23/02/2023
Lovely explanation on how Bowen works.
Recently I was helping a client with a shoulder issue. During their first Bowen session they had regained full range of motion with no pain, pulling or stiffness. They were delighted already, but their arm still felt heavy.
In my experience, if that heavy feeling doesn’t resolve in a few minutes this indicates a tight muscle, further down the arm, that is exerting a pulling force creating the heavy feeling in the arm. Makes sense really, doesn’t it?
As I had already worked on just about everything, I was almost stumped. I went to the furthest extremity, and finally found the culprit - a muscle in the hand.
The result was almost instantaneous - a quiet introverted pause while the client went within, then about 20 seconds later they looked up with wonder in their eyes. “How is it now?” I asked tentatively.
Careful exploratory moving followed, then more confident movements, then a big grin accompanied large arm movements. “It feels so light. How can that happen so quickly with such a little Bowen move?”
The connective tissue surrounding all structures in the body, called fascia, is like a sponge - it needs to be well hydrated to work properly. If it’s dry it gets hard and tight. If it’s well hydrated it’s soft and flexible. If you put a hard dry sponge in water it takes a very long time to soak up the water and become flexible. But if you squeeze it, then release it, it is instantly able to soak up the water and become flexible.
The little Bowen move acted on the dry hard fascia surrounding the muscle in my client’s hand like squeezing a dry sponge - it was able to soak up the available water (because they had been drinking enough water as suggested) and become flexible, instantly releasing the drag on the arm.
Some people use the analogy of a short in the electrical system to explain how Bowen works so well - it clears the short circuit and restores the flow of energy. This is very true. We are made up of over 70% water, which is flowing throughout our bodies. Within that water are dissolved salt molecules, made up of positive and negative ions, that make electricity as they rub against each other. The water flows in streams up and down our body, following the grains of fascia lines or anatomy trains, recently described by Tom Myers. These relate to the rivers of energy (electricity) called meridians, well known for thousands of years by ancient Indian, Chinese and Tibetan medicine practices. Furthermore, all those positive and negative ions rubbing against each other in the meridians that flow through our whole body create the electromagnetic field that surrounds us, known as the aura.
If the water stops flowing, the electricity circuit shorts out, resulting in discomfort or disease. By squeezing the fascia (sponge) with gentle Bowen moves, the flow of water is restored, together with the flow of the positive and negative ions, thereby fixing the short circuit in the body’s electrical system and allowing the energy to flow, creating comfort and ease.
It’s so beautifully simple really, these gentle Bowen moves, which allow the body to regain it’s own flow and balance.
