Water

Summer has arrived and it’s becoming more common for temperatures in the south of England to reach 30 degrees or more. We are usually given warnings if a hot spell is imminent and, amongst other measures, always advised to drink sufficient water to prevent dehydration. However, it is very important that we keep well hydrated no matter what the time of year.
 
Over half of our body is made up of water. Our major organs – lungs, heart, liver, kidneys, and brain contain between 65-85% water, so it’s easy to understand how becoming dehydrated would have a negative impact on how these vital organs function. We might survive up to three weeks or more without food, but we can only survive three days without water.
 
A cell – the smallest unit of the human body – is made up of around 70% water, and since our bodies are made up of trillions and trillions of cells, it might be helpful to remind ourselves, as an eminent anthropologist once said, that we are, “an assemblage of water packets”!
 
We begin life as watery beings, suspended in water. A foetus is around 70-90% water. Maybe you can recall that very early experience of being safely and effortlessly held in water when you are having a bath or swimming?
 
As adults we marvel at the elasticity of a baby’s body because as we age our bodies become drier and less supple. By the time we are adults, men’s bodies are around 60% water and women around 55%. Elderly people’s bodies contain even less water making them more vulnerable to dehydration. As adults our bodies become drier, we may become less fluid in every sense. Keeping well hydrated not only supports our major organs but also our muscles and joints. A knee joint, for example, has synovial fluid between the two bones of the joint and in the fluid filled sacks or bursa in and around it. The tendons, muscles and fascia of the knee all contain water too, so you can imagine how the joint might work less efficiently if there is not sufficient water available in the body.
 
Keeping well hydrated will also help you to get the most from a craniosacral therapy session. If you don’t have any underlying health conditions a general rule of thumb is to check the colour of your urine. The stronger and darker the colour the greater need to drink some water.
 
The language we use in biodynamic craniosacral therapy is full of watery references. We talk of ‘tide like’ rhythms and during a treatment, we tune into the body’s fluids which are integral to biodynamic work. Ultimately the work supports fluidity and movement of the cells and tissues, which we believe is an expression of health.