In Bodywork, Some Practitioners Focus on Physical Structure and Others
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ZER BALANCING In bodywork, some practitioners focus BORN FROM BONE The genesis of Zero Balancing goes on physical structure and others focus back to Smith’s childhood. His father, Ernest Smith, DC, was an early on energy. Zero Balancing is unique in chiropractor who opened the first four-year chiropractic college, the that it focuses on both simultaneously Cleveland College of Chiropractic, and consciously. At 90 years old, the in 1923. Smith’s mother was more artistic—writing fiction, composing founder of Zero Balancing, Fritz Smith, music, and directing local theater. Smith (whose given name is Frederick MD, is still teaching, innovating, and Reindel Smith) embodies both the scientific curiosity and altruism of his contributing to this systematic approach father and the creativity of his mother. to the whole person. His childhood curiosity for the skeletal system steered his vocational interests as a student. “I have always had a personal bias toward bone. It began in my childhood playing with a skeleton in my dad’s school and 84 massage & bodywork september/october 2019 A Conversation with its Founder, Fritz Smith, MD By David Lauterstein became one of the first medical doctors trained in Rolf’s work. The same year he completed his Rolfing training, Smith met J. R. Worsley, an acclaimed developing a personal relationship velocity thrusting manipulation English acupuncture teacher with the skeleton.” In the of osteopathy, in cranial work at Esalen. Smith was so struck 1950s, he became an osteopath we tend to hold things longer by the new and mysterious, yet and medical doctor in California. and allow the cranial rhythm powerful, teachings of Worsley Early in his practice, he was to respond to your touch. The that he traveled to and from drawn to cranial osteopathy and ideas of holding, allowing, and England to continue his studies studied with Edna Lay, Rollin waiting (pausing) later became with Worsley for the next eight ZER Becker, Harold Magoun, Ruth vital elements of Zero Balancing.” years. In particular, Smith was Gostch, and Viola Frymann interested in Worsley’s ability to BALANCING (among others)—all students of diagnose and treat the root causes William Sutherland, the founder STIR IN ROLFING AND of problems. In 1979, Fritz earned of cranial osteopathy. In 1961, ACUPUNCTURE his master’s degree in acupuncture the California Osteopathic With a medical degree in his and became a Fellow in the Association merged with the pocket, Smith began exploring College of Chinese Medicine. California Medical Association, the body, mind, and spirit at “The major effect from my and Smith received his medical the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, study of acupuncture and Chinese degree from Irvine Medical California, in the 1960s. By medicine was to introduce me School. Smith has said jokingly, 1970, he began training with to the concept of energy—also “Some MDs are congenital, mine the renowned Ida Rolf, who known as chi or prana. Everything was acquired.” was also at Esalen. As Ida Rolf’s changed as I began to integrate His “bias toward bone” student model, Smith had several Eastern thoughts of energy, deepened in osteopathic school experiences that influenced his vibration, healing, and meditation as he studied the work of Andrew later work. He learned that tissue- with the scientific thoughts of Taylor Still and learned the held memory is real, that deep the West,” Smith says. “I learned biomechanics of structure—what touch (as in Rolfing) does not need that energy had its own anatomy, Smith calls “a beautiful system.” to hurt, and that one can work physiology, and patho-physiology. “My understanding of the from “split-level consciousness,” For me, vibration is almost biomechanics changed, however, conjoining the highest quality synonymous with energy—when as I studied the cranial approach. of touch with high-level I think energy, I think vibration.” Rather than using the high observation skills. Smith later Take 5 and try the ABMP Five-Minute Muscles at www.abmp.com/five-minute-muscles. 