The Power of Intention

Deepening Your Thai Massage  – an East-West approach to Thai Bodywork is a BOOK AND VIDEO COURSE IN ONE, written by Tirza Bottema, founder of Thai Dee and teacher of Thai massage for more than three decades.

What makes this book unique is the way the knowledge is offered. It invites you not only to read, but also to look, feel, listen and play.

Insights are approached from multiple angles — through short reflective texts and poems, clear theory, beautiful photographs and complementary videos.
This layered approach allows understanding to grow naturally, helping you embody the work and deepen your massage practice from the inside out.

Nine steps, three pillars

The book unfolds in nine steps, organised into three interconnected pillars:

• Body
• Mind
• Energy

Each pillar consists of three steps that support and reinforce one another, creating a holistic framework for touch, awareness and therapeutic presence. This blog offers a first glimpse into Step 4: The Power of Intention in Healing Touch.

Why intention matters

Studies show that compassionate touch lowers stress hormones while increasing oxytocin, the “bonding hormone.” This not only strengthens your connection with others but also deepens your connection with yourself — accepting yourself as you are. This is an important first step in healing, especially when emotional imbalance lies beneath physical discomfort.

Beyond that, compassionate touch creates a safe foundation — the feeling of being in caring, capable hands. These are essential first steps toward healing.

And last but not least, compassionate touch benefits not only the receiver but also the practitioner. Giving a massage with compassion also makes you feel more relaxed and connected. You are literally opening your own heart as well as that of the recipient.

“Don’t change me

Touch me

I will change by the touch of your hands

Compassionate touch is shaped by your intention. The way you bring your mind into your practice transforms your touch from mechanical to meaningful. When you consciously set a healing, positive intention before and during a session, your hands become vessels of care, amplifying the depth of your touch. Intention is the foundation that allows your practice to move beyond the physical, creating an exchange that nourishes both giver and receiver.

Thai massage is more than a physical technique, it also is an intentional exchange, deeply rooted in Buddhist principles. The way you direct your mind and set your intention shapes the quality of your touch.

Thai massage begins before your hands touch. Your intention shapes the quality of your touch — and how the body responds. Not through force, but through presence.

Are you trying to fix, or are you listening?

A simple shift: before you begin, pause.
Let your breath drop into your belly. Soften your body. Arrive in your hands.

From here, touch becomes clearer. The nervous system feels safer. The body opens more easily.

Less effort. More effect.

Let your intention be guided by Metta — a gentle attitude of loving-kindness that can be felt through your hands.

And as you close the session, offer a quiet inner wish:
May you be happy, may you be healthy, may you be free from sorrow.

Thai massage often is not about doing more, but about how to do what you already know. And then, many times, it is about doing less, in the right way.

In Deepening Your Thai Massage, you’ll discover many more ways to work with the power of intention — practical, subtle, and deeply effective — helping you bring more depth, sensitivity, and ease into every treatment.

Each step opens a different doorway into your touch. Explore other steps to deepen your massage here.

Curious to explore further? 
Deepening Your Thai Massage – an East–West Approach to Thai Bodywork is a book and video course in one — inviting you to not only understand, but also experience the work in practice.
Available via major online bookstores worldwide, including Bol.com in the Netherlands and worldwide on platforms like Amazon.