What Is Zero Balancing?
Zero Balancing is a form of therapeutic bodywork that is gentle, yet engaging in a deep and satisfying way. Based on the understanding that we have both a physical body and an energy body, Zero Balancing integrates Western anatomic knowledge with the Eastern understanding of energy. Zero Balancing addresses the structure of the body, the energy of the body and the relationship of the two.
Practitioners focus on certain key joints, which conduct and transmit energetic forces in and through the body, using comfortable finger pressure and gentle traction. By using well-placed touch, Zero Balancing uses the client’s own energy to clear vibrations or vibratory patterns held in those tissues and in fields of body energy. Clients often experience deep relaxation, internal organization, and improved function.
What Can You Expect from a ZB Session?
Zero Balancing can reduce pain and discomfort in the body, by freeing areas where energy is blocked or being held. When these two "bodies" (of energy and structure) are balanced, we feel more grounded, centered and stress-free.
Zero Balancing increases feelings of wellbeing and improves health, by inducing a state of deep rest that allows you to feel truly relaxed, renewed and nourished. Regular sessions may help you to feel more vital, alive and connected to the world around you.
Regular ZB sessions can also heighten your awareness of the effects of life's pressures. Being aware of our responses to these pressures allows us the opportunity to know ourselves better — to see where we tend to carry tension in our bodies and to change old patterns, which no longer serve us.
- Zero Balancing is safe, gentle and is enjoyed by young and old alike
- It is practiced with the client fully clothed
- Sessions generally last 40 minutes
- Zero Balancing is not based on the medical model of illness and can be beneficial for those who are simply under stress or going through turbulent or transitional periods in life
- Zero Balancing may also be used by those looking to enhance wellness or personal growth
History of Zero Balancing?
Zero Balancing was developed in the 1970s by Fritz Frederick Smith, MD, a pioneer in the field of integrative medicine. A doctor of both osteopathy and medicine, Dr. Smith developed a thorough understanding of Western anatomy and a fascination with the healing power of touch.
My Own Study of Zero Balancing
I took my first Zero Balancing course with Dr. Fritz Smith in 1993, as part of training in acupuncture school. I was immediately drawn to the work, especially appreciating how well founded it is in Western scientific principles.
I completed further studies, becoming a certified Zero Balancing practitioner in 1998. Since that time I have continued with advanced studies including a Teacher Training Program.