85 Because acupuncture teaches us that improve this relationship, which improves meridians are the energy pathways in one’s function and feelings of well-being.” the body, Smith says that early in his acupuncture training the meridians represented the anatomy of energy. BECOMING A TEACHER The Fulcrum “Meridians were for me, for a while, While Smith was studying acupuncture, what energy was. However, one day I was Worsley’s students began asking Smith to Zero Balancing seems working with the meridians, and I had the share some of his methods for evaluating the to engage the person in insight that meridians were actually just structure and functions of key joints they profound ways through one form of energy movement; that, at a were working with. Later, they asked to be deeper level, there was the unseen world shown the techniques he was employing to apparently simple hands- of pure energy or pure vibration—the arrive at better balance. This core group on work. Smith says that underpinnings of the body,” he says. “To organically gave rise to Smith’s new role comes from the Zero me, this resonated with the quantum as a teacher—and his groups of students Balancing working tool, physics idea that the fundamental in the UK and US spontaneously grew. building blocks of nature are energy and By the mid-70s, Smith’s ideas and called a fulcrum. “A fulcrum structure, the particle and the wave.” techniques became known as Zero is a field of tension that we It also resonated with the current Balancing, which implies that the physical create in the client’s body models of the field. “From this broader body is leaning neither right nor left, and then hold it stationary perspective, we are all fundamentally front or back; that it is in balance, at the in a ‘field’ of vibration or energy— zero point. Later, Zero Balancing became to allow the opportunity nodes in a multidimensional web of more explicit—that this work also helped for the person to respond what is. These ideas are all woven evoke emotional, mental, and spiritual to it. Some of the fulcrums into the world of Zero Balancing.” alignment through the mindful engagement I’ve developed come from of energy and structure. For Smith, all his years of study coalesced into an awareness listening to people who MIXING ENERGY AND STRUCTURE that the structural armature is also the have a worldview that So how does Smith see energy and structure core energy pathway—or what Chinese makes sense to me, like as related? “Of course, in the scientific medicine identifies as ancestral chi, and what Deepak Chopra or the world it’s Einstein’s E = mc2. However, to yogic philosophy describes as the deepest understand the relationship of structure energy flows of sushumna, ida, and pingala. Dalai Lama. I may hear an and energy in a more meaningful way, I use In fact, it’s the direction his Zero idea and then design a a model of a sailboat. Talking in metaphor Balancing took—focusing on the skeletal field of tension, a fulcrum is sometimes easier than reciting facts to side of the musculoskeletal system. “One that creates a kinesthetic help convey ideas in an image-able way. reason for this is that the skeleton is “In the sailboat metaphor, the wind the core of the body and conducts the experience for the client represents the energy and the boat strongest currents,” Smith says. “Bone is that may transfer that idea represents structure. Somewhere, the wind also piezoelectric. Because of its density, into their experience.” meets the sail; somewhere, energy meets it is an easy tissue to palpate, perceive, structure. Some people have an easier time and affect energy directly. Bone contains sailing than others, depending on their our ancestral history, early childhood skill level. A skilled sailor is able to tack conditioning, and some effects of major the boat into the wind in a manner that trauma. Although energy is everywhere in serves his navigation. In our bodies, our the body, bone gives us a unique doorway energy meets our structure. A fundamental into a person’s body, mind, and spirit to health question is: How well tacked is a help integrate and balance the person.” person into their own energy flow? Some Smith soon found himself teaching people are better integrated in themselves Zero Balancing in the UK, in a variety than others. There are a number of ways to of US cities, in Mexico, and eventually in India, Japan, Spain, and Switzerland. The Take 5 and try the ABMP Five-Minute Muscles at www.abmp.com/five-minute-muscles. 87 Top: Smith highlights the importance of the sacrum. Middle: Author David Lauterstein and Smith in discussion. FAR FROM DONE Bottom: Smith and wife, At age 90, Smith is still filled with passion, Aminah Raheem, at his energy, and ideas. “My current passion is 90th birthday celebration in Palm Springs. Photos the field and how meditation and bodywork by Giovanni Pescetto. affect the energy field. I’ve been listening to Bruce Lipton, and he says only 5 percent of our mental activity is conscious and 95 percent is unconscious. He goes on to say the first six years of life lay down the blueprint for your unconscious. In those first six years, the child just downloads information; they don’t analyze it,” he says. “So, if we want to provide the demand for classes, and the enthusiasm opportunity for change, we need to find of his growing and devoted groups of a way to talk to the 95 percent of us that students, led to a series of teacher trainings is below consciousness.