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Introduction
9 Lessons-
StartWelcome to the course
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StartBackground and history of Thai Yoga Massage
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StartHow this section works
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StartWorking positions
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StartBasic techniques
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StartQuality of touch
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StartHow to develop your touch includes cornflour exercise at 4 minutes into the video
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StartEquipment and clothing
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StartReflective logs
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Thai Yoga Massage Diploma starts 2nd March. In person level 3 professional course, accredited by FHT
Become a fully qualified Thai yoga massage therapist in just 4 months. This course has 7 days of in-person training with supporting video lessons.
Course Summary
Are you a complete beginner in massage and have always fancied changing career and becoming a Thai yoga massage therapist? Are you interested in helping others by offering an amazing form of treatment that includes fantastic stretches and deep acupressure work?
This FHT-accredited course will teach you great techniques from the very start so you can learn how to give a massage that’s easy on your own body but incredibly effective for your clients. FHT is the Federation of Holistic Therapists - one of the leading accrediting bodies for massage in the UK.
This level 3 diploma course combines 7 days of in-person training with comprehensive video training to support you in your learning. Bringing you the best of digital learning (close-ups, rewinds, self-paced learning) with the experience of close teacher supervision combined with the experience of receiving the massage from your fellow students.
Note that this course is a fully comprehensive course that teaches you all the practical skills of Thai yoga massage, and how to apply them to create a successful business. A separate Anatomy, Physiology and Pathology course is also included (online only) where you'll learn how the body works from the inside out. This is a level 3 qualification that is also independently accredited by FHT.
Once you’ve successfully completed this accredited course, you will be qualified as a Thai yoga massage practitioner!
Let's first talk about who this course is for...
You’re a yoga teacher who's looking to expand your yoga business with an extra source of income that can help your students relax and ease their tense, tight body.
Or maybe you're completely new to massage and are keen to give up the 9-5, become your own boss, and earn a good income through helping others.
You’re keen to learn how to incorporate stretches as an integral part of your treatments in a way that’s easy to do, regardless of the size of your client?
You might be concerned that your thumbs, shoulders or back might hurt too much after a full day of massaging. So you want to explore how to use your body in a different way to be able to keep giving fantastic massages long into your older age as well as feeling great at the end of each working week.
A holistic approach is really important to you and you’d like to explore how to bring yoga, movement and meditation into your massage treatments so you can give your clients the ultimate “lazy-person’s yoga” experience
On successful completion of this course, you will:
Be a fully trained Thai Yoga massage therapist with a recognised, level 3 professional qualification, accredited by FHT (Federation of Holistic Therapists).
Be able to give a range of authentic Thai Yoga massage treatments to suit each individual client, from a 60 minutes “short” treatment to a 90 minutes “regular” treatment up to a 2 hours “full” treatment.
Confidently work with your clients in the full-range of positions: in Prone, Supine, Side-lying and Seated positions.
Develop a loyal client base by providing a highly sought-after treatment.
Be able to help clients with niggling issues that might have evaded you so far, particularly anyone with shoulder and lower back problems.
Have learned the full traditional routine from one of the UK’s leading Thai Yoga massage teachers who’s been training therapists since 2009.
Course Curriculum
In-Person Training
Our next course starts on 8th September in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire. All our in-person training takes place in a specially-built yoga cabin in the front garden. The training is not just a few days of back-to-back teaching. It is a full immersive experience where you will be welcomed into a small group of fellow, like-minded students and encouraged to enjoy the homely surroundings.
The schedule is:
Monday 2nd - Friday 6th March 2026:
Five days of intense practical, hands-on learning of Thai yoga massage.
8 weeks of home learning and case-studies to consolidate your learning from the in-person training. You will have access to all the videos to help you in your learning and practice.
Saturday 25th April:
One full day of learning all about how to launch and promote your new business. This fun day makes is a practical day helping you produce marketing material so you can hit the ground running and start making money straightaway! You'll also have the opportunity to go through any problems/questions on your practical training
4-8 weeks of home learning and case-studies to consolidate all your learning from the course.
One group coaching call on Zoom to be scheduled before your final assessment.
Assessment Day (tbc):
This is your assessment day but is also an important learning session. You will receive one-to-one feedback and expert tips to refine your work further. There is also a short, open-book exam to be completed at home within 48 hours.
If you don't already have a level 3 Anatomy and Physiology qualification or equivalent, you will get signed up to our online FHT-accredited A&P course. This can be done at your own speed and whenver you want, once you've signed up to the course. Using video training (not just boring book-learning), you'll find out all about the body and how it functions on an anatomical and physiological level. You'll also dive deeper into common pathologies that you might come across as a massage therapist. This qualification is fully recognised and accredited to NVQ level 3 and is transferrable to other courses.
Assuming you've completed the course fully and successfully passed all sections of the course, you will be qualified to become a Thai yoga massage practitioner!
