Zero Balancing

Zero Balancing is a gentle and powerful way of balancing body energy with body structure. It integrates Western scientific knowledge of body structure with Eastern understandings of energy and healing.

Zero Balancing is a gentle and powerful way of balancing body energy with body structure. It integrates Western scientific knowledge of body structure with Eastern understandings of energy and healing into an original, practical and coherent bodywork skill. Dr. Fritz Smith, an osteopath, physician and acupuncturist, developed the principles of Zero Balancing in 1975. He teaches internationally, training practitioners and teachers to use and teach Zero Balancing.

The working focus in Zero Balancing is the relationship between the structure of the bones and joints and the energy flowing through them. Zero Balancing uses specific finger pressure and held stretches called fulcrums. A fulcrum provides a point of dynamic stillness around which energy and structure can reorganise. It takes a person into a state of refreshing relaxation which can bring about a profound experience of well being and body felt unity. This offers the opportunity to let go of unease and pain and to experience new levels of integration. The touch used in Zero Balancing has a characteristic clarity which is pleasurable to receive.

Zero Balancing is beneficial for a wide range of people and has extensive applications in the maintenance of good health as well as personal development. A Zero Balancing session may improve body functioning, relieving physical pain and held tensions. Pain usually occurs in areas where energy flow is blocked or weakened, commonly in areas of tension or overuse. By working towards optimum balance and efficiency in the relationship between the joints and restoring the natural energy flow, the causes of pain may be removed and body awareness improved. There is a corresponding increase in flexibility, range and performance.

On a broader level, Zero Balancing is an effective and gentle way of dealing with stress. It promotes the quieting and centring of the mind and body and can help people to adapt to the stress of current changes, as well as help with the resolution of past traumas. Sessions aim to enhance health and aid a person to realise their full potential.

Zero Balancing can facilitate the release of outdated mental habits and patterns of emotional response. Unresolved issues from our personal history may be held in the body and act as obstacles to personal development. Zero Balancing can help access and clear these obstructions, strengthening our ability to adapt to change and to reconnect with our essential selves.

People who receive Zero Balancing can progress into a new state of awareness from which old patterns and habits in the body and mind may be more readily released. There may be noticeable changes in experience of physical structure and movement, or a shift in the inner landscape so that new opportunities and choices become apparent. A Zero Balancing session lasts between 20 and 40 minutes. Clients remain fully clothed and the work is performed with them lying on their back on a massage table. A short health history will be taken before the session starts. Zero Balancing promotes a deep state of relaxation, and it is common for people to feel refreshingly rested and revitalised after the first session. It is often recommended that a person have three weekly sessions to begin with, and then decide with their practitioner what frequency would best serve them. Some people continue to have Zero Balancing sessions regularly as a way to maintain good health, whilst others find it beneficial at times when they need to be functioning at their best, or during times of particular stress, or during transitional periods in their lives.

All Zero Balancing practitioners have undertaken a thorough training programme organised by the Zero Balancing Association UK (ZBA UK). All Zero Balancers are also qualified in another healthcare discipline and are required to undertake continuous professional development to actively maintain their status through membership of ZBA UK.