minute massage working with clients in supine, prone, side lying, and seated positions.  Our focus will be on the body mechanics and sequencing/flow as we explore new ways of using our body’s weight, leverage and movement to create pressure, lifts, mobilization and stretching.

In this workshop series you will:

• Learn the basic theory and foundational techniques needed to give a 90 minute to 120 minute Traditional Thai bodywork session, working in supine, prone, side lying and seated position
• Learn sequences that focus on ease of transition and maximize the efficiency of proper body mechanics
• Explore new ways of using leverage, your body weight and movement to create pressure, lifts, mobilization and stretches to create therapeutic & relaxing sessions
• Begin exploring the use of tools you already have (like feet, knees and femurs) to deliver comfortable, appropriate and effective pressure and rely less on your hands
• Free your creative juices to different ways of approaching the body and different ways of using your own body, working from a whole new angle – from a comfortable firm mat on the floor!
• Open yourself to a rich world and body of work, theory & culture  

This course is suitable for practitioners with no prior experience and also for those with experience who’d like to re-fresh what they’ve learned, return to beginners mind and/ or re-learn familiar things from different perspectives.  

**please note, this is a mat-based class

Traditional Thai Massage & Bodywork; Foundations.

5 Saturdays, 20 CE hours/ 4 CE hours each day. If you have a small group of 6-8 people interested in this series, please contact Lauren at mettapdx@gmail.com

Equitable Sliding Scale:

$600 – actual cost of the class (pays for you)

$525 – discounted rate *2-3 tickets available at this rate

$650 – sustainer rate (pays for you + supports a community member)

10% of profits will go to World Central Kitchen

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Thai Inspired Techniques Translated for the Table 

Traditionally Thai Bodywork is practiced on a mat on the floor. Luckily many Thai techniques are adaptable to the table which expands accessibility for practitioners and clients alike: For clients who would like to remain clothed; for therapists who are not ready or able to invest in a mat and ask their clients to move to a floor; for therapists and clients who would not be comfortable on the floor; for therapists who have overuse injury from using mainly hands, forearms and elbows; for therapists already practicing on a mat who would like to learn to adapt their techniques to the table; for therapists who would like to learn a new approach and get a glimpse into the rich world of Thai bodywork.

In this workshop you will :

Thai Inspired Techniques Translated for the Table. Upper Body: Saturday, January 24 & Lower Body: Saturday, February 21 from 9 – 5:30. Attend one or both days. East West College of the Healing Arts, Portland, OR, 15 CE hours/ 7.5 CE hours each day. Registration is through East West College of the Healing Arts

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“Soft Like Ant, Mighty Like Elephant”; A Whole Body Approach

In this class we will explore the anatomical concepts behind what make our body mechanics efficient allowing us to stay happy in our bodies and direct our focus where it belongs; sensing, feeling and assisting balance in the bodies of our recipients. We will expand our tools past elbow to fingertips and practice using the practical and varied shapes of our feet, knees, femurs, tibias, etc., and learn to feel into the different range of effortless pressure we can offer our clients from broad to focused and gentle to deep. These techniques allow us to give longer sessions and be effective for a wider range of body types/preferences. Not only are these tools perfect for working more deeply without straining our own body, they also offer further opportunity for nuance with their unique shapes and different angles in which they allow us to approach our clients’ bodies.

When we are comfortable in our own bodies we are free to pour our focus into feeling and sensing, creating a more nuanced, supportive, and flowing connection with our clients. Cultivating a vast array of ways to connect also helps us to step outside of routine and make our sessions more collaborative, intuitive, and fun!

Join us and sense for yourself what it means to be “Soft Like Ant, Mighty Like Elephant’

*Prerequisite: Foundational grasp of Thai Massage & Bodywork. If you are unsure if this class would be suitable for you please feel free to reach out.

‘Soft Like Ant, Mighty Like Elephant’ ; A Whole Body Approach. Portland, OR. Spring/Summer 2026 Details TBA. To add your name to updates on this class contact Lauren at mettapdx@gmail.com

*please note this is a mat-based class

10% of profits will go to World Central Kitchen

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“Too Much Discoteque!!”; A Stretch Lab

A favorite Thai teacher of mine would often exclaim with great exasperation, “Too Much Dicoteque!!” , while we were practicing in class. Like many of his messages, it took me some time to understand what he was saying…I wasn’t wearing my sparkle pants or doing the hustle….

Like most of his cryptic messages, over time, the wisdom of them would come to light and I would understand they applied not only to what I was doing in that moment but had a greater, more universal application. ‘Too much dicoteque’ essentially is a call to be present, to listen, sense, follow what we feel and to leave the fancy static, over thinking, over-doing out of our sessions.