Kathryn Ellis
My name is Kathryn Ellis and I've been working as a full-time massage practitioner for almost 20 years. Although I practise many different types of massage, Thai Yoga massage is my first and favourite discipline. I love the way this type of massage helps create a deeper connection between mind and body (for me as well as for my client) and as a result is often a more effective treatment for most types of pain.
I've been teaching massage for over 15 years face-to-face in my beautiful cabin in Leamington Spa and now also teach a number of courses online using video and Zoom. I run full practitioner training (FHT accredited) as well as short courses which act as an introduction to this amazing form of massage treatment.
Course overview - what you get!!
- Course length: The course lasts 14-18 weeks and starts on 2nd March 2026
- The course is a mix of 6 days of in-person teaching with over 6 hours of video training and 1 group coaching calls on Zoom, plus your assessment day.
- This professional qualification has been awarded a level 3 status and is accredited by the Federation of Holistic Therapists (FHT.org)
- You will need to practise the techniques you learn throughout the course (this works out as 30 hours of logged case-studies)
- The videos are supported by downloadable pdf manuals. All videos will be available for a minimum of 12 months
- Ongoing support: become part of the Central School of Massage community. You'll be invited to our private WhatsApp group where you can keep in touch with me and other students. You'll also be invited to our monthly "Catch-up" meetings in Leamington You'll be able to ask questions on any situations that might come up when you're out there working on "real clients"!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- How much time do I have to set aside each week - will I have time to do everything?
- You need to set aside 2-3 hours each week to do your logged case-studies, plus 1-2 hours a week to study the videos. There is some written work - eight assignments across the whole course.
- I'm not very bendy - do I have to be flexible to learn this style of massage?
- Nor was I when I first started learning TYM! However, through regular practice, you will likely become more flexible. I also suggest alternative versions throughout if you're unable to get into some of the positions. There's always another way!!
- If I get stuck, is anyone available and accessible to answer questions?
- You'll get a chance to ask questions in the dedicated WhatsApp group.
- I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed by how much there is to learn. Are you sure I can do this?
- Yes, there's lots to learn but it's very manageable. You'll learn in short sections and each section builds upon the other. I've taught many, many students over the last 15 years and have responded to the feedback with adjustments to the course, so you get the full benefit of a finely-tuned course. If you put in the practice and watch the videos, I promise you'll make good progress and won't get left behind.
- Isn’t TYM difficult to do? It’s such a painful massage that I’m sure it must hurt to apply that much pressure.
- Firstly, TYM shouldn’t be painful! Yes, it can be deep work and your client will feel it, but it’s really important that your client can relax and release into the stretches/compressions. Secondly, like anything, it’s not difficult to do once you know how… As we’re working on the floor, it’s easy to use gravity to create a stronger pressure - you’ll be amazed at how easy it is. In fact, we often have to remind ourselves how strong it can be. And, of course, we get to use our feet which, once we’re in the right position, are incredibly effective and powerful.
- How many case-studies are there?
- You need to complete 30 case-studies. This doesn’t mean 30 different people!! I suggest you do the first 10 on 2-3 people, and then broaden it out to more people as you move through the course. In the final 6 weeks, each massage for your case-studies should last 2 hours and I’d advise giving 5 people 2-3 massages each. However, this is a guide only and we’ll discuss this in more detail on the course.
- Will I be fully qualified, insurable and able to work at the end of the course?
- Assuming you’ve attended all the training days, completed all your case-studies, and passed the final assessment, then yes, you’ll be fully qualified as a Thai yoga massage therapist and, most importantly, will be able to charge for your work!
The best of both worlds?
I have to admit, I’d been a sceptic about online massage courses. Surely it’s not possible to learn something as hands-on as massage via video?
Well, my students didn’t agree with me and in 2020, due to Covid, they were so keen to learn TYM that they persuaded (a very reluctant) me to record the course on video. Each week they studied another video or two and then we met up via Zoom. Finally we came to the end of all the video training and we arranged for me to observe them practising their newly-learned techniques…
…I was gobsmacked! All the students were incredible! They’d learned the routine and all the different techniques amazingly well. Every detail was there - even the stuff that can get overlooked or forgotten when students go home to practise after a weekend of learning in-class. And, they loved learning this way. It truly was fantastic to share their journey with them.
So, I wanted to use all those training videos to support my in-person course, to help my students consolidate their learning in-between the face-to-face parts of the course.
I put together all the videos, recorded some more videos in response to the feedback from the students last year and created this fully comprehensive training, to get the best of both worlds (digital and in-person).
I’ve split the whole routine into sections with short videos that can be followed step-by-step. You can watch the videos over and over again, as many times as you like.
I’ve always stressed the importance of regular practice between teaching sessions, believing it to be an integral part of the course. But with online learning as well as in-person, you can now have teaching sessions between your practice sessions.
How perfect is that?!
