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.
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.
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| Othro-Bionomy® -- Reminding the Body of its Natural Ability to Find Balance by Alison Zuber © 1991 (available in original Spanish) |
Alison Zuber is a Senior
Practitioner and Advanced
Instructor of Ortho-Bionomy®.
She has been practicing
Ortho-Bionomy since 1982
and has taught classes
throughout the United States,
Canada and Mexico. Alison is
a Nationally Certified
Therapeutic Bodyworker, an
ISMTEA Registered
Movement Therapist, an
Infant Developmental
Movement Educator and a
certified practitioner and
instructor of Body-Mind
Centering®.
The primary focus of her work
is facilitating developmental,
cognitive and movement
integration for infants and
children. Alison maintains
private practices in Santa
Barbara, California and
Northampton, Massachusetts.
Practitioner and Advanced
Instructor of Ortho-Bionomy®.
She has been practicing
Ortho-Bionomy since 1982
and has taught classes
throughout the United States,
Canada and Mexico. Alison is
a Nationally Certified
Therapeutic Bodyworker, an
ISMTEA Registered
Movement Therapist, an
Infant Developmental
Movement Educator and a
certified practitioner and
instructor of Body-Mind
Centering®.
The primary focus of her work
is facilitating developmental,
cognitive and movement
integration for infants and
children. Alison maintains
private practices in Santa
Barbara, California and
Northampton, Massachusetts.