Bodywork is a blanket term used to describe a massive range of hundreds of natural therapies and medicines. They range from to meditation and yoga and other breathing techniques to massage and other types of manipulative therapies, and to Reiki and other forms of energy medicine. To establish a mind-body connection, bodywork therapies that work with both the physical body and energy fields can be used.
There are two forms of bodywork therapies:
1. Manipulative techniques: They include among others Shiatsu, reflexology, chiropractic, Bowen technique, bioenergetics, applied kinesiology, Alexander technique, and massage therapy.
2. Non-touch bodywork: Includes breathing exercises, tai chi, Reiki, and yoga.
Rather than merely treating the problem area, bodywork practices also treat physical and mental ailments and the person as a whole. Practitioners of bodywork therapy use various techniques to release negative emotions, anxiety, and stress. The techniques may involve breathing exercises, a session of yoga, or a simple relaxing massage. It is widely believed in bodywork circles that emotions play a huge role in the rise of common ailments and disease can take the appearance of illnesses, pains, and aches in the body. Calming the emotions by means of manipulative and non-touch techniques can therefore create and enhanced sense of well-being and a healthier client.
Some of the more popular bodywork practices include:
1. Aromatherapy: This involves the use of essential oils and plant to enhance physical and psychological well-being
2. Acupuncture: Treatment of disease or pain through the sticking of fine needles into specific areas of the skin
3. Massage: Kneading; smooth long strokes; and other movements administered on superficial layers of muscle, relaxes mind and body
4. Tai Chi: This is an ancient Chinese technique involving of slow meditative physical exercise to balance the balance and relax the body and improve health
5. Yoga: This is a holistic exercise system that and stretches the body. Requires flexibility, strength, and balance
The following are some of the less popular bodywork practices:
1. Rolfing: This technique involves the manipulation of the connective tissues of the body to eliminate stress in the mind and body.
2. Kahuna healing: A system of energy healing founded on ancient Hawaiian shamanic methods and wisdom.
3. Cranio-Sacral: This treatment involves the therapist placing their hands on the patient in order to determine the patient’s craniosacral rhythm. The therapist gently manipulates the patient’s fascia, diaphragms, skull, spine and cranial sutures. Cranio-Sacral therapy can be used to treat TMJ, migraine, back pain, neck pain, and mental stress.
4. Berrywork: This technique uses a combination of corrective stretches involving the joints, cartilage, and fascia. Berrywork was named for its creator Lauren Berry, a physical therapist.
5. AMMA therapy: This therapy involves push-pull techniques and focuses on the more subtle vibrations of the human body. The work Amma is an ancient Asian word to describe massage. Its aim is to balance the movement of energy.
With the intent of obtaining therapeutic results, the stimulation of a person’s energy fields or pressure points on the body has been a technique that has been used in a lot of ancient healing systems around the world for thousands of years. As gleaned from the aforementioned examples, there are a wide range of ancient and modern bodywork techniques that can be used to boost the functional capacity of the body in order to rectify energetic and physical dysfunctions.
Amy-Sui Qun Lui is a board certified and licensed acupuncturist in Cleveland, OH and the founder of Asian Health Center.