Watsu®

Watsu® is a dynamic form of therapy performed in chest-high warm water. Originally developed by Harold Dull in 1980, Watsu arose from the combination of ‘Shiatsu’ with ‘water’, as Harold took the practice of Shiatsu into the warm waters of Harbin Hot Springs. He found that the body spontaneously relaxes in a thermoneutral temperature between 95 to 98 degrees, and that the weightless effect on the body permitted the spine release from its normal gravitational stresses.

In a Watsu® session the practitioner moves your body with the rhythm of your breath in a flowing series of tension-relieving yogic stretches and holds. With the spine and body supported, the recipient’s body moves freely into deeply relaxing positions which are simply not possible on land. Stretches become effortlessly deeper and a profound sense of well-being arises.

The antigravity properties of the water are central to the healing effects of a Watsu® session. Gentle, rocking movements, and gradual twists and pulls relieve the pressure on vertebrae and help with problems this pressure causes on the nerves and the organs connected to them. This relief of pressure on the spinal nerves can allow a healing energy movement to occur, causing the gentle release of chronically held emotional and physical tensions.

Watsu® can release stress, quieten the mind and open the heart.