My main interest in this blog is alternative aquatics, which I have defined as any water-based healing modality that involves movement and/or bodywork but that is not considered suitable without significant modification for clinical settings or medical billing.These kinds of practices may be found as part of spa-leisure and alternative health services, and are concerned with preventing ill-health and maintaining good health. Sometimes, though, people suffering from chronic problems that hav... Read Full Story

How do you respond when a client has an 'adverse' reaction to an aquatic bodywork session?  Here is an example from my records of 5 years ago now.  The extracts are from email correspondence with a woman I will call Nancy (not her real name) in her 50s who opted for a series of 5 weekly aquatic sessions. This feedback came after the 4th session.  In her younger years, Nancy was a professional dancer but at this time was doing computer work.  I came to know her as a good friend and someone o... Read Full Story

Meet a Fairy Godmother of Spa ...Sara Firman of Vision Spa Retreat talks to her friend and colleague Marion Schneider.Audio link belowSara says:  I've known Marion since 2001 when I visited her spa-resort Toskana Therme [1.] in Bad Sulza, Germany, to take part in the 'Dreams and Rituals in Healing Waters' workshop with Dr Jonathan Paul DeVierville that is held there there every summer [2.].  Marion is someone who is not only very much aware of the problems that face us all now - whether in ... Read Full Story

Craniosacral therapy works with the fluidic rhythms in the body (specifically the cerebrospinal fluid) and it can be a wonderful skill to apply to aquatic bodywork.  See more on this blog: 'Quotes: Craniosacral therapy in water' and 'An aquatic kriya: the bodywave' (towards the end).The wonderfully watery extract below is best read aloud or even better read to you (try the 'Listen Now' button).  It comes from an article by Candice Marro which was published in the Cranial Wave Magazine (2003... Read Full Story

The new 2010 edition of The International Standards of SpaExcellence(SM)2010  released this month addresses sustainability and the environment in a number of places. Julie Register, Managing Director at SpaQuality outlined them for Vision Spa Retreat:    Sustainability and the environment are considered in the Intention and  Strategy section when evaluating the business viability and planning for  the Spa quality system.    “Spa executive management considers the available natural res... Read Full Story

SpaFinder has just announced the winners of its Readers' Choice Awards in three areas - favorite spa by continent, favorite by region or country, and best in any of 27 categories - based on approximately 300,000 votes.  The categories range from Best for Accommodations to Best for Yoga, and include two of particular interest to Vision Spa Retreat.  See below:Best for Environmental PracticesDaintree Eco Lodge and Spa (Queensland, Australia)El Monte Sagrado Living Spa (New Mexico, USA)Post Ra... Read Full Story

Astrology provides a framework for imagining a profound intimacy between ourselves and our environment.  It envisions an ecological cosmos, a cosmos which 'speaks' through symbol and metaphor.  The same structuring principles and processes at work in the natural world are also at work in us, allowing us to see form and movement in our lives as metaphorically reflected in the movements of the sky. p. xvi  The Astrological Imagination: Where Psyche and Cosmos Meet, by Brad Hiljanen Kochunas.W... Read Full Story

I'd love to share some of what I most value about Alternative Aquatics* with you in two exploratory presentations (on land and in the water) at the ATRI National Aquatic Healthcare Conference in Chicago this November: Documenting Alternative Aquatics (talk and sharing)andDeveloping Intuitive Skills in Aquatics (experiential; CEC/ CEU credit)Come and share your own view of how, or if, alternative approaches can contribute to aquatic therapeutics. These are just two offerings in the usual g... Read Full Story

Two definitions ...Recession: 1. A moderate and temporary decline in economic activity2. The act of restoring possession to a former ownerFrom The American Heritage Dictionary, Second College Edition.Earlier this month, Susie Ellis of SpaFinder Inc. reported the closure of two established day spa operations in a blog post entitled 'Spas and Recession'. She wrote that she found this:Heartbreaking - yet not particularly surprising given the current economic climate. In fact, I am sure that we... Read Full Story

This post is the third and last in a series on working with psoas trauma.  Reading Part 1 and Part 2 first is essential.Part 1: Personal experience of psoas trauma Part 2:  How aquatic bodywork can help with psoas trauma recoveryPart 3: Some ways of working with the psoas on land and in waterDeepening our core awareness we enter the influence of water.  It is imprinted in all form and it is by exploring ourselves as fluid beings that we enter into a deeper level of movement awareness and li... Read Full Story