In 1980, Harold Dull floated and stretched people in warm water, a technique that became known as Watsu. Practiced today in more than 40 countries, Watsu is proving effective with chronic pain and a range of conditions. It has been welcomed as a primary modality in rehabilitation by aquatic therapists and is taught in universities around the world. In addition to the physical benefits derived from the movements and stretches warm water facilitates, Watsu’s power to reduce stress underlies both its effectiveness with those conditions in which stress is implicated.
Watsu, or aquatic shiatsu, is a system of therapeutic massage in which the massage therapist holds shiatsu points and stretches clients while they float in body-temperature water.
Watsu is an offshoot of Zen shiatsu which uses stretches to release blockages of chi or life force along the meridians.
(Source: Watsu, www.watsu.com)
