| Othro-Bionomy--Reminding the Body of Its Natural Ability to Find Balance by Alison Zuber © 1991 |
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Ortho-Bionomy is a gentle approach to bodywork, a system of somatic education and a natural
avenue for whole health.
Founded in the early 1970's by British osteopath Dr. Arthur Lincoln Pauls, Ortho-Bionomy blends
cornerstones from ancient as well as modern health care systems. From Eastern thought Dr.
Pauls, who held a black belt in Judo, brought the awareness of achieving a state of balance in the
body and ideas concerning movement and cycles of movement. From Osteopathy, he brought
three major ideas: the physical structure of the body governs the function of the body, the
importance of blood circulation in the creation of health and the idea that muscles contain self-
balancing reflexes. To these ideas, he added his personal belief in the innate ability of the body to
heal itself.
The body is created with a pattern for balance. The body's tendency is to protect and nurture itself
and to that end, it inherently has the capacity to shift and change in response to the world to
constantly re-create that balance. Sometimes our body's protective reactions are stopped in mid-
process before the body returns to a balanced state. The protective reaction doesn't have the
opportunity to complete itself and the muscles remain stuck in a defensive posture. This can
happen if we react to an incident out of fear or with habitual muscle patterns that aren't balanced.
The result is what we call a "misunderstanding with regards to the incident.”
An example might be whiplash in the case of an automobile collision. Upon impact, the neck
muscles freeze up to protect the vertebrae in the neck. This is an appropriate reaction, but because
of the shock involved, the body doesn't get the chance to move through the incident, recognize that
the danger has passed, and return to that natural state of balance.
Muscular and other injuries such as this are among the many places where Ortho-Bionomy can be
very helpful. In addition, people who experience arthritis, sports injuries, rheumatism, posture
problems, etc. as well as stress related issues have found relief through Ortho-Bionomy. In the
case of disease, Ortho-Bionomy is helpful because when the structure is correct then the body has
a better chance of healing itself. Sport, musical and dance performance is improved by Ortho-
Bionomy due to shortened reflex time because of improved structural alignment.
Through the use of the Ortho-Bionomy techniques, which range from physical contact to non-
physical interaction with the aura or energetic body, Ortho-Bionomy helps a person to recognize and
evaluate their current condition on a somatic-neurological level. The work allows the person
seeking help to acknowledge the emotions involved with the incident and reminds them on many
levels of their ability to return to their originally intended state of balance. Through the use of gentle
movements and positioning of the body with respect to points of tension, the current preferred
posture is affirmed. This "preferred posture" (the protective defensive posture) tells us what the
body is trying to protect. The practitioner of Ortho-Bionomy is essentially taking the body back
through the movements which created the problem in the first place (for example the tightening up
of the neck muscles in the car collision), but this time under safe circumstances and without the
original pain. From there, the Ortho-Bionomist offers the body new options for movement and re-
educates the person's posture so that the new choices can more easily be integrated and
maintained. This work is very gentle and the movements are done slowly so that the person does
not create the additional defensive layers their body might create in response to abrupt or forceful
methods. This makes Ortho-Bionomy very safe as well as powerful.
In addition to the vast body of technique, Ortho-Bionomy has a philosophical platform from which
the work is done. The Ortho-Bionomist serves as a witness to change, observing patterns within
the whole person - Body, Mind and Spirit. The Ortho-Bionomist is neither a healer nor a fixer,
believing that there is nothing to fix and that at every moment each person is doing the best that they
can. So, without judgement (good or bad) about themselves or with whom they work, the
practitioner of Ortho-Bionomy serves to affirm patterns that exist and offer options for change. An
Ortho-Bionomist is a teacher whose job is to bring a person's awareness to patterns within
themselves. In turn, these awarenesses, through identification, bring the possibility of
transformation and the motivation for change.
Alison Zuber wrote this article because in 1989, the founder of Ortho-Bionomy, Arthur Lincoln Pauls,
spoke of his hope to have Ortho-Bionomy involved in some way with the 1992 Olympics in Spain.
