When discussing or describing Ortho-Bionomy I often talk about the importance of presence. Rather than imposing something on the client, the practitioner gently shows the body what it is doing to hold tension. Then the practitioner just hangs out, providing their presence, allowing the clients body to change if it is ready to let go of its tension. The practitioner shares the client's process, being a silent witness.
Doesn't sound like much does it? Actually it's not. That's why it works so well. Typically the body resists change that is imposed on it. The approach described above instantly creates a safe environment for the client's body to gain the awareness needed to release the tension on its own.
A story I often use explain the role of presence comes from my days in my old corporate job. I built and tested computer systems. The testing involved running the program and checking the results. It almost never worked the first time. Or the second or third. I would go through the many lines of program code and try to see where things were going wrong. If I found something I would make a change and run it again. If, after repeated tries, it still didn't work, the next step was to resort to what we called a 'code walk-through'. Sitting down with another programmer that was not familiar with the program, I would walk through the code with them, following its paths. The idea being that another set of eyes might help me find where the problem was.
Nine times out ten what happened was I would show the other person how the code flows and then at some point I would say something like "oh hey, there's the problem, I forgot to set this counter to zero at the end of this loop. That's where it went wrong". Up to this point the other person has said nothing and I was just doing what I had already done on my own.
Why did it work this time? I had the presence of the other person, not doing anything. Just applying their focus, sharing my process, 'letting' me change. I'm not the only person this happened to. This was the usual outcome for everyone.
We don't always have to be 'doing' something. Presence can often accomplish more than 'doing'.
"Be where you are otherwise you will miss your life." - Buddha
If you've never tried Ortho-Bionomy but have always been curious you can start with a free consultation. We start with a health evaluation form. I do an assessment of your body's tension patterns, range of movement, and balance. I discuss areas that Ortho-Bionomy may help with. I finish with a few minutes of Ortho-Bionomy to give you an idea of what it is like.
For more information about Ortho-Bionomy see the Ortho-Bionomy FAQ or visit the Articles Page. Call or email today to schedule your appointment.
Ric Chamberlin
Registered Practitioner of Ortho-Bionomy®
Licensed Massage Therapist
402 850 0752
info@omahahealingconnection.com
Ortho-Bionomy® and the Sand Dollar design are registered trademarks of the Society of Ortho-Bionomy International, Inc. and are used with permission.
©The Healing Connection, All Rights Reserved.
