What is the Baby Bowen Procedure? The Bowen Baby Procedure consists of 7 gentle, light touch moves for stimulating balance in your babys autonomic nervous system (ANA). This gentle stimulation will relieve your baby's colic and enhance her/his overall health and well-being.

Bowen therapy was developed by an Australian named Tom Bowen. The government-commissioned Webb report in 1975 reported Tom Bowen attending some thirteen thousand patients annually with an 80-90% success rate, usually in only one or two sessions.

BENEFITS: Colic; Asthma; healthy functioning of all organs and systems, especially the nervous, respiratory, digestive and alimentary (elimination) systems; promotes bonding between parents and baby.

HOW OFTEN: May perform Baby Bowen Moves as often as needed (at the first sign of your babys discomfort) for the first six-weeks after birth, or weekly as a preventative and for Well Baby Care.

BABY BOWEN PROCEDURE, Part I

The first 4 moves are made on your babys back, between her/his shoulder blades.

Your baby lays face down, on her/his stomach, or if there are two of you one may hold the baby with her/his chest facing you while the other one performs the first 2 Baby Bowen Moves.

BABY BOWEN MOVES

1. Always begin by doing your first Baby Bowen Move on the Left side. Place the pad of your Right thumb flat on top of the muscles lying along the Left side of your babys spine. Your Right thumb is just above the bottom angle of your babys Left shoulder blade.

You must first get into the correct position for performing your Baby Bowen Move by gently pulling the flat pad of your Right thumb toward you, moving the skin away from your babys spine as far as it will go, like drawing the string of a bow.

At this end point you will gently press down and in, hooking the bottom edge of your thumb slightly. Hold this "gateway" entry position for 3-seconds.

By holding for 3 seconds you are giving a tiny challenge to your babys nervous system, letting it know you are there. You may (or may not) notice a slight softening of the tissue as the nerve endings repond and open to your tiny challenge. This feedback loop takes about 3-seconds.

Remember there is ALWAYS a 3-second challenge before each Bowen Baby Move!

Now push your Right thumb TOWARD your baby's spine, move slowly with even, gentle pressure across the muscles, the pad of your thumb flattens as you perform the move.

Your gentle Bowen Baby Move are activating nerve endings and sending a signal along the nerve pathway, like a reset switch to your babys nervous system, to enhance balance and stimulate your babys natural healing response.

Think of your Baby Bowen Move like turning on a light switch.

2. Now immediately perform the next Baby Bowen Move by reaching across your babys spinal column and placing the Right pad of your index finger atop the muscles along your babys spine.

Again you must first get into the correct position for performing your Baby Bowen Move by gently pushing with the pad of your Right index finger, to move the skin away from your baby's spine as far as it will go.

At this end point you will gently press down and in with the pad of your Right index finger, hooking your finger tip slightly. Remember to hold this gateway entry position for a 3-second challenge.

Now with the pad of your Right index finger, pull your index finger TOWARD your babys spine, move slowly with even, gentle pressure across the muscles, the pad of your Right index finger will flatten as you perform the move.

3. You will immediately follow these first two moves with two more in the same exact sequence and locations except in the opposite direction, AWAY from your babys spine.

Place the pad of your Right index finger, flat on top of the muscles along the left side of your babys spine, and push the skin away towards your babys spine, as far as it will go.

Gently press down and in with the pad of your Right index finger, hooking your finger tip slightly, press gently on the muscles, activating the nerve endings for a 3-second challenge.

Now with the pad of your Right index finger, pull your index finger away from your baby's spine, move slowly with even, gentle pressure across the muscles, the pad of your index finger will flatten as you perform the move.

4. Now immediately perform the next Baby Bowen Move by reaching across your baby's spinal column and placing the Right pad of your thumb atop the muscles along your baby's spine.

Again you must first get into the correct position for performing your Baby Bowen Move by gently pulling with the pad of your index finger, to move the skin toward your baby's spine as far as it will go.

At this end point you will gently press down and in with the pad of your Right index finger, hooking the bottom edge of your thumb slightly. Remember to hold this gateway entry position for a 3-second challenge.

Now with the pad of your Right thumb, push AWAY from your baby's spine, move slowly with even, gentle pressure across the muscles, the pad of your Right thumb will flatten as you perform the move.