He asked if Alison would write a short article in Spanish to introduce the principles, concepts and
philosophy of his work.
avenue for whole health.
Founded in the early 1970's by British osteopath Dr. Arthur Lincoln Pauls, Ortho-Bionomy blends
cornerstones from ancient as well as modern health care systems. From Eastern thought Dr.
Pauls, who held a black belt in Judo, brought the awareness of achieving a state of balance in the
body and ideas concerning movement and cycles of movement. From Osteopathy, he brought
three major ideas: the physical structure of the body governs the function of the body, the
importance of blood circulation in the creation of health and the idea that muscles contain self-
balancing reflexes. To these ideas, he added his personal belief in the innate ability of the body to
heal itself.
The body is created with a pattern for balance. The body's tendency is to protect and nurture itself
and to that end, it inherently has the capacity to shift and change in response to the world to
constantly re-create that balance. Sometimes our body's protective reactions are stopped in mid-
process before the body returns to a balanced state. The protective reaction doesn't have the
opportunity to complete itself and the muscles remain stuck in a defensive posture. This can
happen if we react to an incident out of fear or with habitual muscle patterns that aren't balanced.
The result is what we call a "misunderstanding with regards to the incident.”
An example might be whiplash in the case of an automobile collision. Upon impact, the neck
muscles freeze up to protect the vertebrae in the neck. This is an appropriate reaction, but because
of the shock involved, the body doesn't get the chance to move through the incident, recognize that
the danger has passed, and return to that natural state of balance.
Muscular and other injuries such as this are among the many places where Ortho-Bionomy can be
very helpful. In addition, people who experience arthritis, sports injuries, rheumatism, posture
problems, etc. as well as stress related issues have found relief through Ortho-Bionomy. In the
case of disease, Ortho-Bionomy is helpful because when the structure is correct then the body has
a better chance of healing itself. Sport, musical and dance performance is improved by Ortho-
Bionomy due to shortened reflex time because of improved structural alignment.
Through the use of the Ortho-Bionomy techniques, which range from physical contact to non-
physical interaction with the aura or energetic body, Ortho-Bionomy helps a person to recognize and
evaluate their current condition on a somatic-neurological level. The work allows the person
seeking help to acknowledge the emotions involved with the incident and reminds them on many
levels of their ability to return to their originally intended state of balance. Through the use of gentle
movements and positioning of the body with respect to points of tension, the current preferred
posture is affirmed. This "preferred posture" (the protective defensive posture) tells us what the
body is trying to protect. The practitioner of Ortho-Bionomy is essentially taking the body back
through the movements which created the problem in the first place (for example the tightening up
of the neck muscles in the car collision), but this time under safe circumstances and without the
original pain. From there, the Ortho-Bionomist offers the body new options for movement and re-
educates the person's posture so that the new choices can more easily be integrated and
maintained. This work is very gentle and the movements are done slowly so that the person does
not create the additional defensive layers their body might create in response to abrupt or forceful
methods. This makes Ortho-Bionomy very safe as well as powerful.
In addition to the vast body of technique, Ortho-Bionomy has a philosophical platform from which
the work is done. The Ortho-Bionomist serves as a witness to change, observing patterns within
the whole person - Body, Mind and Spirit. The Ortho-Bionomist is neither a healer nor a fixer,
believing that there is nothing to fix and that at every moment each person is doing the best that they
can. So, without judgement (good or bad) about themselves or with whom they work, the
practitioner of Ortho-Bionomy serves to affirm patterns that exist and offer options for change. An
Ortho-Bionomist is a teacher whose job is to bring a person's awareness to patterns within
themselves. In turn, these awarenesses, through identification, bring the possibility of
transformation and the motivation for change.
Alison Zuber wrote this article because in 1989, the founder of Ortho-Bionomy, Arthur Lincoln Pauls,
spoke of his hope to have Ortho-Bionomy involved in some way with the 1992 Olympics in Spain.
He asked if Alison would write a short article in Spanish to introduce the principles, concepts and
philosophy of his work.