Aquatic Bodywork Certification Week in the Janzu Technique

This is an aquatic bodywork certification week in the Janzu technique, taught by Flavio López at Casa Arkaana in Chemuyil, Quintana Roo, about 20 minutes north of Tulum. Level 1 and Level 2 run back to back in one residential week, 48 hours of training in all, for a group of no more than eight. It suits massage therapists, bodyworkers, yoga teachers, somatic practitioners and anyone who wants to offer Janzu in their work. No previous experience with aquatic bodywork is needed.

Janzu is a practice in which one person is held, moved and breathed with in the water while the other lets go. It guides the receiver toward deep relaxation, release and clarity, and it asks the giver for presence more than force. It is a close cousin of Watsu, but it is practised in cooler water, led by the breath, and improvised in the moment rather than following a fixed sequence.

What to Expect

The week is built in two levels. Level 1, Fundamentals, runs for three days and covers the principles of Janzu, opening and closing a session with presence and containment, using your body to guide the receiver's movement, breath as a bridge to deep relaxation, and the basic sequences for a complete session. It ends with a reconocimiento.

Level 2, Deepening, runs for the following three days. You work on synchronizing breath, body movement and touch, continuous techniques and sequences, sensitivity and conscious body communication, and underwater movements such as displacements, rotations and mobilizations. It also covers the contraindications of aquatic bodywork, so you know how to practise safely with clients. It ends with a certificate signed by Flavio López stating that you trained in the Janzu technique. Flavio recommends practising with friends and family for a while before working with clients.

Days follow one rhythm, which Flavio adapts to the group. Morning practice and an opening circle at 7:00, breakfast at 8:30, theory and demonstration at 10:00, then practice in the water from 11:00. After lunch and rest at 13:30, there is more water practice at 15:30, dinner at 19:30 and a sharing circle in the Temple at 20:30. On the last night the group gathers in the Temple with music to close the week.

About Flavio López

Flavio López began as a massage therapist in Tulum, training in Swedish massage, Thai massage and Janzu. He completed all three levels of Janzu training in the line of Juan Pathik Villatoro, the creator of the technique. He has practised and taught Janzu for fifteen years, and he teaches the way he works: close to each person, in the water with you.

The Setting

Training happens in the pool at Casa Arkaana, which is fed by cenote water. It is cool and mineral-rich, and it sits within five acres of old-growth Mayan jungle. There is no ocean noise and there are no strangers, only your group, the water and your teacher. After class the pool stays open for practice.

Everyone stays on the property for seven nights, with a choice of a private Veranda en-suite, a private casita with a bathroom shared between casitas, or a shared Veranda en-suite that suits two friends or a couple. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are included. Cancún airport is about 90 minutes away and Tulum airport about 60 minutes, and round-trip transfers from either are part of the week.

Before You Go

Teaching is in English or Spanish. Most groups are English speakers, so the week usually runs in English, and Flavio teaches in Spanish when the whole group speaks it. You need to be comfortable swimming, since you will be standing, moving and supporting another person in the water most of the day. Receiving a session does not require swimming.

Janzu has no government or independent certifying body. Every school issues its own certificate, and this one comes from Flavio's school. Flights are not included. Bring a hat or cap, one or two towels, a swimsuit and a long sleeve shirt, as the sun is strong.