Watsu
Encyclopedia
Watsu, a portmanteau of water
Water
Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...

and shiatsu
Shiatsu
Shiatsu is Japanese for "finger pressure;" it is a type of alternative medicine consisting of finger and palm pressure, stretches, and other massage techniques. There is no scientific evidence proving that shiatsu can treat any disease, but shiatsu practitioners promote it as a way to help people...

, is a form of therapeutic bodywork performed in warm water pools (around 35 °C or 95 °F). The receiver of a Watsu treatment is supported by the practitioner, creating a sensation of floating. In this gravity-free environment, the practitioner is able to move, stretch and manipulate the body in ways that are not possible on land.

History

Watsu was created by Shiatsu instructor Harold Dull in the early 1980s, then director of the Harbin School of Shiatsu and Massage
Harbin Hot Springs
Harbin Hot Springs is a non-profit hot spring retreat and workshop center in Harbin Springs, Lake County, in Northern California, about two hours northeast of the San Francisco Bay Area.-History:...

 in northern California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

. Dull incorporated aspects of Zen Shiatsu
Zen Shiatsu
Zen Shiatsu is a derivative form of the Japanese therapy Shiatsu, and is particularly popular in the United Kingdom and United States. It was developed by Shizuto Masunaga, a graduate of the who published a book entitled Shiatsu in 1974. This was translated into English in 1977 and retitled Zen...

 into his new form of aquatic therapy. Watsu pools have now been introduced as a therapeutic passive massage tool as in the 2008 Turkish hamams Lake Conroe
Lake Conroe
Lake Conroe is a 21,000 acre lake in Montgomery County, Texas, United States. Even though it is named Lake Conroe, only a small portion of the lake is in Conroe, Texas. Most of the lake is in Montgomery, Texas and Willis, Texas. The lake lies on the West Fork of the San Jacinto River just west of...

 resort project.

Other forms of aquatic bodywork

There are three other forms of aquatic bodywork related to Watsu: Waterdance or Wasser Tanzen, Healing Dance, and the Jahara Technique. Waterdance was created in 1987 by Arjana Brunschwiler and Aman Schroter and involved the client being lowered completely beneath the surface. Healing Dance was created by Alexander Georgeakopoulos and is a mix between Waterdance and traditional Watsu techniques. The Jahara Technique is known as the "gentlest" of the forms because of its constant support and gentle bodywork.

Organization

Watsu and all the above therapies are represented by WABA: The Worldwide Aquatic Bodywork Association, a non-profit organization for the promotion of aquatic bodywork.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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