Introducing the Bowen trinity
When you first start with Bowen, your therapist will likely encourage you to follow the three Ws. Not the World Wide Web, but....
Water
Walk
Wait
These are like the trinity of Bowen that goes all the way back to Tom Bowen who first developed this amazing treatment.
Let's start with Water
We all know of the importance of hydration and it can seem like simplistic advice to 'drink more water'. But at the same time, of course, we all quietly admit we don't drink enough. Plenty of tea and coffee, yes. But not enough of the pure stuff.
Why is water relevant to Bowen's therapy and to healing in general?
The body contains a lot of water. Roughly 60%. But the fascia, the tissue that surrounds muscles and is involved with locomotion, healing and much else besides, is 70% or more. Fascia needs to be well hydrated or it stiffens. That long stretch your cat makes after each nap? Yep, that's the lovely loose fascia allowing the movement.
Wouldn't it be great if your body moved like that?
It is possible to wake up in the mornings and not feel stiff. But first, you must make sure you are well hydrated.
"But I don't feel thirsty"
Here's a piece of advice. By the time you feel thirsty, you're already very dehydrated. Earlier signs of dehydration may be....
tiredness, snappy mood, headaches, dry mouth, irritability, light nausea, hard to focus, vision issues, hunger...
Tune in to your body and see how it responds when it is thirsty. What are your signs of dehydration?
"I just don't like the taste of water"
If you can't stomach drinking 1-2 liters of straight water a day, there are ways around it.
You can drink...
Warm water mixed with a lemon. Cold water with cucumber. Light herbal teas using fresh mint, lemon balm or lavender
If you really cannot do without tea or coffee, then drink them decaf leaving out the milk and sugar
Develop a routine
A good tip to boost daily water intake easily everyday is to make it part of a routine.
Here's mine: when I wake up in the morning, I'm very thirsty so I can knock back a pint of room temperature water. I make sure to drink a pint of water with each meal. Then I only need to top up when I exercise.
This routine makes it easy for me to make sure I'm hitting the minimum water intake I need each day.
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