A Zero Balancing Session

my first experience of receiving

In the early months of 2023, I received my first Zero Balancing session with David Lauterstein in Austin, Texas.

A little context

I graduated from The Lauterstein–Conway Massage School in 2018. At the time of this session, I had been practicing as a licensed massage therapist for five years, most recently in a clinic that specializes in therapeutic massage.

Something in me wasn’t aligned with a symptom-focused approach to musculoskeletal work. I felt curious about gentler, more holistic approaches to touch. I had recently completed training in lymphatic drainage and oncology massage, yet something still felt incomplete — both in my body and in my practice.

Earlier that year, I received a newsletter from the Lauterstein–Conway school announcing that David would be offering the first-ever nine-month intensive training in Zero Balancing. I was curious. During massage school, when we were briefly introduced to Zero Balancing, I felt intimidated. I didn’t have the capacity then to think about energy. I was focused on the 3D aspects only — learning anatomy, finishing school, and getting licensed.

So here I was, five years later. I appreciated massage — and the impact of safe, intentional touch — deeply. And still, something was missing. The way Zero Balancing works with both energy and structure, through a holistic lens, intrigued me. So I scheduled a session with David to receive a pure Zero Balancing session.

Arriving

David’s office was in an older building shared with other healing practitioners in central Austin. It felt inviting. A large window opened the space to the surrounding trees and tall grasses swaying in the wind.

He greeted me warmly and had me complete a thorough health history intake. He asked why I was there and what I hoped to receive from the session. I shared honestly — that I was curious about Zero Balancing and considering joining the intensive. I felt ready to step into something larger than myself in my bodywork practice, and I wanted to experience the work firsthand.

Where my mind was

I was curious.

What is this Zero Balancing experience I’d heard so many respected healers speak about? They spoke highly of it, yet often couldn’t fully explain it — only that it helped them when nothing else had.

Where my body was

My body hurt all over. I was 38 at the time, and my system felt tired. I was committed to doing the “right things”: daily three- to five-mile walks with my dogs, eating clean, and practicing Ayurvedic teachings from yoga teacher training.

And still — my body felt worn out, especially my bones. I remember feeling as though my skeleton belonged to a ninety-year-old grandmother: rigid and dry. I was also dealing with chronic knee pain, which I attributed to pickleball injuries and pushing through pain in CrossFit workouts. Something was amiss, and I didn’t understand why. At the time, I kept these body aches and pains to myself. 

Where my heart was

I had just spent the previous summer in Peru, on a spiritual journey. I received many teachings about connection, land, and living in right relationship — things I understood intellectually, but felt disconnected from in my lived body.

What I experienced

David met me with kindness and presence. I could sense his curiosity as he listened. After we spoke, he invited me to sit on the table while he evaluated my spine.

He then asked me to lie on my back, fully clothed, on the table. This was entirely new to me — nothing like a massage.

I was nervous. I tried to take control by focusing on my breath — deep inhales and exhales. I imagine I was stiff as a board at first. As the session continued, I noticed the points of contact on my skeleton, though much of my attention stayed with my breathing.

Eventually, something softened. I began following the points of contact along my bones.

I will never forget the sensation when he made a sliding pass down my left femur. I felt a bolt of energy come alive, moving from my greater trochanter down to my lateral epicondyle — hip to knee. Later, he worked along my posterior rib cage, my cervical spine (neck), and the bones of my arms.

When the session ended, he invited me to rest on the table for a few moments, then stand and walk around when I felt ready.

What I noticed

As soon as I stood up, I noticed a sense of lightness. I stood taller. I felt more in my body — more grounded — than when I had walked into the room.

I remember thinking:

I don’t know what it is that I just experienced… but I like it. And I want to know more.

David said to me,
“I would be delighted to have you in the Zero Balancing intensive.”

Afterward

That was it. My first Zero Balancing experience.

It was new. Different. And something in me said yes — this is it.

Around that time in my healing journey, I was learning about epigenetics and ancestral and generational trauma — how unprocessed experience can be carried in the body, even in our bones and marrow. I had a quiet inner knowing that this Zero Balancing path was where my next steps were being guided.

That May, I attended the first workshop in the intensive series: Zero Balancing I.

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With gratitude for the lineage and for my first experience of receiving Zero Balancing. 💚
@DavidLauterstein