Who We Are
WATSU®, an aquatic bodywork therapy, offers a uniquely soothing and transformative experience. The gentle, flowing movements in warm water create a profound sense of relaxation and release, promoting physical and emotional healing. What sets us apart is our team’s exceptional expertise. Additionally, we take pride in being the only South Africa with a fully qualified WATSU® therapist and instructor on our staff.
Adele Pudney, with her extensive knowledge, skill, and passion for this therapeutic practice, guides clients through personalized sessions. This ensures a safe and nurturing environment for profound rejuvenation and well-being. Trust in our commitment to excellence as we provide you with an unparalleled WATSU® experience.
Meet Our WATSU® Team
Adéle Pudney
Physiotherapist and WATSU® Instructor
Based at: Sun Valley practice & Somerset West Practice
BSc. Physiotherapy (UCT) 2003
Basic WATSU® 1 Instructor, WATSU® 2 Instructor, Currently obtaining certification
Welcome to WATSU® SA! I’m Adéle Pudney, the custodian of WATSU® for the continent of Africa. My love for this modality began seventeen years ago when I attended my first WATSU® training with Peggy Schoedinger. It was my first return to enhanced education after completing my community service as a physiotherapist, and what I experienced was a true awakening of the heart. This propelled me to continue the journey to WATSU® 2 in 2008, followed by clinical WATSU® 3 in 2009, when I qualified as a WATSU® practitioner.
I have found the WATSU® path to be deeply fulfilling, rewarding, and healing for both the practitioner and the receiver. It facilitates a way to meet ourselves as a whole being, getting in touch with the real stories behind the limitations we carry and the patterns our bodies hold, often born out of trauma. After witnessing the transformation that recipients experienced in the water, I soon found myself on the devoted path of becoming a WATSU® instructor. With limited access to courses in Africa, this entailed traveling many miles and hours to meet the requirements.
In 2018, I proudly began my journey as a Basic WATSU® instructor. Just like the path to becoming a WATSU® practitioner, becoming an instructor is multi-layered. I went on to qualify as a WATSU® 1 instructor in 2019 and WATSU® 2 Instructor in 2023. Currently, I am completing my Clinical WATSU® 3 instructorship. It brings me great joy and satisfaction to make this training path more accessible to our country, neighbors, and the globe. Thank you for being here; I look forward to welcoming you to our water family and beyond.
Keryn Barnes
Physiotherapist
Based at: Sun Valley practice
BSC. Physiotherapy (UCT) 2007
Keryn obtained her Physiotherapy degree through UCT in 2007. She then spent two years working with people with various forms of chronic pain and disability in the Transkei. Afterward, she moved to Johannesburg and took up a position at the Netcare Rehabilitation Hospital. There, she worked for 5 years in the rehabilitation of various severe orthopedic and neurological injuries.
It was during this time that she discovered her love for the aquatic environment as a powerful tool for healing. She completed her Advanced International Aquatics Course and became qualified as a Watsu® practitioner. Since 2015, Keryn has been running her own Aquatic Physiotherapy practice in Johannesburg.
The driving vision behind her work is encapsulated in this quote: “Rehabilitation is joining with my clients as a partner in restoring quality of life” (Dr. Paul Brand).
Ivy Shih
Physiotherapist & WATSU® practitioner
Based at: Sun Valley practice
BSC. Physiotherapy (Stell) 2020
Welcome to AP Physiotherapists! I’m Ivy. I joined the team after completing my community service in rural KZN, gaining invaluable experience with patients with varying conditions.
During this time, I also completed courses in dry needling and Kinesio taping for sports and overuse injuries. Since joining AP Physiotherapists, I completed the International Advanced Aquatic Therapy Course and began my journey to becoming a WATSU Practitioner. I’ll finish my final WATSU Course in October 2023, becoming a qualified WATSU practitioner thereafter.
My experience in KZN and working in the stroke unit team at Tygerberg Hospital has fostered my passion for neurological rehabilitation and working with the elderly. I believe true healing goes beyond medication. Physiotherapy positively impacts many lives’ quality. You’ll often find me sharing my favorite healing tools in the pool. I firmly believe water enhances healing, activates joy, and provides a safe and thriving environment where clients feel empowered, engaged, and capable of more.
Claire Gibson
WATSU® practitioner & Kahuna Bodyworker
“In the water, the tenderness of human vulnerability cannot be concealed.” {P.Best} Aloha, my name is Claire, and it is with deep reverence and respect for this element that I say welcome to the water.
Over the last 10 years, I have devoted myself to developing a bodywork practice, delving deeply into the essence of how the human body unconditionally becomes the keeper and custodian of our stories. Our more challenging stories very often become the place that we unconsciously steer our lives from.
In their cellular and record-keeping ways, our bodies are quite often breathing from old habituated and patterned landscapes of flight, fright, and freeze. One of the many gifts aquatic bodywork brings is the activation of memory and the ability to re-write the stories we have outgrown. There is a liberation that comes with the realization that we don’t have to be enslaved by our wounds forever. Imagine we could be in service to our wings instead. As Loren Eisley wrote, “If there is magic on the planet, it is contained in water.”
The water and I look forward to sharing the magic with you. For bookings/enquiries, please feel free to contact Claire on 07 999 34284.
Rene Lambert
WATSU® practitioner
Meet Rene Lambert, a seasoned holistic wellness practitioner with 35 years of experience in massage, reflexology, and aromatherapy. Her journey led her to become a certified Yoga teacher, Yoga therapist, and Ayurveda practitioner at Ananda Kutir Ashrama. Recently, she qualified as a WATSU® Practitioner.
Rene seamlessly blends these diverse modalities into her bodywork practice, offering valuable insights into the mind-body connection. Additionally, she assists individuals and groups in unlocking their innate potential and finding balance and comfort.
In a world often marked by chaos, Rene is dedicated to guiding you toward inner peace, holistic wellness, and a deeper connection to your true self. So, join her on this transformative journey.
Candice Le Sueur
WATSU® practitioner
Based in: Johannesburg
Hi, I’m Candice, a WATSU® practitioner and Kahuna massage bodyworker. I’ve always been a “water baby,” and water is an integral part of who I am; it even contributed to my first name. Interestingly, I see the connection – my intention in bodywork is to melt away the cold, frozen, and hardened aspects that accumulate over time. These are the things stored deep within our cells, body, soul, heart, and mind. I aim to bring warmth back to places toughened by life.
Your body is like a vessel at sea, held by the waters as you embark on a voyage of self-discovery. It’s a journey from the past to a boundless future. While anchored in the present, it’s a gift of presence for our soul, spirit, psyche, self, and earthly senses. There’s a sense of fluid freedom and flexibility, flow, nurturing our inner growth. So, is WATSU® calling you to this transformative journey?
