“Bodywork” refers to ways of working with the body, in order to restore the body’s natural balance and to develop its natural intelligence. Every single experience we have had, our reactions to events, events themselves, even sounds and smells are recorded in some part of our brain cells so that by learning to access this memory at the physical level, we can begin to understand what makes us the way we are.
Bodywork theory suggests that the physical structure of our bodies tells the story of our unresolved issues, and the physical and psychological traumas which have marked our lives. A trained practitioner in this form of therapy can even tell you much of your life story by simply looking at how you carry yourself.
Rupert and Brigitte our friends from Germany,who have been working in this field for several years, introduced us to a new world of feelings and sensations during the workshop which they recently helped to facilitate in Timbaktu. The various exercises they put us through, brought in a whole new field of awareness at the physical level which in turn we saw was intimately connected with our thoughts and behaviour as well. Among the most popular exercises was the morning meditation incorporating breathing techniques and body movements, which ends with the dervish dance, a meditation dedicated to the four directions, which lasts approximately forty minutes. Alongside all the bodywork there were also some incisive dialogues which helped us to see the mind-body connection more clearly.
For those interested in the nature of this work here is some more info gleaned from various websites
From: http://www.phoenixcentre.com/bodywork/
Bodywork emerged from the insights of Wilhelm Reich, a 20th century psychoanalyst. He was the first to identify what he called "character traits," and he decided that such traits were reactions to the person's rejected emotions.
The character traits were, in a sense, maintained in place by "character armour." His idea was that people developed rigid personalities made up of various internal aspects - these aspects, if left unexamined, became rigid states as opposed to flexible choices.
Reich decided that character traits were held in place by the person's "character armour," which is an actual tightening of the muscles of the body. He further discovered that guiding clients into their tightness, (through Breathwork and applying pressure to the body) helped clients to break through the character armour, and from there to begin to disassemble the ineffective character traits.
Rosslyn Tasker describes how she first came to bodywork following the death of her much loved sister Heather, in an accident. She tried different methods to overcome her grief she says, but what worked was the session in body harmony. “Having someone gently touch my heart and be still and listen was the opportunity for me to find to finally acknowledge how incredibly angry I was about what had happened. I was able to cry without someone trying to shut me down and tell me everything would be ok …”
Having trained in bodywork herself she now says, this work has nothing to do with skills and technique, although you need that as well; it has everything to do with you being present and honouring yourself and every person you meet.
Looked at in its broadest context bodywork can be said to be a part of several Asian medical or health practices ranging from Yoga to Reiki or Shiatsu. For more check out these two sites:
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