In the beginning of our studies into the world of Thai Massage, most of us get drawn into the dance-like beauty & flow of the work, and especially the exciting, complex stretches that grace the covers of books and magazines touting the wonders of the Art of Thai Massage. If you do a quick search on “Thai Massage” you will come across such things as Thai massage competitions where a practitioner mesmerizingly moves through a series of oragami like shapes and stretches with their super flexible client; the result of which designates them as gold medalist [insert my teacher’s voice here] ‘of too much dicoteque!!’. Often when you see these demonstrations, the client’s body is super flexible and used to being manipulated in these ways or, they are absolutely not, and it is super apparent if you focus instead on their face and body language.

This also gives the impression that Thai massage is simply a series of rhythmic presses and complex flowy stretches in quick succession, never needing to communicate with one’s client. It is easy to understand how this notion came about when one attempts to turn it into a spectator sport. Think of how interesting it would be to watch a practitioner be present enough to sense, still, feel into and wait, wait, wait [to the power of 100] vs. watching the Gold Medalist of Discoteque? But for most of us, hopefully our sessions are not a spectator sport with an audience. They are delicately held spaces where we witness and facilitate, as best we can in that moment, for the body/ mind/ spirit of our client to explore new ways of being and seeing.

OK, so what does this mean? If we are to follow the words of my teacher, should we leave these dynamic shapes and stretches out of a session completely? If not, how; what; when; why; and where should we use these tools so they benefit our client? And can we use these tools without donning our gold glitter jumpsuits and go-go boots? (Although, not knocking wearing a gold glitter jumpsuit in session so long as it is comfortable). I believe there is a way of entering into this dance without electric sliding into the land of ‘too much dicoteque!!’.

In this class we will

– Explore these questions and dance moves

– Deconstruct the biomechanics of what is happening in some of the most commonly taught/ used stretches/ shapes and learn to use them strategically and intentionally

– Learn different ways of communicating with and eliciting feedback from our clients

– Create ways of modifying techniques for our client’s bodies as well as our own!

– Find ways of cooling our dance fever and finding our ‘just enough discoteque’ sweet spot

OK, I am getting off at this bus stop (the Dad puns are becoming insufferable).

‘Too Much Discoteque!!’; A Stretch Lab. Portland, OR. Spring/Summer 2026 Details TBA. To add your name to updates on this class contact Lauren at mettapdx@gmail.com

*this will primarily be a mat-based class but could be adapted to the table too

10% of profits will go to World Central Kitchen

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Thai Herbal Steam Compress [Luk Pra Kob] in Practice

These healing assistants come from the rich tradition of Thai folk healing arts dating back several hundreds if not thousands of years. Combining the medicinal properties of plants, heat and manual therapy, these poultices are powerful healing assistants and can be incorporated into a variety of therapeutic modalities, as well as for self-care use at home.

While all of the therapeutic benefits of these bundles are too numerous to list, here are some of the fundamental ones:

• increase circulation
• increase energy flow in stagnant tissues
• decrease pain and discomfort in the body
• help to ease mental and physical tension
• help alleviate congestion and open the sinuses (aid in breath work!)
• they smell divine and calm the spirit (everyone in your building/wellness center/house will benefit!)

They are fun to make and easy to weave into your existing practice. We will first explore some main healing properties of these medicinal plants and herbs, and then respectfully chop, pound, shred, and shape these herbs into little bundles ready to be steamed. Rounding off our day we will experience their therapeutic benefits first hand as we practice using them on one another. 

Herbal Steam Compress Workshop [luk pra kob] – a small group class of 4. If interested, reach out to be put on the *interest list* (or gather a small group of 4 people) and contact Lauren mettapdx@gmail.com to collaborate a plan. Portland, 6 CE hours 10am- 5pm. Tuition: $265 (all materials included).

Equitable Sliding Scale Pricing:

10% of profits will go to support The Karen Hilltribes Trust in Northern Thailand

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Developing Curriculum:

I’m always in the process of gathering the nuanced quandaries and curiosities from my current students and drawing from my own when I began this path over 2 decades ago. I’ve got several ideas in the hopper which I’ve added below, and I am always delighted to learn more! Where do you feel stuck? What are the questions that come up for you/ your body while you are in session or afterwards? Please feel free to give me a shoutout and let me know what you would like to explore.

Thai based techniques; Working with Sciatica & Piriformis Syndrome

Thai based techniques; Tuning the Shoulder Girdle

Thai based techniques; Working with the Ribs/Breathing issues

Thai based techniques; Working with Scoliosis

Thai based techniques; Bodymechanics for effectiveness, happiness and longevity – using our whole body in session

Thai based Techniques; Getting out of ruts and Breaking free from routines

[metta] thai healing arts workshops

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**There are many reasons people face obstacles in seeking learning experiences, especially in group settings.  Feelings of not belonging — cultural differences, language/ communication challenges, financial hardship, existing in a body or community that has been marginalized and othered,  fear of being physically and or emotionally harmed and/or a number of other reasons.  Though none of us have complete control over any space or situation and we all carry with us our own blindspots, I do my best to create a space  in my bodywork sessions and classes where everyone feels, seen, heard, respected and welcome. I expect the same from those who choose to participate in the way we relate with one another.

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