Bowen Basics   Bowenwork is the activation and acceleration of the healing process. It is not massage, chiropractic, physical therapy or oriental medicine. Your body is gently asked to reset itself based on its knowledge of how it functioned when you where healthy. Bowenwork is very successful in resolving pain in backs and necks, hips and shoulders, knees and elbows without drugs or painful movements or exercises. Spines realign and postural issues fade away as muscles return to a state of balance, with the full cooperation of the nervous system. Digestive, respiratory and circulatory problems often improve dramatically. There is not a phase, including pregnancy, of a women’s life cycle that will not benefit from the hormonal stabilizing and emotional balancing effects. It is effective with any age client with chronic or acute conditions regularly achieving lasting results in one to three visits. If you are wondering if Bowenwork could help with your issues, including pre and post surgery or during chemotherapy, call for a free consultation.   At a Bowen session You will be asked to fill out an easy checklist intake form. The information is entered into a computer program that I developed to cross reference your issues with the over fifty Bowen procedures that are known to have positive effects.  You pull up a chair next to me as we prioritize your primary concerns and talk about what is going on with you, answer your questions, demonstrate a basic Bowen move and decide what approach best suits your needs. Assessments of structural conditions are then done if necessary but much of that information also comes out during the procedural process. Once a plan has been developed you move into an adjoining room where you lie face down on a soft, wide table. Special cushions are used if you have a problem with turning your head from side to side to stay comfortable. Most of the work is done through your clothing but shorts should be worn and are provided if needed.  I will allow you to settle in for a minute or two, then return to perform a series of four gentle, rolling moves with my thumbs on your low back that follow your breathing pattern.  The first set activates the parasympathetic response that relaxes your whole body. It is not necessary that you feel anything during the work for it to be successful and some people simply fall asleep. If there are sensations anywhere in your body, including emotional ones, then it is best to allow them to play through before we add more. Too much information or adding it to fast can cause the brain to be overloaded and resist the process, with no harm but also reduced benefit.   After each unique set of painless moves I will leave the room for a couple of minutes so you can assimilate that phase of the process, undisturbed. This routine continues after you have rolled to your back. I will then assist you to a seated position and we will make sure that you are stable before putting your weight equally on both feet to get up. In some cases procedures continue when you are seated or standing. If the shoulder or hip procedure has been used I will give you a handout and demonstrate the movement series that you will be asked to do daily to enhance the work, free up and align those areas. These movements are a set of six repetitions that are done in the pain free range.  We will then review a handout that covers the do’s and don’ts after the session. They involve walking, drinking water and waiting before using heat or ice. You must not receive additional bodywork that could disrupt or stop the process, including Bowenwork, for at least five days. The real changes will happen over the next week as your body continues to work day and night to reorganize itself. The painless procedures are like puzzle pieces to the problem. In the first session the basic three balance the system and put the edges around it. This alone may be all the body needs to swing into the desired action. This full body balancing approach not only opens the conversation gently but it lets the body prioritize its own needs. In a second session obvious choices are used to focus into areas of high need, all with no harm or pain. If results are limited then in a third session additional choices are directed at areas where the body may have changed to accommodate injuries. These areas could be anchoring the apparent problem and not allowing it to resolve. With recent injuries the focus will usually be on the area of concern on the first visit and the results will happen much quicker. What distinguishes Bowenwork from other therapies is that it doesn’t try to outwit, override, sedate or manipulate the body. It trusts that you have a perfect blueprint of health with all the resources that you need, eager to go to work for you. Call for your activation today and put yourself back in control.  Bowen Wellness - Greg Kennedy, RBT (707) 447-5696 or GK4RR1@msn.com