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TaoMountain's Teacher Examination

 

TaoMountain's teacher training program works differently from those of other schools.The mission of our program is to recognize advanced, in-depth study by serious practitioners of Thai healing arts.

We are interested in graduating knowledgeable professional instructors of Thai massage and/or herbal medicine who are not only great bodyworkers and teachers but who are intimately familiar with a broad range of Thai medical ideas, practices, and culture, and we have a separate teaching certificate for Thai herbal medicine.

There are many teacher training systems which concentrate on bodywork, but ours focuses as much on Thai tradition, history, philosophy, and the theory of Thai medicine as it does on bodywork. We often receive students who have completed teacher training at other schools, but who appreciate the gaps in their knowledge and come to us for additional training in Thai medical culture, history, and theory to complement the bodywork they already know and love. Candidates will have readings on Thai history, Thai medical theory, indigenous culture, and Theravada Buddhism to complement experience with Thai massage theory. Candidates will also be required to learn how to perform the traditional ceremonies required to be an authentic transmitter of the ancient lineage which is said to have begun by Jivaka Komarabaccha.

Please note that certification in our program is at the discretion of TaoMountain, and that it requires the highest degree of proficiency and performance. Our standards of quality for our teachers are extremely high, and successful completion of the entire program is required for certification. Also note that completion of the training does not ensure an invitation to join the network.



Prerequisites

Specific correspondence course work is not required with TaoMountain. Candidates have the following requirements:

Massage teaching candidates must present evidence of 300 hours of in-class work and 500 hours of logged practice. Generally, teacher candidates must have been practicing Thai massage or other Thai modalities for at least 3 years before applying.

Your total hours MAY include:

  • Internships or assistant teaching with TM Network teachers or other schools
  • Undocumented work with Thai teachers who do not offer certificates — contact us for details

Your total hours MAY NOT include:

  • Courses in Indian Ayurveda, Chinese medicine, Hatha-yoga, or other non-Thai modalities
  • Courses in Western massage, medicine, or related fields

Thai herbal medicine candidates must completed 200+ hours of in-class training in traditional Thai medicine or Indian Ayurveda, and 300+ hours of logged practice with clients. These courses can include a combination of courses from different teachers and schools in Ayurveda, including at-home and distance education. However, your total hours MUST include a clinical component, and must include the following TM courses, or the equivalent from another school:

Additionally, all candidates are required to have completed ONE of the following:

  • Studied in Thailand for more than 1 month or other intimate personal connection with Thai cuture
  • Spent significant time in Theravada Buddhist meditation centers or monasteries
  • Completed college-level courses on Thailand, Southeast Asia, or Theravada Buddhism
  • Competent in Thai language

Other similar work can also be accepted. Contact us for specific cases.

 

Instructor Examination

When a teacher training candidate has completed the above pre-requisites, they are ready to challenge our Instructor Examination. Candidates will be tested extensively over 5 days during one of Pierce's Thai Medical Theory or Thai Massage Theory courses. The candidate will participate in the course as an assistant, and will be called upon to do the following:

  • Written exam including essays and short answer questions
  • Written review of the basic Thai massage routine (for massage teaching candidates only)
  • A formal interview with candidate to discuss their personal philosophy of healing and teaching.
  • Presentation of a cultural project showcasing an aspect of Thai culture reflecting independent research and study.
  • Presentation of log forms tracing the progress of 3 clients over 3 months
  • Knowledge of opening ceremonies in the tradition of the Shivagakomarpaj lineage
  • Practical test for massage candidates: flawless 2-hour basic Thai Massage routine with therapy session.
  • Practical test for herbal candidates: full consultation with a client.
  • Optional for both candidates: In order to qualify as an instructor of Thai Herbal Massage, a 1 hour herbal compress session must be given.

Further details of these requirements are available in the Teacher Study Guide.

 

Fees

To challenge the Instructor Examination costs $699. It is suggested that students prepare by taking the Introduction to Thai Medicine and/or the History and Theory of Traditional Thai Medicine correspondence courses, which involves an addtional fee.

 

Certification

  1. Teachers who have completed our teacher training program will be given certificates of recognition by TaoMountain as instructors of Thai massage courses or Thai medicine courses, and will be granted a lifetime membership in TaoMountain's member area for free.
  2. If desired, we assist all network massage teachers with NCBTMB approval for their courses so that they can provide continuing education credits to American CMTs and LMTs.
  3. Successful teaching apprenticeship graduates will also have the option of joining the TaoMountain Network of recommended teachers.
  4. Teachers receive logistical and marketing support through our web and print advertising, and join our "circle of friends."