BABY BOWEN PROCEDURE, Part II

Your last 3 Baby Bowen Moves are made with your baby lying flat on her/his back.

BABY BOWEN MOVES

Holding Point or Energy Blocker - With the middle finger of your left hand apply gentle pressure just below the tip of cartilage at the end of your babys breast bone, called the xiphoid process. Maintain this holding point with gentle pressure while performing the following two Baby Bowen Moves.

The purpose of a Holding Point or Energy Blocker is to set your intention for focusing your Baby Bowen Move to a particular location and effectively concentrates the signal you are sending along a particular nerve pathway.

5. Place the pad of your Right thumb mid-way along the border of your babys left rib cage, slowly move the skin up along the border of your babys rib cage, to end point as as far as it can go.

Now slip the edge of your Right thumb pad slightly under the angle of your baby's rib and with very gentle, light touch pressure, move your Right thumb downward, along the angle of your babys rib to the end point and flatten your thumb.

6. Repeat the move on the right side of your baby's rib cage this time using the pad of your Right middle finger. Find your position mid-way along the border of your baby's rib cage, move up along the border to the end point.

Now slip the edge of your Right middle finger slightly under angle of your baby's rib and with gentle, light touch pressure, move downward along the angle of the rib to the end point and flatten your finger.

7. Take your Left middle finger off your Holding Point or Energy Blocker and place your Left hand on top of your baby's chest to feel your baby's rythmic pattern of breathing.

Place the pad of your Right middle finger about 1 inch below your baby's xiphoid process.

Feel the breath, in and out, get in sync and on an out breath perform the following move.

Baby Bowen Move: With the Right pad of your middle finger, gently draw your babys skin up toward the tip of her/his xiphoid process, then press gently down and in, hooking your finger tip and pulling downward with gentle, light touch pressure then flatten your finger.

Baby Bowen Moves are most effective when performed as your baby is exhaled, breath out. Just do the best you can and with practice you will get into the feel of doing your Baby Bowen Moves to achieve outstanding results!

Bowen therapy is currently being researched in hopes to better understand why this gentle, noninvasive and holistic system of healing is so effective. The International Bowen Therapy Academy Conference is being hosted in June 2006 by Yale University where a Masters Degree program is being offered.

KG Stiles

Master Healing Arts Practitioner KG Stiles is a Stress Relief Specialist in professional practice more than 30 years. Through her alternative & complementary health care services she has facilitated healing for thousands of people suffering from personal trauma & illness. Internationally recognized as a visionary in the field of energy medicine her client success stories are widely publicized. Through her evolution as a practitioner & integration of some of the world's most cutting edge, state-of-the-art healing techniques KG has created a NEW system. KG is the author of the self-help e-book, "Your Healing Success Journal," the companion workbook to her popular seminar CD "Success Breakthroughs Using Imagery & Affirmations ~ Tools for Your Healing." KG's aromatic specialty is “signature” blends. Through her unique AromaTest™ system she formulates an individual's unique "signature" blend of oils. Her e-book,"Your Aromatic Signature ~ a Guide to Formulating Blends that Heal," is scheduled for publication in 2006. A native of coastal North Carolina KG has an extensive foundation of training & practice in the transformational healing arts, summarized as follows: She attended the University of North Carolina at Wilmington where she began her studies in archetypal psychology, traveling to study at the Jung Institute Zurich, Switzerland in 1976. She completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy & Religion & in 1979 visited the Findhorn Community in Northern Scotland. While at Findhorn she was introduced to "hands-on healing" & relocated to San Diego, California to train in various bodywork modalities. She was influenced by some of the world's foremost pioneers in the Consciousness and Energetic healing Movement like Anthony Robbins & Milton Trager, completing diploma course work at Mueller College of Massage & an internship in Ida Rolf’s 10- sessions of structural integration at the Institute for Psycho-structural Balancing. KG holds state massage licensure in Oregon #2313 and Hawaii #6351 & National Certification for Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork (NCTMB). Her affiliations include professional membership in the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA), the International BodyTalk As International BodyTalk Association (IBA), the Bowen Therapy Academy of Australia (BTTA) & the National Association of Holistic Aromatherapy (NAHA). She is the NAHA Director for Oregon.