Watsu Massage Therapy
One of the most misunderstood conditions by most people is that of massage therapy. It's a shame really because it would seem that a simple technique like the massage offered by a masseuse would be very easy to learn. Folks assume then that anyone should be able to learn how to give a good massage to another human being. However, learning to give or receive a massage is not so simple and there are various skills required to be prosperous in this area.
Watsu is probably the first non-traditional water bodywork style in the western world. It is used today by practitioners of chiropractic and other forms of Complementary and Alternative Medicine as a way of treatment for muscle and nervous system disorders, stress and injury. It can also be used by friends and family just like massage with warm water and total unconditional love and support of the individual.
Like many things, watsu is only going to work if it's received regularly. There's a great deal of difference between regular massage therapy and getting a traditional Japanese aqua bodywork. There are three important elements involved in getting a massage therapy: the massage itself, the air and the receiver. If any one of those elements is missing, then the result will be very poor.
Watsu can only work on the tissues and muscles that are being worked on. Therefore, if the whole body is not being treated, then it's ineffective. While I give a massage to clients, I make sure that I start with the major portion of their body - the back and neck. I then proceed to work my way into the feet and then the lower limbs and then towards the upper body. I then repeat the process with the warm water flowing gently in my hands as I massage every part of the client's body one at a time.
The reason I emphasize the entire body is because there are differences between traditional Japanese massage and water. Watsu is more concerned with stimulating the 부산출장안마 superficial muscles and soft tissues of the neck and back region while traditional Japanese therapies work deeply into the muscle layers to treat the condition of a patient's whole body. This is why you can hardly find a therapist practicing this kind of therapy in the West today.
Another large difference between watsu and aqua therapy is that water uses both physical and psychological methods. Aquatic bodywork on the other hand uses warm water massage combined with friction and stretching massage. Although there is often some quantity of hand pressure during a water treatment session, it is typically applied by means of both hands and the fingers only. With aqua therapy, on the other hand, the therapist just applies physical pressure through the use of their hands.
Besides using various hand pressure methods, aquatic bodywork often incorporates the use of various massage strokes and methods. These include: Shiatsu (a finger-pressure type treatment ), Usui (an open palm stroke), Hanga (a palm to palm stroke), Hapy (a slow and circular movement), and Paneer (a thrusting motion). It's typical for therapists to combine these techniques with different kinds of therapy like touch and foam massage, Swedish massage or other kinds of deep tissue massage.
Although I think water is far superior to regular massage when it comes to providing therapeutic advantages to a patient, many individuals don't like the concept of needing to'bear' the pain. To this day, I've yet to meet a normal massage customer who loves having to endure a rigorous session of shiatsu. In addition to the fact that most individuals aren't comfortable with the idea of having their entire body massaged while they are seated, I also think that most people would prefer the privacy of receiving a regular massage rather than have their entire bodywork, particularly if the massage therapy takes longer than expected. For this reason, most cats therapists will advise their patients to get a massage therapist who is prepared to offer you a warm compress to employ during a therapy session. My experience with watsu over the last several years has been that warm compresses provide the most relief and healing to my clients.