Bodywork is a term used in alternative medicine to refer to any therapeutic or healing practice which involves energetic work or physical manipulation of the body. Bodywork is based on the idea that muscle tension and improper alignment may cause or contribute to physical and internal imbalances. The techniques used in bodywork treatments are directed at reducing tension in the body and facilitating the flow of blood and energy. Once blood and energy flows improve, it is believed that the body is better able to heal itself.

Practices such as yoga, respiration techniques, and all massage techniques are grouped under this concept. Bodywork incorporates many techniques and tools that allow clients to improve posture and enhance their awareness of the connection between mind and body. For example, in massage therapy, the aim is to ease stress and muscular tension and improve the functioning of the body. In craniosacral therapy, practitioners apply gentle pressure to specific craniosacral areas to improve the functioning of the body.

Bodywork is used to treat a wide range of conditions, and seems to be particularly beneficial in the case of physical pain. The first session of treatment generally involves a conversation with the practitioner regarding the client’s health history and current health issues and concerns. Most sessions last approximately an hour and usually include work on the whole body, with emphasis on the areas with problems.