My Migration Story - From Land to Water
Most people already knew that I am a Certified Watsu® Practitioner (Watsu stands for Water Shiatsu®). But why do I love Watsu so much? You see, I have been learning and practising various Energy Healing modalities on land for more than ten years. One of my concussion clients, who had tried pretty much everything, told me that Watsu was the best thing ever for her. So I checked out lots of YouTube videos on Watsu. I was mesmerized by how smooth these Watsu Practitioners are, literally taking people flying in the water! It was the most freeing experience I have ever seen. I wanted to learn it because it was simply the most artistic and freeing thing I had ever seen.
It took me more than a year before I was finally certified to practise Watsu in 2018. The certification pr
ogram consisted of 500 hours of training, including Watsu training, Shiatsu®, Anatomy and Physiology, plus practicum. All Watsu training was outside of Vancouver, Canada as there was no local teachers.
As I started floating clients, I noticed that doing Energy Healing in warm water is so much more effective than on land! The response from my clients was much more intense, and more frequent! It felt like I bought a bio-feedback machine for myself to learn how to move energy! As an Electrical Engineer, I knew that water is simply a better conductor than air; therefore, energy flows better in water than in air. Also, you are much more relaxed in fluid than on ground or on a massage table. There is nothing to fight against. So you let go!
So that’s my migration story from land to water.
Looking At Stress Resilience - From an Energy Perspective
As you can imagine, there are many applications for Watsu and Energy Healing. But what I really want to share with you today is how Watsu is a good modality to release stuck emotion, also known as stuck energy.
Stuck energy stresses your mind and body. Stress is cumulative. In other words, if you don’t release it, it will continue to add up. Your mind and body will eventually break dow
n.
Self-care may not sound sexy, but it is the most productive and loving thing you can do for yourself. Taking care of yourself allows you to function optimally, play big and live big!
How Does Stress Get Stuck in our Bodies?
The easiest way to understand is looking at this process from an energy point of view. When you encounter a perceived threat (e.g. a lion or someone you don't like), your body produces stress hormones. These hormones releases survival energy to increase our heart rate and blood pressure to get you ready to run away or fight the lion (a.k.a. the Fight or Flight Response).
But what happens when you cannot run away or fight? There is a last resort stress response that your body has - FREEZE. So the full name of the human stress response is actually the Fight or Flight or Freeze Response. Basically, the mobilized survival energy has no where to go, but back inside you. This stuck energy, or energy blockages can
manifest in different ways, such as a charge, pressure, restriction, tightness or pain in your body. Basically, this stuck energy prevents normal blood circulation and energy from flowing freely inside you. You feel unbalanced, numb, uncreative and unproductive. Why? Because your body is not supposed to act like a battery. And energy is supposed to flow. Stuck energy is supposed to be released.
How Do Humans Release Stuck Energy Naturally?
Humans are capable of releasing stuck energy through the following natural processes:
Crying (most common)
Shaking, convulsion or spontaneous body movements
Yawning
Coughing
Sneezing
Orgasm
Breathing
So if there is ONE takeaway you get from this article: do not suppress these natural processes! Emotion is energy in motion. These processes allow us to release stuck energy.
The problem is, it is not easy to do these publicly, yet we still need to do it. So we often suppress it. Can we release stuck energy after? Yes, but humans are very picky in when and where to let go. Getting in touch with feelings that are painful is easier said than done.
Basically, we need to feel very safe, relaxed and supported in order to go through this release process. Watsu provides the perfect environment.