Bowenwork® is a system of touch that initiates a series of responses through stimulation of the nervous, musculoskeletal, fascial and energetic systems of the human body.
Practitioners perform sequences of small stimulations, called “moves”, on specific points on the body, interspersed with rest periods. The Bowenwork moves stimulate mechanoreceptors (nerve endings) that overlie both muscles and acupoints. The body’s response to this stimulation, which begins during the rest periods, includes a balancing of the autonomic nervous system and changes in the musculoskeletal system in the direction of increased symmetry. These effects in turn remove blockages to the free flow of energy in the body. From the point of view of complementary health care, when the body’s nervous and energetic systems are in balance, its physical, emotional and mental functions are able to return to a healthy state.
The Philosophy and Practice of Bowenwork
The purpose of a Bowenwork session is to activate the innate healing mechanisms within the body so that, given time, the autonomic nervous system will self-regulate, energy will move more freely, and the body will heal to the extent it is able.
The work is gentle on the client’s body. In line with Bowenwork’s overarching philosophy of “Less is best,” practitioners aim to provide only enough inputs to elicit the body’s healing response. The number of inputs and length of the rest periods are determined for each client during each session; hence sessions do not have a fixed duration but rather can vary from a few moments to an hour, with the rest periods generally taking more time than the hands-on work.
