Thai Massage and Osteopathy

Integrating Thai massage and osteopathy for healing through therapeutic touch

The book combines the meditative, energetic foundations of Thai massage with the anatomical precision and palpation methods of osteopathy.

It provides clear treatment principles, including breathwork, treatment sequencing, and dynamic touch strategies. The book guides practitioners in refining touch, developing body awareness, and maintaining ethical presence in practice.

From two traditions, David Lutt and Jörg Schürpf have created a potent healing modality called Osteothai. They draw on the Buddhist foundations of the ancient practice of Thai massage, or Nuad Boran, which views massage as a meditation in movement. From osteopathy, they incorporate craniosacral and fascial system techniques, visceral work, and an emphasis on listening through the hands to the tissues’ subtle rhythms.

With their decades of training and clinical experience, the authors present their original, integrated therapy system, designed to support vitality and mobility and help restore health. Their practice of touch engages the therapist’s full body in grounded, fluid, and multidimensional contact with the client.

In this book, Lutt and Schürpf provide methods for developing presence, attention, and intention while guiding readers to refine palpation skills and address dysfunction by activating the body’s vital force. Exploring the anatomical, embryological, energetic, and emotional dimensions of touch, they offer practical approaches for supporting homeostasis and the body’s self-regulating capacities.

Uniting the art of osteopathic listening with the meditative awareness of Thai massage, Thai Massage and Osteopathy presents a grounded and adaptable therapeutic practice based on mindful touch.