One of my favorite parts of teaching Polarity Therapy is the Five Elements. The Elements relate to the first five chakras; Earth, Water, Fire, Air and Ether. They start grounded in the physical realm and as they move up, become more esoteric and energetic. Students tend to get excited about the higher elements, such as Air and Ether, but, without addressing one’s foundation in Earth and Water, the higher elements remain elusive and inaccessible.
Water is the emotional body, the unconscious, our feelings, our ability to absorb, to cleanse, and essential to life. The Water Element is nourished by being around bodies of water, oceans, lakes, rivers, eating watery foods such as cucumbers, melons and leafy greens, through our relationships, and by allowing one’s intuition to be our guide.
Water purifies and grounds us and allows us to slough off the energy we pick up from our clients post-session. A cool shower, with a visualization of the water drawing out the energies of the day, can be a powerful combination of refreshment, invigoration and rejuvenation.
Be like water making its way through cracks. Do not be assertive, but adjust to the object, and you shall find a way around or through it. If nothing within you stays rigid, outward things will disclose themselves. Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle. You put it into a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now water can flow, or it can crash. Be water, my friend. - Bruce Lee
The above quote from Bruce Lee relates to both Kung Fu and a philosophy of life. Through the practice of martial arts one learns a way of being that translates to all aspects of life. Many roads lead one to the same place and being a martial arts practitioner is but one. Where it intersects usefully with the practice of bodywork is in embodiment. By learning about the body we inhabit, mostly made up of water, we are better able to understand and relate to our clients’ bodies. Being a bodyworker is physical, and without a degree of athleticism, the work can wear one down. When we try to fix our clients or push the pain out of them, we run the risk of hurting ourselves, and them too.
“Do not be assertive, but adjust to the object, and you shall find a way around or through it. If nothing within you stays rigid, outward things will disclose themselves.”
I enjoy the Water approach; a slow, gentle method that involves listening with soft hands, without judgement, what the body is trying to tell us. Allowing the tissue to draw one in as the fascia unwinds and melts under our touch. Sometimes the Water Element needs to be rocked and swirled to be unblocked, clear out stagnation and flow freely. Using a firm, yet gentle touch, the practitioner establishes trust and allows the client to safely release what is stored in the unconscious and enter into the deep state of relaxation where healing takes place.