Finding yourself in warm water: the spiritual possibilities of Watsu®.
by
Andrew Yavelow (©1999)
Who are you? What is the essence of the soul you
were born with? Why were you put in this body, on this planet? What is your
highest purpose in life? How do you fit into the grand scheme of the universe?
If you’re interested in finding answers to these
and other spiritual questions like them, you might try a new type of
therapeutic bodywork, called Watsu.
Watsu (whose name comes from “WATer shiatSU”) is, at its
simplest level, a floating massage. With the help of the therapist, you float
comfortably in a large pool of warm water while your muscles are massaged, your
joints mobilized, tissues stretched, energy pathways opened, and your whole
body is swished and swayed gently through the water. Most people find Watsu to
be “blissfully relaxing.” Physical therapists, massage therapists, and other
bodywork practitioners all over the world use it for treating stress, chronic
back pain, orthopedic problems, arthritis, sleep disorders, fibromyalgia, and a
host of other conditions. So there is plenty to appreciate about Watsu on a
purely physical level.
But one characteristic that makes Watsu stand
out from massage and so many other forms of bodywork is that it gives you the
opportunity to go beyond the physical. Because when the body relaxes so deeply
– as it can in the warm weightlessness of Watsu – the mind can cease its
chatter. And when the body and mind are quiet, what you’re left with is the
fundamental essence of your being. Your soul. Your spirit. The real you.
How does it all happen?
From the receiver’s point of
view.
For someone receiving a Watsu, a session can
seem deceptively simple. You put on a bathing suit and get into the warm water, you receive a few instructions from your therapist,
and are gently lifted off your feet and supported floating on your back. You
don’t see anything but the interplay of light and shadow, because your eyes are
closed. You don’t hear anything but the water, because your ears are submerged.
And what you feel is the water’s warmth, and the weightless movements of your
body as it gently waves and sways through the currents. Occasionally you might
be aware of some deep massage in a tight muscle, or a big stretch. But very
quickly all the touch and movements blend together into one harmonious,
timeless, flowing dance. And what you notice is not the work being done on your
body, but the results of it: a profound physical release, letting go, and
relief from tensions and pain.
At the same time as your body is letting go, so
too is your mind. There is a theory among bodywork researchers that every
physical pain carries with it an analogous mental thought pattern. If you’re
holding onto soreness in your toe, for example, you’re also holding onto the
emotional story about the circumstances surrounding the injury or accident. In
Watsu, as your body thoroughly lets go of its physical discomforts, the
corresponding mental stories are released as well. Not that you’ll necessarily
notice your mind letting go; in fact, it’s more like the absence of noticing. You might not have any thoughts – just a
mental quiet and peace that accompanies the physical freedom of your body.
And once your body is free and your mind is at
peace, there is nothing left to keep your spirit from shining through.
What exactly do we mean here by “spirit”? For
many people, it’s a sense of seeing themselves with a new, clearer perspective.
It’s as if they forget about the daily stuff that they deal
with – duties, obligations, busywork – and instead are freed to focus on who
they are inside, and what they truly want. Watsu receivers feel comfortable and
safe and protected. They feel understood and appreciated, beautiful and strong.
They feel forgiveness, compassion, and love for themselves and others. And many
feel connected to a clearer purpose in their lives. Maybe that purpose has just
occurred to them consciously for the first time during their Watsu sessions;
maybe it’s something that they’ve always known. But somehow, the Watsu
experience brings many people’s awareness back to that central knowing. It
brings them back to themselves. It brings them back to spirit.
Virtually everyone who receives a Watsu opens
their eyes at the end of a session and describes it as “The most relaxing
experience of my life.” Most are moved by the remarkable depth of the work. And
many, many people report “a profound feeling of oneness – with myself, the practitioner, the water, the universe…
everything!” It’s extraordinary – and something you have to experience
personally to truly appreciate: therapeutic bodywork and spiritual opening, all
in one extremely pleasurable hour.
From the practitioner’s point
of view.
Watsu is the brainchild of former San Francisco Renaissance
poet Harold Dull, Director of the
For practitioners, learning to give Watsu is a
rigorous initiation into the demands of doing body/mind/spirit work.
The premise of learning Watsu, like that of so
many other therapeutic forms, is that practitioners can only give to the extent
of their own personal development. The Watsu training program, therefore, is
intensive. Students spend hundreds of hours learning and practicing the various
hands-on techniques of how to move and free the body in water. They also learn
about themselves, both through the spiritual openings that come from receiving
so much Watsu, and by processing the emotional effects of doing and receiving such
deep and intimate work. Not that Watsu is generally either taught or practiced
as a form of psychotherapy. Rather, as bodywork founded in the roots of Zen, it
is a practice of simply observing – and accepting – what is. Watsu
practitioners learn to love their clients unconditionally, and one of the most
powerful steps in that process is learning to love themselves.
In a professional session, a Watsu practitioner
can draw on a variety of techniques and approaches. Beginning level Watsu
classes teach practitioners a strict sequence of moves and positions to follow
with each client; as with Tai Chi and other fixed forms, the Watsu sequence
allows practitioners to free their minds from the distractions of having to
think about “what should I do next?” The more advanced Watsu classes abandon
sequence for the limitless possibilities of “free flow”, which begins with the
client’s breath, and grows spontaneously in each moment from a place of deep
energetic connection and opening.
Either way – sequenced or free
flowing – every touch, move, and aspect of the Watsu experience has a very
different, and important effect on the receiver. Being in warm water softens
the tissues and soothes the mind. Floating creates a sense of lightness, and an
altered perception of gravity and time. Following the rhythm and movements of
the breath creates a sense of ease, and of being felt and understood. Massage
soothes sore muscles. Stretching opens the tissues. Trager® loosens the joints.
Shiatsu opens the flow of energy throughout the body. Chakra work opens the
body’s energy system to that of the universe. Flowing movements give a feeling
of freedom, sleekness, and beauty. Being loved unconditionally creates a sense
of acceptance. Being held closely and non-sexually creates a deep feeling of
nurturance and safety.
Taken together, all these aspects of Watsu – and
more – combine to create a profound and holistic bodywork experience that is
literally like no other. Part soothing massage, part return
to the womb, and part expansion to everything beyond. It’s bodywork.
It’s mental peace. It’s a spiritual coming home. And if you’re looking for the
one word that would best describes it all, the closest must surely be
“healing.”
Try
it. If other people’s experience is any indication, on many different levels
you’re going to be profoundly glad you did.
Yavelow is a bodyworker, Watsu instructor, and somatic educator who has written a book about physical awareness and spirit
entitled EMBODIMENT. He lives, practices, and teaches at