The Incredible Benefits Of “Water Therapy”

I discovered water therapy by accident when I visited Ubud (a village in Bali, popular for its many healing modalities) for a mini getaway and asked my spiritual teacher what would be a fun, relaxing, and unconventional activity to experience.

When she recommended Watsu — a form of aquatic bodywork used for deep relaxation and therapy — I had NO idea what it was. But in typical Celinne fashion, I decided to try it out because… why not?

So there’s a technique where the facilitator puts a clip on your nose, and you hold your breath for a few seconds as they submerge and move your body underwater…

(pictured below. Without the nose clip as he hadn’t placed it yet!)

When my facilitator first tried to submerge me underwater, panic flooded my body. 

Having had a lifelong apprehension of water (apparently I drowned in 2 past lives — still need to clear that out!), I didn’t like this one bit.

But.

I also knew that this modality was a practice of surrender, which I’ve been familiarizing myself with a lot these days..

And that I would not get the full benefits of this therapy if I didn’t at least ATTEMPT to surrender 🤪.

(As Yoda says… there is no try, just do).

So, using my skillset as a breathwork practitioner, I began to use my breath to regulate my nervous system and relax into the experience of being submerged.

After a few tries, it finally happened:

I experienced the feeling of being underwater, completely at ease and regulated in my body, floating like a baby in the womb.

There are no words to describe the quality of the experience. Time stopped. I felt like I was floating in a cosmic puddle, without a worry in the world. A full sense of physical and mental surrender, while feeling completely safe to let go.

It was the first time I truly experienced total surrender in my physical body.

And what better way to do that than with the element of water, which represents the emotional body.

It was… bliss. That’s the only way I can really describe it.

A powerful reminder that while your mind tries to grasp and rationally explain concepts, the only way to understand something is to EXPERIENCE it.

… Using the incredible vehicle we’ve been given: the body and its senses.

I’ve been noticing something really meaningful happening in my life.

The more I allow my body’s intelligence to lead the way, the more life’s been opening up to me like a flower in bloom. She gets easier, more graceful, and in flow. I’m really loving reprogramming my subconscious in this way… it’s making everything better!

To take a look at my videos of doing the water therapy journey, you can head to my Instagram here!

Have you done a water journey before? Curious to hear about your experience if so… and if not, you can head to my IG post to connect with Michael, who I highly recommend for this!