An entry level module, Foundation: Contact and Positioning includes history, philosophy, principles and concepts of Ortho-Bionomy® along with a comprehensive approach to physical and energetic techniques for the spine and the extremities.
In Ortho-Bionomy contact means being in a specific relationship with the client that allows the self-correcting reflexes to be accessed and engaged. Learning to recognize which positions facilitate this process is an important part of learning Ortho-Bionomy. At the Phase 5 and 6 level we learn to recognize comfortable movement or energetic contact as dimensions of comfortable positions.
Whether we hold positions or move with the client physically and/or energetically, ease for both client and practitioner is an important part of the contact.
Understanding about contact and positioning continues to increase with practice over time of Ortho-Bionomy as students deepen in their ability to connect in the client-practitioner relationship.
Classes included in this module: essentials of Ortho-Bionomy, Phase 4 Spine and Shoulders, Phase 4 Extremities, Study Group, Phase 5 and 6.
No Prerequisites.
Foundation: Reflexes
An entry level module Foundation: Reflexes includes history, philosophy, principles and concepts of Ortho-Bionomy along with an introduction to basic physical and energetic techniques for the spine and extremities.
Reflexes are one of the cornerstones of Ortho-Bionomy and refer to self-corrective reflexes that are engaged when using Ortho-Bionomy techniques and in the relationship between client and practitioner in an Ortho-Bionomy session.
Woven as a theme throughout the week are four of the classic Ortho-Bionomy reflexes: rebound/recoil, the follow-on response, ongoing action and the remembered emotional response. We will explore their moods, how they feel to us, and when to use them in our work.
Classes included in this module: Practitioner Training Seminar, Exploration of Movement Patterns, Study Group, Phase 4 Spine: Combining Physical and Energetic Awareness, Phase 5 and 6 Focus on the Reflexes.
No Prerequisites.
Engaging: Muscles, Fluids and Organs
Being engaged speaks to a quality of client-practitioner relationship as well as physical and energetic tone and liveliness. Where we find responsiveness, strength and ease we find movement, resilience, flexibility, and buoyancy in structure and function. In an engaged relationship between client and practitioner the process is fluid, dynamic and can change with the needs of the process as it unfolds. Within the client, when the body/mind/spirit is engaged the life force can express itself.
In this module, students learn Isometric and Isotonic techniques and Chapman’s Neurolymphatic Reflexes to support muscular, structural and organ function, fluid circulation and the quality of engagement in a session.
Physical techniques for the extremities are also covered.
Classes included in this module: Practitioner Training Seminar, Isometrics and Isotonics, Phase 4 Extremities, Study Group, Chapman’s Reflexes
Prerequisite: 16 units Phase 4
Relationship: Exploring the Somatic Experience
In an Ortho-Bionomy session, a relationship of teamwork between client and practitioner is fundamental; we work with people, rather than doing Ortho-Bionomy “on” or “to” them. Client and practitioner both participate in discovering places of contact, positions of comfort that allow movement out of pain or stuckness to happen. As well, the relationship can bring in a new element (support, information, perspective) that allows the client to connect more deeply with their own inner experience and their “physician within”, the source of their own self-healing.
Whether addressing something as specific as muscular contraction or structural balance with technique, or something bigger such as the integration of mental, physical and emotional experience, the practitioner does not impose ideas or solutions. Instead, in connection with the client, the practitioner can present an opening, “how would it be if…?”, that allows space for the client’s experience response and choice in the matter.
Classes included in this module: Elements of a Successful Practice, Posture Re-education and Post-Techniques, Demonstration skills, Study Group, Ethics and Emotions
Prerequisite: 16 units Phase 4
Residential
Residential training in Ortho-Bionomy offers students an opportunity to deepen their understanding of the concepts and principles of the work as well as develop their skills at all levels. Several months in advance, the teachers choose a special theme for the Residential. Students’ questions and special interests are integrated during the week-long training. Spending time in a beautiful, relaxed and supportive setting allows one to explore different facets of Ortho-Bionomy, widen one’s perspective as an Ortho-Bionomist and grow in relationship to oneself.
Prerequisite: 24 units Phase 4, 16 units Phase 5 and 6
Conversation: Advanced Pelvis and Energy Techniques
In Ortho-Bionomy® the relationship between the client and the practitioner, between a person and themselves, and between areas and/or parts of the body is often referred to as a conversation. During an Ortho-Bionomy® session there is an ongoing dynamic of activity and receptivity.
The concept or theme of conversation is fundamental to the practice and understanding of the work. We embody an unfolding process in which a respectful relationship creates an environment, which allows expression and response verbally, energetically, somatically. In the course of a session conversation can take place at several levels simultaneously: e.g. between the bones of a joint, among the surrounding tissues, between physical and energetic aspects of a person’s experience, between client and practitioner. The flower of the situation is the matrix for self-correction as understanding evolves. Central to the idea of having conversation is receptivity and the organic process of leaving space into which expressions and responses can develop and move back and forth in natural timing—the dance that is Ortho-Bionomy®.
Classes included in this module: Practitioner Training Seminar, Phase 4: Advanced Pelvis, Demonstration Skills, Study Group, Advanced Phase 5 and 6.
Prerequisite: 24 units Phase 4, 16 units Phase 5 and 6
Beyond Form: Thorax, Extremities, Cranium
As we gradually become more skilled with Ortho-Bionomy techniques, and more familiar with the principles both through working with others and through our own experience of the work our understanding of Ortho-Bionomy becomes deeper and richer, more grounded and subtle. We come to an understanding from within of what it means to follow, what it means to engage and be in conversation, how to make contact in a way that allows for natural responses to occur etc.
While we grow in an ability to assist a person’s relationship with their own structure and function, by embodying the principles of Ortho-Bionomy from within and relaxing into genuine relationship we can relate more spontaneously and more flexibly to a person, their situation, and ourselves. By being, not doing, and doing less, we allow inherent intelligence to be express. And as practitioners, we are moved beyond form in the work.
Classes included in this module: Practitioner Training Seminar, Elements of a Successful Practice, Phase 4: Advanced Thorax and Extremities, Study Group, Cranial.
Prerequisite: 24 units Phase 4, 16 units Phase 5 and 6
For more information about Ortho-Bionomy:
Society, Advanced Practitioner training program
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