ZERO BALANCING
What is Zero Balancing?
Zero Balancing is a gentle and powerful hands-on bodywork
system which
balances body energy with physical structure. It integrates
Western scientific
knowledge of anatomy and physiology and Eastern concepts
of energy and
healing with the practitioner’s ability to perceive
and feel the finer force fields in the
body. What this does is enable a practitioner to work simultaneously
with your structural and Energy bodies to bring balance.
Zero Balancing is valuable for a wide range of situations
and has extensive applications in the maintenance of good
health as well as personal development.
How Did Zero Balancing Originate?
‘Zero Balancing’ came from a client's description
of her experience of a session:
'' I feel I've been brought back to balance, like a return
to zero ''.
Zero Balancing was developed by Dr. Fritz Smith in 1973
out of a programme to teach
acupuncturists how to evaluate body structure. Dr. Smith,
the son of a chiropractor, was a practicing osteopathic
physician and surgeon from the early 1950’s. In the
sixties, after attending Esalen Institute and immersing
himself in a series of alternative therapies and spiritual
practices, he began to think of a specific force, with its
own atomy, physiology, and pathophysiology. Though he studied
with Ida Rolfin 1971, he was not drawn to Rolfin because
in those days it generated pain.
Smith then went to England to study acupuncture which convinced
him of the importance of energy work. At the same time he
began a study of Eastern philosophy, including Siddha Yoga,
Jin Shin Do Acupressure and Shiatsu, T’ai Chi Chuan
and Chi Kung. All of these influences contributed to the
development of Zero Balancing.
How Is ZB Performed?
Everything in a ZB session is designed to promote maximum
relaxation and a sense of well being. The Zero Balancing
process generally takes between 30 and40 minutes and is
performed with you fully clothed. Sessions begin with you
in a seated position, moving from there to a comfortable
reclining position on your back. Using touch, the ZB practitioner
evaluates your energy fields and energy flow in these two
positions and balances the structures as needed. He or she
may focus on body, mind, spirit, or all three, depending
on where the fields are disturbed or the energy is blocked.
This form of touch is known as interface and is gentle and
noninvasive.
Throughout the Zero Balancing session, attention is given
to the skeleton in particular
because it contains the deepest and strongest currents.
Within the skeletal system are
several joints which have a minimal range of motion and
whose main function is related to the transmission of energetic
forces. These joints, such as the sacroiliac joint, areknown
as the Foundation joints and are a major focus of Zero Balancing.
When such joints become imbalanced the body tends to compensate
in ways that can have widespread effects. These compensations
may impede function and set up unconscious tensions which
lead to a reduction in our vitality and can limit our potential
for health. Practitioners of Zero Balancing learn to feel
and evaluate the relationship between energy and structure
within joints by means of simple movements. They then use
a specific kind of touch that creates a point of dynamic
stillness around which the client can relax and reorganise.
Who Can It Help ?
Alternative health systems like Zero Balancing
do not focus on acute pathology but rather on preventative
medicine and internal states of transformation. It is a
refined and painless way to handle stress, to enhance personal
development, integrate the personality, reduce body pain,
align the posture, and promote general wellness. ZB gives
relief to people who are in physical pain due to an imbalance
at the structural/energetic interface. It has also proved
to have significantresults with children aged 1 to 6.
What makes ZB a unique approach to bodywork?
Zero Balancing can bring about an altered state of consciousness
which may enable clients to transcend limitations in a safe
and grounded way The clients’ experience of being
held a at a profound level of conscious relaxation in their
own integrity is a particular quality of Zero Balancing
Information Courtesy of:
The Zero Balancing Association UK
10 Victoria Grove
Bridport
Dorset
Tel: 01308 420007
Email: zbauk@aol.com