 

How to Prepare

Candidates should adequately prepare before coming to the Examination. In addition to all relevant coursework, independent study is recommended using the books listed below. Preparation for the examination is done at home at your own pace. When you have adequately prepared and can answer our Sample Test Questions confidently, you can register for the Examination.

When you come for testing, by this point in your career, we assume that your knowledge of Thai massage and/or herbal medicine is adequate to our examination standard, and that you have sufficient experience. Massage candidates should feel confident in the Shivagakomarpaj Traditional Medicine Hospital's style of Thai massage and sen theory. All candidates should be comfortable with Thai herbal compresses, Theravada Buddhist history and theory, Thai medical history, Thai Ayurvedic theory, and general Thai cultural history. We also require that you know how to perform the Wai Khru and Tham Khwan ceremonies, as well as set up a Thai Buddhist altar in order to provide your students with the most authentic experience. All of this is covered in detail in the required reading materials below, and in our Teacher Study Guide.

Our goal is to help you to succeed, and the Teacher Study Guide fully documents our requirements. Students who have not extensively trained, studied, and prepared through courses and at home can expect to fail a section of this exam. In the event that a candidate fails a certain portion of this exam, they will be required to repeat the examination at their own expense.

 

Course Materials

Highly recommended materials for all candidates. Click here to see details of these products.

  1. Readings in Thai Medicine: 250-page collection of relevant materials on Thai medicine, history, and culture.
  2. TaoMountain's DVD Reviewing Classic Thai Massage Routine
  3. TaoMountain 10-CD Teaching Apprenticeship Set

Highly recommended materials for all candidates. (These ARE NOT included with your course fees.) Please purchase from Amazon.com or other retailer. Click here to see details of these products.

  1. Salguero, C. Pierce. A Thai Herbal: Traditional Recipes for Health and Harmony. Forres, Scotland: Findhorn Press, 2003.
  2. Salguero, C. Pierce. The Encyclopedia of Thai Massage: A Complete Guide to Traditional Thai Massage Therapy and Acupressure. Forres, Scotland: Findhorn Press, 2004
  3. Salguero, C. Pierce. The Spiritual Healing of Traditional Thailand. Forres, Scotland: Findhorn Press, 2006.
  4. Salguero, C. Pierce. Traditional Thai Medicine: Buddhism, Animism, Ayurveda. Baltimore: TaoMountain Press, 2005.

Recommended materials for massage candidates. These may be optional for some candidates with prior experience with anatomy, yoga, and/or travel in Thailand.

  1. Calais-Germain, Blandine. Anatomy of Movement. Seattle:  Eastland Press, 1993.
  2. Silva, Mira and Shyam Mehta. Yoga the Iyengar Way: The New Definitive Illustrated Guide. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2003
  3. O'Reilly, James and Larry Habegger, eds.  Thailand, True Stories. San Francisco: Traveler's Tales, Inc., 2002
  4. Cummings, Joe, et al. Thailand: 10th Edition. Melbourne: Lonely Planet Publications, 2003

Recommended materials for herbal candidates. These may be optional for some candidates with prior experience with these topics.

  1. O'Reilly, James and Larry Habegger, eds.  Thailand, True Stories. San Francisco: Traveler's Tales, Inc., 2002
  2. Cummings, Joe, et al. Thailand: 10th Edition. Melbourne: Lonely Planet Publications, 2003
  3. Mulholland, Jean. Herbal Medicine in Paediatrics: Translation of a Thai Book of Genesis. Honolulu: University of Hawaii, 1997
  4. Wujastyk, Dominik, The Roots of Ayurveda, © 2003 Penguin Books, London - A compendium of ancient Ayurvedic texts, translated and compiled by one of the leading scholars in the field.

Additional recommended readings for all candidates.

Additionally, trainees should read all articles in the “Academic” section of the Members Resources Area, and browse additional readings from the materials listed in the Academic bibliographies. You can do this on your own through any university or college library (be aware that many of these titles must be requested from Thailand, and that simply acquiring the materials may take months), or you can purchase the collection through TaoMountain. These sources are particularly relevant for the required cultural project.

 

 


Click here to register for the Examination, or contact us for more information.