Massage & Bodywork

JULY | AUGUST 2018

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A B M P m e m b e r s e a r n F R E E C E a t w w w. a b m p . c o m / c e b y r e a d i n g M a s s a g e & B o d y w o r k m a g a z i n e 57 tool in the athlete's recovery after intense competition and training sessions. Besides increasing joints' range of motion, Watsu provides an opportunity to stretch muscles in combinations of directions and planes unworkable on land. We can work on joints using mobilizations, roll and glide moves, tractions, and compressions. • Additional studies include Watsu's benefits for fibromyalgia, chronic back pain, and trauma, as well as helping veterans with PTSD. 1 Many more studies are in process, including Watsu's help in overcoming problems with infertility. The Evolution The beauty of Watsu is that it continues to evolve. From water to land, from couples to communities, Watsu adapts and grows in its ability to connect. Tantsu and Tantsuyoga In Watsu's first year, I developed Tantsu to bring the unconditional holding of someone's whole body with our whole body back onto land. Now, there is a simpler form to bring that holding to everyone. While teaching it in India, I was told that yoga means union. I call this work Tantsuyoga: a celebration of union. I post directions at www.tantsuyoga.com for anyone, anywhere, to share the work in groups of three. Tandem Watsu Once Watsu (and our training of practitioners and instructors on what I call the vertical path) was established, I turned my attention to Watsu's horizontal path, something I wanted to do ever since I saw, and experienced, how much personal growth there is in Watsu for the holder as well as the held. I have often felt or seen the gentle vibration of a body wave start in my hara (abdomen) or in the hara of the one in my arms during a Watsu, sometimes both, simultaneously. I feel it is not a release, but something that is always there, the base of our being. Once our program of Watsu 1–3 was fully in place, I developed Watsu 4 with the intent of helping others access their own body wave. Many did, but because some didn't, and because Watsu shouldn't have a goal, I eliminated the Wave as an intention, and instead focused on Tandem Watsu, where two givers address one receiver. Being Watsued from both sides of the body more fully engages the receiver. There is greater containment, and having a third person to brace with, the stretches are stronger. Instead of drawing us around the pool with its power, the energy the group accesses is contained and circulates within to wherever it is needed. Often it rises up the spine at the end of the session. Many find this to be the most powerful form of Watsu. Explorer Path For Watsuers eager to explore further, I built on the power of three that Tandem Watsu uncovers and developed the Explorer Path. This is where teams of three meet and creatively explore what can be done in Watsu. Each team is composed of participants from any level: student, practitioner, or instructor. The ease and joy with which they all work together gives testimony to Watsu's power to create connection. The Future Alongside the personal growth I have seen and experienced in Watsu, I have also seen the connection grow between those who come from a wide range of backgrounds to our classes, something much needed in our time. The more time people spend on the internet maintaining their friendships and seeking the like-minded, the more physical isolation they suffer. In 2015, when fire took out Harbin Hot Springs, my wife and I moved from our home there to Berkeley where, pools being limited, I developed the Watsu Round, which can be offered in a pool of any size. Participants take turns in its three roles: holder, held, and helper. With the helper's oversight, the holder can explore how deep they can connect with their eyes closed. The Watsu Round's 3–4 hours in a pool give a rich and complete experience of Watsu in all its roles and allows for more people to share the healing space. We are seeking help to set up a program big enough to reach those who would benefit from the way the Watsu Round can bring people together. I encourage Watsu practitioners to learn and offer the Watsu Round and help us bring its celebration of connection to a world where it is much needed. The boundlessness felt in warm water is the sheath of prana, the warmth within, becoming one with the warmth of the water. During Watsu, when our minds' chatter becomes most stilled, the more spontaneous and intuitive our moves become, the more they are coming out of our bodies' innate wisdom, and the deeper we move into rapture. It is said that once an opening is made to the rapture, once we know how to access it, we will be able to see it underlying even the greatest of our sorrows. I can imagine no better goal for Watsu than to help people realize a level of consciousness from which they can face anything—a level as boundless as water. Note 1. K. Faull, "A Pilot Study of the Comparative Effectiveness of Two Water-Based Treatments for Fibromyalgia Syndrome: Watsu and Aix Massage," Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies 9, no. 3 (2005): 202–210. doi: 10.1016/j.jbmt.2004.12.001; S. J. Smeeding et al., "Outcome Evaluation of the Veterans Affairs Salt Lake City Integrative Health Clinic for Chronic Pain and Stress-Related Depression, Anxiety, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder," Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine 16, no. 8 (2010): 823–835. doi: 10.1089/acm.2009.0510. In 1980, Harold Dull started creating and teaching Watsu in the warm pool at Harbin Hot Springs. Today, there are 100 Watsu instructors around the world teaching the work that he and the water community developed. He serves on the Board of the Worldwide Aquatic Bodywork Association and maintains its registry at www.watsu.com/waba. In an effort to touch more people, Dull developed the Watsu Round where even more people can participate in smaller pools, and he is encouraging Watsu Practitioners to add this to their offerings. His hope is that others will recognize the potential in offering this healing paradigm in a community setting. For more information, visit www.watsu.com.

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