Creative Movement

I had a session with Cody last week, the practitioner who developed the Creative Movement Spa Session.

We ended up spending the whole time in the hot tub engaging in an aquatic dance with her mostly orchestrating my movements. At the beginning she explained to me that I should let my body decide what movements to do, including being completely passive and allowing the movements that she or the water generated. It was deeply relaxing and freeing, especially the part where I could move or not move. Sometimes during a bodywork I have urges to stretch a limb during a massage stroke that I don't feel comfortable acting on.

At the end of the session, I was quiet for a long time. An odd state, as I am normally chatty when feeling that good. I was so absorbed in being. I was reveling in the feeling of integration. It wasn't that my emotions/psyche were in tune with my body and vice versa. I was whole.

Having an emotional goal, rather than a physical one, is not uncommon for body work. But it is also not common enough. Cody and I had a solemn discussion about the work she has been doing with one of our guest's grief in their sessions. It was moving and wonderful. We talked of making this type of work more available, or rather, making people aware that it is available at the Spa. I think it is a wonderful fit with Watsu.

Looks like we will have to come up with another name for what we do in the hot tub, though. We seem to be moving farther away from classical Watsu as we edge into incorporating Cody's emotional work and use of Contact Dance Improv*. I am looking forward to learning more so as to be able to do these sessions, as well, and share similarly trans formative experiences.

*What is Contact Improvisation?

Contact Improvisation is a moving massage. It is a dance that fine tunes your senses and wakes up your ability to listen and respond to what is happening in the moment. If you could do Aikido, surf, wrestle and dance at the same time, you would have an idea of what Contact Improvisation feels like. What makes Contact different from other dance is that partners are often moving in and out of physical contact while rolling, spiraling, springing and falling. They find ways to "enjoy the ride" and improvise while mutually supporting and following each others movements. The dancing is unpredictable and inspired by the physical and energetic contact the partners share. -- Ernie Adams, Berkeley, CA, (found here.)