Zero Balancing : Touching with Awareness

Thich Nhat Hanh says: "if you touch one thing with deep awareness, you touch everything". When we touch with Zero Balancing, we engage not only the physcial body but the energetic make-up of a person. The simple and non-invasive touch of ZB invites the release of deeply held tension within the skeletal structure, promoting physical and emotional harmony; a feeling of being "balanced back to zero".

Developed in the USA by Dr. Fritz Smith, pioneer osteopath, physician and acupuncturist, ZB is a unqiue form of bodywork, integrating Western scientific approaches to body structure with Eastern concepts of energy and healing.

Many physical therapies know the value of working with the skeletal structure, ZB gets in-touch with the aliveness of the bone tissue itself. Bone tissue 'stores' old and unconscious patterns of tension (accumulated from past experience, injury or trauma) The practitioner uses finger pressure and held stretches to provide points of stillness around which this tension can be felt and then released.

Zero Balancing allows your natural healing processes to work more effectively and is of particular benefit whether you are in physical pain, or if you are looking for mental and emotional support during a time of transition, stress or change. It is especially enjoyed during pregnancy.

ZB practitioner and massage teacher, Nicola Smith: "Receiving ZB gives me permission to let go of holding and tension in my own time. It is a unique opportunity to be held and met in a non-judgemental way. When I work with clients, the beauty of the work is in giving each person the space to allow changes to happen within themselves."

The Zero Balancing Association has information on events, trainings and local practitioners. www.zerobalancinguk.org. 0845 603 6805

In addition to her Z.B. practice, Nicola runs Bodywsidom School of Thai Massage. She works in Eastbourne and Hastings. 07930 442639. www.bodywisdom.org.uk