We often rely on experts to tell us how to do the most fundamental, daily things – from eating and sleeping to exercise and sex. But Anna-Karien Otto says you can rely on yourself. If only you could silence the hum and chatter of everyday life, you could hear a more profound, subtle voice speaking. This is your body talking.
We often rely on experts to tell us how to do the most fundamental, daily things – from eating and sleeping to exercise and sex. But Anna-Karien Otto says you can rely on yourself. If only you could silence the hum and chatter of everyday life, you could hear a more profound, subtle voice speaking. This is your body talking.
“Your body is so wise,” says Otto, a local Body Spin practitioner, “it knows what it needs”. Body Spin and Body Alignment are not, as the names suggest, some form of physiotherapy, but an energy therapy that aligns imbalances in a person's system through various energy points or vortexes. The process re-maps subconcious memory pathways, bringing the physical body, mind and emotions back into balance.
Unlike other healing therapies, Body Spin facilitates a conversation between the conscious and unconscious awareness based on the client's needs, not on any preconceived ideas. It is based on the principle that one's body, mind, emotions and what Otto calls "the higher self" are all one system that is quite clear on what is required to be brought back into balance. In short, the body is its own best consultant. Otto describes the process of uncovering this innate wisdom like peeling away the layers of an onion.
Body Spin is known as a holistic therapy. “Energetically, there is no difference between the mind, body and emotions – it’s all one system,” says Otto, who uses kinesiology (also known as muscle testing) to navigate through the Body Spin process. Using a pendulum and a chart that correspond to five different zones and a myriad energy vortexes in the body, Otto silently asks yes or no questions to the client's body.
The pendulum then indicates 'yes' by spinning clockwise and 'no' by spinning anti-clockwise. “All that [the pendulum]is doing is reading my thoughts,” says Otto, who says the process is intentionally non-prescriptive. She then spins two magnetic cards – the “seed of life” and the “resonance” card – over the priority areas in clockwise and anti-clockwise motions to break up stagnant clusters of energy. The process also may include a stage known as Emotional Release, where the client can "clean out psychological wounds on an energetic level".
As a practitioner, Otto enjoys facilitating the sense of peace and of things falling into place. She says that she is lucky because both the client and the practitioner feel very energised afterwards. One sceptical patient even conceded that the therapy worked, they just didn't know how.
“It’s difficult to explain because it’s almost magical,” says Otto, “It makes sense on a scientific level, but there a is a mystery, a lot of magic in it.”
You can learn more about Body Spin from www. bodyalignment.org or contact Anna-Karien Otto on 079 966 3884. She charges R145 for a two-hour session.
Some more info on alternative therapies:
Chakras are seven energy points located around major organs or nerve systems in the body. Originating from Eastern philosophy, the chakras (which means wheel in Sanskrit) are believed to spin in a clockwise direction. All seven points correspond to the colours of the rainbow and can be balanced through meditation, yoga or holistic therapies.
Holistic therapy is a generic term for any treatment that is intended to treat the individual as a whole. Mind, body and spirit are addressed through various therapies ranging from natural medicines to massage.
Energy therapy encompass various types of alternative therapies that realign imbalances in the body's energy system.
Auras or the auric system is a field of subtle luminousity emanating from a person, place or thing. Some people can read the colours and shapes within an aura and these communicate an individual's state of mind and how they interact with their surroundings.
