BENEFITS

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Benefits

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"Nothing in the world is as soft and yielding as water. Yet for dissolving the hard and inflexible, nothing surpasses it."

~ Lao-Tzu

Aquatic Bodywork is suitable for almost everyone. Being held, stretched, moved and massaged in weightlessness by a practitioner allows you to relax, open, and reconnect with your essence. This can be an exploration of self discovery and self awareness with some even moving into deeper levels of healing.

Renowned Healing Dance founder Alexander George explains this mind-body cohesion.

“The world no longer has the dry, sharp angles of the intellect, rather the fluid, yielding roundness of the whole self: body, feelings and soul. The guiding philosophy of the work is that...movement is the "medicine" and in the experience of "received dance" the healing process in the body is activated.

The Benefits of Being in Warm Water

Physiological Benefits:

Promotes muscular relaxation and joint decompression due to lack of gravity.
Allows the possibility of full range of motion because there is no table or other equipment to restrict the joints.
Decreases the need for oxygen for basic body functions and so allows the breathing rate to slow and induces a calm, trance state which can promote healing.
Enhances the lymphatic return by compressing all soft tissues which increases immune system function
Increases body temperature which loosens muscles and joints.
Pain relief: Reduces pain sensitivity by "distracting" the pain due to the sensory input of the water movement on nerve fibers which are larger, faster, and have greater conductivity than pain fibers.
Helps stabilize unstable joints.
Strengthens the diaphragm and inter-costal muscles by adding resistance to the expansion of the lungs.

Psychological benefits:

Because the body is buoyant and light, clients report feeling very free and youthful.
Since the water makes it possible for anyone to be held easily, clients report being able to let go and be nurtured in ways they have not received since childhood.
Because the conditions are very womb-like, clients report a return to an inner state which reminds them what peace and deep relaxation can feel like in the body.

David Towe articulates it so eloquently:

“It consists of a series of subtle, sometimes still, sometimes dynamic, movements provided by the trained facilitator. In such an environment the body unwinds, unfolds and quickly arrives to a deep state of relaxation, that isn’t possible to achieve in a land-gravity environment.

Each session provides the receiver with the safe and tranquil environment that gives the mind, body, and spirit a pathway to relax and let go. In the space of letting go a.....journey begins. Time seems to stop while the receiver’s everyday stressors begin to dissolve away.

Often one experiences new insights and awarenesses and a knowing that something deep and important has presented itself during the session. Those who receive may experience an array of feelings, shades of light, expressions of joy, and a remembering of a deeper connection to warm water, where all human life began. My invitation is that you experience the freedom, the expansion, and the profound joy that [aquatic bodywork] can provide.”

Who may benefit:

* Adults/Seniors: help with insomnia and improve sleep quality, relieve physical pain and increase joint mobility, relieve headaches and migraines, improve digestion, improve respiratory capacity, increase self-esteem, improve mood and decrease anxiety, and improve concentration.

* Children: increase relaxation, reduce hyperactivity, increase ability to focus attention (ADHD), improve concentration, and improve social abilities.

* Athletes: faster muscle recovery after training, deep relaxation, increase joint mobility, improve flexibility, increase concentration, increase mental clarity. Aquatic Bodywork is being incorporated in the high performance program for many sports (golf, horse riding, triathlon, canoeing, skiing, etc.) and within some Olympic teams. link to watsu & athletics article

* Pregnancy: feeling of lightness, increase body awareness, relieve back pain and swollen feet, relieve muscle spasms and sciatica, and create bonding with baby and partner. link to pregnancy research

Conditions that may benefit:

Clinical studies have documented the benefits of aquatic bodywork for many conditions.

Orthopedic conditions that can benefit from Aquatic Bodywork
1. Conditions that are affected by muscle spasms or contractions, pain and / or decreased range of motion.
2. Back pain.
3. Ankylosing Spondylitis.
Neurological conditions where Aquatic Bodywork can complement rehabilitative therapy:
1. Stroke.
2. Brain injuries.
3. Spinal cord injuries.
4. Cerebral Palsy. link to celebral palsy
5. Parkinson's disease.
6. Multiple Sclerosis.
7. Down’s Syndrome, Rett’s Syndrome, etc.
Different types of arthritis that can benefit from Aquatic Bodywork:
1. Osteoarthritis.
2. Rheumatoid arthritis.
Respiratory rehabilitation supported by Aquatic Bodywork:
1. Asthma.
2. Cystic fibrosis.
3. Chronic pneumonia.
4. COPD.
The recovery of patients after major surgery is significantly improved through Aquatic Bodywork.
Post mastectomy.
The effects of Fibromyalgia and other functional disorders are eased through Aquatic Bodywork.
RSD (Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome).
Patients with chronic pain (psychological support as a supplement) experience great relief through regular Aquatic Bodywork sessions.

Other benefits (some as part of their treatment program):

Victims of abuse (with supplemental psychological support).
Post traumatic stress disorder syndrome (PTSD) (with supplemental psychological support). video testimonial of PTSD veteran
Insomnia
Stress management
Fear of water
Pain relief and improved mobility

click for scientific paper on physiology of aquatic bodywork

Japanese Aquatic Bodyworker Toru Oasawara credits the potent healing effects of aquatic therapies to biophilia, the instinctive bond between humans and animals.

“[I believe] Watsu is the closest thing to swimming with dolphins and is the most biophilic form of bodywork that exists today,” he claims. Describing Watsu as a “moving, flowing meditation in the water”, Ogasawara associates it with a feeling of ”deep connection, liberation and comfort.

The basic principal of Watsu is ‘being’ rather than ‘doing’. It’s about experiencing simultaneous freedom and security with the support from another fellow being, using the body’s own essential element: water. Water doesn’t have any shape; it supports and accepts you as you are, which creates the ultimate space for healing.”