The Jahara Technical Development History

Jahara® development begun in 1995, when Mario Jahara was hired as an aquatic specialist by an upscale resort in Southern California.

Mario was then a successful author, with 2 body-therapy books released in Portuguese, and an advanced Shiatsu and aquatic-bodywork teacher. He had extensive training in body-structure related methods, including the work of Françoise Mézières and Frederick Matthias Alexander.

His aquatic training at the time, although extensive, proved inadequate to his professional day-to-day needs. After injuring his back while treating a heavier client, Mario started to experimentally use a Styrofoam flotation device in his sessions. This flotation device was to became Jahara's characteristic Third Arm.

Mario also developed a series of moves using his legs to support the client. This technique avoided lifting the client out of the water while doing many maneuvers. He called this class of movements Saddles.

At the time he also developed the TCS (Triangular Cervical Support) — one of the signature methods of Jahara® — as a way to protect the neck of his clients while floating them.
Jahara® was first demonstrated to a group of aquatic therapists in May 1996, in Berkeley, California, USA. The original, anatomically-sound techniques presented instantly captured the interest of the students.

That first introductory class quickly became a fully-fledged program — initially offered in several states in the USA, and then internationally.

Today, Jahara® is considered a most influential method. Many of its original ideas and techniques, like the Saddles, Aquatic Footwork™, TCS™ and ActivExercises™ were adopted, to some extent, by other aquatic bodywork methods.

Jahara® was born based in clear principles, and the soundness of its methodology has been attested by the countless well-known aquatic teachers and professionals who have honored us as students.