What is OSHO REBALANCING® ?
OSHO REBALANCING® is a form of body-oriented awareness-work which helps people to come back to harmony with themselves, so they can live their intrinsic unity of body, mind and heart. OSHO REBALANCING® works with a unique synthesis of bodyreading, deep connective-tissue massage, joint-release, energy- and breath-work, bodyawareness- and movement education, as well as with emotions and their expression.While the body frees itself from muscular rigidity and begins to relax, energy is released. Simultaneously we become aware of our old emotional holding-patterns, mental attitudes and habits. This released energy supports us in our process to more self-understanding and helps us to discover our hidden potential. We come in touch with our essence and enables us to meet life in a more spontaneous and meaningful way.
The essence of OSHO REBALANCING® is a loving, sensitive touch. Bodywork is one of the most subtle arts and not just a matter of technique- rather an expression of love. OSHO REBALANCING® consideres the body as a gift of immense value, not as a mechanism to be put right.
A full treatment consists of a series of 10 to 20 sessions and pays respect to the unique background of the individual, his/her needs and challenges of the actual life-situation.
and how was it born ?
In the mid-seventies a community of seekers grew around the enlightened master OSHO in Pune, India. Bodyworker and therapists from various backgrounds got inspired by Osho’s vision in their work.
In an open, experiental atmosphere they took the courage to go beyond their limitations in their work. As old structures dissolved, a new space of playfulness and totally new ways of human growth came int existence. The form of bodywork that emerged from this space, became known as OSHO REBALANCING® in 1980 for the first time. Meanwhile thousand of people have been trained as OSHO REBALANCING® worldwide.
Principles of OSHO REBALANCING®
Structural Balance
A balanced body is characterized by the ability to expand. This balance through expansion is the result of harmonious vertical and horizontal lines through the main joints of the body. It requires the uplifting forces to be spread evenly in order to balance the gravitational forces.
Contraction or collaps of the body is often caused by several factors: as a result to any experience, which has not been lived fully (something in the energy-cycle remaining incomplete) we contract. Particularly so called “negative emotions” as paralysing fear, hidden sadness, held back anger and avoided pain cause contraction. If this happens repeatedly it becomes a pattern, leading to chronic contraction.
Additionally we learn contraction by imitating holding patterns of our parents, and any not healed physical and emotional traumas result in compensations within the overall balance of the body.
For these reasons, releasing contractions is necessary for the body to regain the ability to expand again.
Awareness Through Touch
By touching someone with our hands- even lightly- amazing things can happen, just by being totally present in our touch: a deep sensation of energy, a subtle communication, as if the most deep layers of our being are being touched and moved, along with a feeling of coming closer to oneself, accepting oneself more deeply.
This way of touching can have a great impact on us, but it can’t be explained scientifically. With this in mind we can’t reduce OSHO REBALANCING® to just a particular technique of touch.
What is the effect of changes in the body?
Deep connective tissue massage is usually done with applying a certain pressure, which seems to be the cause for change. Actually it is the awareness of the person, being touched as a main trigger for change. Change simply happens when we suddenly become aware again of some part of the body that seemed forgotten.
Passiv mobilisation of joints creates space in the joints, deep structural massage-strokes initiate changes in the organisation of layers in the body’s connective tissues.
With the experience of awareness creating the most change we hold the key to overcome our deepst holding-patterns.
Emotional Release And Awareness
Our emotional, mental and physical reality form one unity, they can’t be seperated.
Our habitual reactions are based on incomplete emotional energy-cycles, originating from our past. The shape of our body indicates, how these patterns have formed us, determine our behaviour and even how we perceive ourselves, our self-image.
We are mostly cot off by chronic muscular tension from our natural, spontaneous movement, a vibration or streaming of energy, felt throughout the entire body.
This muscle-armor (W. Reich) keeps a tight controle over our thoughts and feelings.
For this reason we are mostly not very conscious of our emotional attitudes and patterns of thought.
Bodyawareness And Meditation
“Live consciously- whatever you are doing- walking, sitting, eating....or, if you don’t do anything, just breathing, relaxing, laying in the gras- never forget, that you are the watcher. Make it an ongoing process….you will be surprised, how your life changes in its entire quality”
Osho
Emphasising on bodyawareness is a first step towards going in, a new orientation of our consciousness from the outer to an inner space of peace and silence. This is at the core of OSHO REBALANCING®. This meditative approach to bodywork can initiate a process of deep transformation, becoming less identified with outer concerns. It does not mean to go on an “inner escape”, but being deeply rooted in our reality (essence).
„Grounding“
Another important aspekt of bodywork and personal growth is what we call grounding.
Our body –as a link between our being and the world around us- has to reconnect with the earth.
Our legs and feet act as the roots of a tree: the tree can only grow to its full size, if it is anchored by strong roots deep in the ground.
Accordingly, we humans, wanting to find our place in this vast existence, need a solid foundation, an “under-standing”.
A more holistic understanding of ourselves enables us to find our way in this world and to meet its challenges intelligently.
Inner Alertness
In this training we work with powerful methods, which will help us to recognize our defense-mechanisms.
For this reason it is impotrant to develop an openess to contact our vulnerability.
This requires the willingness and the courage to look at our old patterns.
To enter a space of openess and inner alertness, is one of the most basic aspects of learning, how to work with people.
During the group-process and by giving and and receiving sessions, we learn the acceptance of our sensitivity and vulnerability. In this space transformation through a deep acceptance of ourselves is possible.
Our approach to learning is based on the insight that we can facilitate somebody’s
growth process only to the extend of how deep we have gone in our own experiences.
Infotmation gathered from OSHO-Rebalancing Institute, http://www.osho-rebalancing-institute.de/english/osho_rebalancing_e.htm
