What is Bowenwork?

I’m a certified Bowenwork Practitioner. To be honest, before I had my first session, I knew almost nothing about it. Yet, something about it called to me. I needed to learn more.

I asked around and was invited to a class where students of Bowenwork practiced on me. I felt like I was back in medical school again.

While on the table, the Bowenwork moves done by the students were so subtle, I wasn’t sure it was going to do much. Having driven 3 hours to the class, I chose to suspend my disbelief until the end of my session. I had read amazing stories and was willing to give it a chance to show me what it could do for me.

I have broken my wrist a couple of times, torn the cartilage in my shoulder, and had various impact injuries over the years. These injuries took their toll on my body and threw me out of balance. My left side had never been as strong as my right and the way I compensated for this imbalance over the years merely perpetuated the problem.

When I got up off the table after the first session, the teacher asked me to walk. She explained the reciprocal movement would help my body process the changes. So I walked.

While I walked up and down the room, I started laughing. I felt myself adjusting and unwinding. I felt pain leaving my body that I didn’t even know I still carried. With each step my gait changed, becoming more even.

After my first session of Bowenwork, I continued to unwind for a month, longer than other types of physical medicine I experienced. Until this time, I didn’t consider myself as living with chronic pain. I was shocked and pleased to find even more levels of my chronic pain dissipating as time passed. During this transition, I felt more aware of old injuries, which then decreased to almost nothing.

I found the better my self-care routine; the longer these benefits lasted for me. My left side grew stronger, when before any strength I added would quickly dissipate if I slowed my exercise routines. I have been able to maintain these changes like never before. I still have more work to do as I continue to heal, but these shifts were leaps and bounds.

I signed up for classes right after my first session and received my certification as a Bowenwork Practitioner because of these powerful changes and wanted to share this deeply effective work with my patients.

Bowenwork is a holistic soft-tissue technique that supports the central nervous system allowing it to reset using cross-fiber stimulation to muscles, tendons, and ligaments. This activates the proprioceptors calling the nervous system to reassess current holding patterns and reset if the old patterns are no longer helping or needed.

Bowenwork is gentle enough for everyone while being very effective, which is exactly the type of medicine that speaks to me. Everyone responds differently to the work as each body uses the information as needed.

Some conditions that Bowenwork can benefit are muscle and joint issues such as sprains and strains, overuse injuries, knee pain, scoliosis, colic, back pain, TMJ problems, fibromyalgia, ADD/ADHD, insomnia, difficultly breathing, asthma, allergies, digestive inflammation, bedwetting, headaches, anxiety, depression, immune deficiencies, hypertension, reproductive disorders such as PMS, painful periods, infertility, and prostate issues, and many others.

Sessions typically take place on a massage table, while lying, seated, or standing. There are breaks between the moves to allow your nervous system to process the information and begin resetting as needed. It helps to have a least a week between sessions to allow your body to process the work.

Bowenwork sessions often begin by creating a base of support and calming the central nervous system. The benefits of each session build on each other and set the stage for moving into deeper levels of healing.

Usually 4-6 Bowenwork sessions are recommended to begin building a strong base of support and many issues show partial or full recovery in the first few sessions. More complex issues will take longer to unwind and some chronic issues may need continued periodic maintenance.

Think this might be something you would like to experience? Give me a call, 509-663-5048, and we can set up time to help you unwind and relax back into a balanced, happy you.

Have you had Bowenwork before? Leave a comment below and let me know!

How do you care for yourself after you have bodywork? Please leave a comment and share the ways you support your body to heal.

If you would like more information about Bowenwork, you can learn more here.

Thank you for reading and sharing this post with anyone who can benefit, please pass this information along.

In health,