What is WATSU®
Watsu explained
Supported gently in warm water, WATSU® (water shiatsu) takes your weightless body on a journey of total release and relaxation.
As fluid movements, gentle stretches, rotations and acupressure are applied, joints and muscles let go of pain and tension. Seaweed-like moves release the spine and the mind quietens into a deep, almost meditative, state of relaxation.
Similarly, during Watsu a range of emotions can come up and be released into the process of continuous flow. This reprograms receivers to face life out of the water with greater equanimity and flexibility. Many come out of a Watsu session saying they were more relaxed than they have ever been. Some say it was one of the most powerful experiences in their life.
Although it is as yet little known in the The Netherlands, Watsu has been incorporated into aquatic therapy treatment programs in Spas, clinics and rehabilitation centers around the world.
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Origins of Watsu
It all began in California
Watsu began in 1980 when Harold Dull started floating people in the warm pools of Harbin Hot Springs (California) while applying the stretches and principles of the Zen Shiatsu he had studied in Japan.
“In the Orient, stretching as a way to open channels through which our Chi energy flows is even older than acupuncture,” Harold Dull explained. “Stretching strengthens muscle and increases flexibility. Warm water, which many associate with the body’s deepest states of waking relaxation, proved to be the ideal medium."
Aquatic bodywork
Since it’s beginning, Watsu has evolved into an entire category of treatments under the umbrella of Aquatic Bodywork. Watsu and Waterdance (WATA) can be seen as the founders in its field and are the two most popular aquatic modalities practiced. But you can find other variations of aquatic bodywork around the world.