When your car engine is misfiring, you take it in for a tune-up. If your vision is a getting blurry, you go in for new glasses. A piano tuner is called when your playing is a bit off key. But what can you do when your body is showing signs of wear and tear and needs resetting? Bowenwork can help the body to restore its natural balance.

What is Bowenwork? Developed by Tom Bowen of Geelong, Australia in the mid-1950’s, the practice is based on the principle that our bodies have been designed with an inherent healing ability as can be seen in cell regeneration and the mending of fractured bones. But sometimes the body gets stuck and Bowenwork helps to trigger this natural healing ability.

Gentle, precisely located moves are performed over soft tissue structures (muscles, tendons, ligaments), which results in a relaxation response. Muscular tension is decreased. A key element in the treatment is the prescribed wait periods between the sets of moves. These wait times give the nervous system a chance to process the sensory information and make adjustments bringing correction to abnormal compensatory postural holding patterns and release to fascial restrictions. Most clients are surprised at how such a gentle move can have such a profound response.

Ruth says, “After a knee replacement surgery, I was in quite a bit of pain and had a high level of anxiety that accompanied the pain. I had never heard of Bowenwork before but was more than willing to try anything to relieve the suffering that was driving me to the edge. After the first treatment, I had an entire day of respite from pain and anxiety. To say that I was utterly astonished by the results is an understatement. Continued treatments have made amazing progress towards my full recovery. I am thoroughly convinced that this treatment can help each and every one of us in our healing processes.”

The pivotal point in a Bowenwork session is when the body shifts from a “state of emergency or fight or flight” to a place of relaxation where it can rest, reset and heal. Blood flow increases allowing for oxygen delivery, cellular activity is improved, and lymph flow is stimulated aiding in detoxification.

This technique is safe for all ages from the newborn to the elderly and infirm. It is typically done over loose clothing with the exception of several moves that are optimally performed on the skin. Bowenwork sessions last 45 min to 1 hour and are generally scheduled 1 time/week. Many conditions are improved with 1-2 sessions, and 3-8 sessions are typically all that is needed for more chronic conditions. It can help with arthritis, back and neck pain, frozen shoulders, sciatica, asthma, and migraines, headaches, and pregnancy-related back pain to name just a few. It is a wonderful option during pregnancy because it is a natural approach to pain relief.

Bowenwork is becoming more recognized by the medical community. There are currently practitioners in 31 different countries. More information about this international body of practitioners can be found at www.bowenwork.com. In summary, the simplicity and efficacy of this cost-effective, powerful, non-invasive and gentle form of healing is amazing those clients who have found Bowen therapy.