Water has been a source of healing and rejuvenation for centuries, offering solace to weary souls and tired bodies. Beyond its calming properties, water also serves as a medium for various forms of aquatic bodywork, unlocking a realm of therapeutic experiences that go beyond traditional land-based therapies. In this blog post, I share with you an (incomplete/ever growing) overview of different aquatic bodywork techniques out there, discovering the unique practices and benefits each form brings to our well-being.
1. WATSU®
Watsu, short for "Water Shiatsu," is also referred to as the Father of aquatic bodywork. It is a profound aquatic therapy that combines elements of Zen Shiatsu and stretching techniques with the nurturing support of warm water. In a Watsu session, a skilled practitioner cradles and guides the recipient through a series of gentle movements and stretches. The water's buoyancy and warmth help to relieve muscle tension, promote joint flexibility, and induce a state of deep relaxation. The weightlessness experienced in Watsu allows for a sense of freedom and surrender, making it a transformative experience both physically and emotionally. During a Watsu session the face of the receiver always remains on the surface of the water.
Watsu was created by Harold Dull in 1980 in Harbin Hot Springs in California.
Harold Dull passed away in 2019, but Watsu is taught all around the globe by many of his (in)direct students.
My Watsu teachers have been: Dariya Kuznik (India), Natalia Chaverri (Costa Rica) and Tomasz Zagorski (Poland). Each of them with their own unique teaching style. I highly recommend any of them.
2. Waterdance / WATA / WasserTanzen
Waterdance (or WATA) - also referred to as the Mother of aquatic bodywork - is essentially a technique to bring about a state of profound aquatic relaxation. It is a “therapy” that uses the healing properties of warm water along with the calming effects of suspended and fluid breathing. The individual who receives the session is first brought to the water’s surface and alternately moved, mobilized, stretched and massaged. Psychic tensions, blockages of emotional and psychological origins, may soften or even disappear entirely.
Using a plug, the nose is blocked and the person is progressively brought under water in a tridimensional gravity-less state. The touch of the water, the work on the breathing and the fluidity of the dancing movements have calming effects. The body relaxes. The mind relaxes. The emotions calm down. The energy field expands. Often resulting in higher states of consciousness.
The underwater and surface sequences depend greatly on the individual respiratory capacity and rhythm.
Waterdance shares influences with the moves of Aikido – the Japanese martial art, the grace and agility of classical ballet, and the undulating liberty of dolphins. Sometimes, WATA provokes a regression to the fetal state, our link with the energy of the mother, the vastness of the sea with its expansive effects, to the very Source of Life that hides within.
Waterdance was created by Peter Schröter and Arjana C. Brunschwiler, both of Swiss origin in 1987. Arjana is still teaching Waterdance in countries like Belgium, Italy and India. I highly recommend her teachings.
3. Healing Dance
Healing Dance is an holistic, aquatic technique developed by Alexander George in 1993. It consists of a wide variety of techniques that are applied both on the surface of the water, as well as subaquatic.
The guiding philosophy of Healing Dance is that movement is the "medicine" and in the experience of "received dance" the healing process in the body is activated.
Healing Dance’s wide variety of original techniques reflects how water and the body naturally move together. Blocked energies are opened up by more than thirty hydrodynamic waves and spirals, as well as various spatial mandalas in the form of circles, figure 8s and releases, freeing and re-animating the body. Healing Dance takes advantage of the full three-dimensionality of the water with broad dynamic movements.
4. Oceanic Bodywork / OBA
Oceanic Bodywork Aqua is a session that starts very smoothly as the body and mind gain confidence in the therapist. It grows into a combination of stretching, massage and joint mobilization. It is one of the techniques whose experience is enriched with submersion, using a nose clip. It was created by Kaya Femerling and Nirvano Martina Schulz.
5. Liquid Flow
It is at the Quiet Healing Center, in Auroville, India, a space that brings together various therapies related to well-being, that resident therapists Dariya and Daniel developed this aspect of aquatic movements. Liquid Flow is inspired and based on the forms and qualities of Watsu, OBA, Healing Dance and WaterDance. I have followed 2 trainings with them (Watsu and Liquid Flow) and I highly recommend their teachings.
6. Janzu
Janzu means “pacified river” and the purpose of a session is to calm you down and relax your body thanks to the lifting effect of water or Archimedes force, combined with the fluidity of the movements initiated by the practitioner.
It looks like a dance, where the receiver lets himself be cradled like a baby floating on the surface. The movements are gentle, intuitively guided by water and in harmony with your breathing. It is through a set of movements that the body deeply relaxes, realigns and re-harmonizes by itself. There is no manipulation, just a “Flow”. Janzu’s nickname is the “Rebirth therapy” and is based on the therapeutic properties of the water element.
Janzu was founded by Juan Pathik Villatoro.
7. Aguahara
Aguahara aims to create and offer a space for meeting, sharing, investigating, creating, and exploring in the aquatic world, helping to unite, merge and spread the knowledge of water.
An Aguahara session is a meeting between giver and receiver that goes beyond therapy. It provides space to explore and connect with water while staying centered in the Hara (= the center of one's Being). From there begins a journey together where we surrender to what may happen between the facilitator, the receiver and the water. An Aguahara session is a dance in which we gain a knowing in the depth of the silence. It is a shared experience where the limitations of giving and receiving are transcended. It is an art of continuous flow in a timeless space. Aguahara was created by Alex Sieberstein. Me myself I followed 2 trainings of Aguahara with the beautiful soul Sandra Morell. She is teaching in Mexico and Ibiza and I highly recommend her.
8. Wataflow
Wataflow is applied in natural water. It is about creating a safe space in water where is possible to switch off the mind, relax the body and let go of blocked emotions, feeling lighter, with more life force and clarity. More than doing or giving a massage, Wataflow is about being fluid, observing the receiver body and let it flow. The invitation is to surrender, to observe without judgement, just like in a meditation. More trust, love and joyfulness can be side effects in most cases. The founder of Wataflow is Oceano Salvatore and he usually resides in Ibiza. I have no experience with Wataflow myself yet, but I wish to try it one day and to meet Oceano Salvatore. His Instagram account is of great inspiration to me.
9. Aquadynamic
Aquadynamic aims to specifically identify postural imbalances while establishing an new standard of "body hygiene" by reprogramming incorrect, imprecise, and dysfunctional structures. Unlike other forms of aquatic therapy, Aquadynamic focuses on the articulation level of the body. Aquadynamic was founded by Marcelo Roque in Brazil in 2000.
10. Float Therapy
Float Therapy is a method of gathering a group into 'healing togetherness' (collective healing) while keeping the intention on individuals within the group.
Its training program was established in 2018 by Omar Shenar as a way to support the vision:
Bring more people to the water, by supplying high standard therapeutic activities facilitated by skilled aquatic bodyworkers.
Float Therapy makes use of Flothetta accessories, a design product from Iceland (2012). Personally I love these products and I'm eager to incorporate them in my own practices and offer them in my future Spa. :-)
In conclusion
The world of aquatic bodywork is an enchanting realm of relaxation, healing, and self-discovery. Each form offers a unique experience, but all share the common thread of utilizing water's therapeutic properties to promote physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. Whether it's the gentle flow of Watsu, the artistic dance of Healing Dance, or the meditative experience of Float Therapy, aquatic bodywork provides a pathway to dive deep within ourselves and emerge refreshed, renewed, and at peace. So, take the plunge and explore the wonders of aquatic bodywork for yourself!