Adventures from the Healing Hut: Watsu

Imagine…Being able to climb into a comfortable, warm womb. (Yes, I said ‘womb’.) You melt into the softness and safety. You relax into the water that surrounds you. You float with a weightlessness that surprises you. You begin to breathe more deeply.

You are at peace.

That is the essence of what I experienced during my (many) Watsu sessions yesterday.

Watsu is aquatic bodywork, combining elements of massage, joint mobilization, shiatsu, muscle stretching and dance.

I had signed up for a session with Watsu practitioner Michael who was offering sessions and a workshop at the Bali Spirit Festival.

Unfortunately there was time confusion for us and I was there for our appointment but Michael was not.

No worries.

This is Bali where everything seems to flow with grace and ease. Even when something seems like a problem (Michael not being there), it really isn’t a problem because Bali usually has something even better up its sleeve, if I can just let go and see what happens.

So what happened with this ‘problem’ was that a stranger overheard that I was to get a Watsu session but that Michael hadn’t yet arrived.

This kind stranger offered to Watsu me. He’d taken Michael’s class the day before and wanted to try out what he’d learned on me.

He was great.

Then he had to go so he passed me into the arms of another stranger and she gave me a Watsu.

Then Michael arrived. I took his Watsu workshop and then got a third watsu from my friend who I’d partnered up with in the class. After he watsued me (is that a word?) then Michael gave me the 30-minute session I’d originally signed up for in the morning.

So instead of getting a 30-minute session with Michael I ended up getting over an hour of Watsu with strangers and my 30-minute session with Michael.

Letting go can be such bliss.

Anyway, back to Michael and his Watsu: yes, it was lovely to experience Watsu from those strangers and my friend. Absolutely.

But experiencing Watsu from Michael?

Wow.

He moved me in the water with such grace and ease. My back cracked quite a few times from the resistance he created with my body and the water. It felt lovely.

My body opened in ways I haven’t felt through the normal routes of bodywork that I usually enjoy. There is something about water, movement and being in a skilled Watsu professional’s arms that caused my body to deeply relax and open. I felt such a sense of expansion and grace yesterday.

If you are interested in a Watsu/Healing Dance session contact Michael Hallock at [email protected] or his Indonesian mobile +62 (0)819 1624 3869.

Written by : Kristin Morrison