In Zero Balancing, we are drawn together for a common purpose of education and healing through touch. We exist to continue this healing work into the future. Honoring and remembering those who came before us empowers our work in the present.
Origins and Lineages
A prominent feature of every traditional Chinese household is an altar dedicated to venerating the family’s ancestors. Even in modern times, ancestral altars endure in the rural villages and households where ancient family networks trace their origins. Venerating ancestors binds together community and family.
In the USA, few of us have such deep familial origins, with the exception of indigenous people. Many families are fragmented. Yet, human beings are social animals by nature and we seek connection with others. Consciously or unconsciously, we seek community through likeminded values, activities and purpose. Lineage takes on a different form, not through blood but rather through shared meaning.
The Zero Balancing community is one such example. We are drawn together for a common purpose of education and healing, through Zero Balancing. We exist to continue this healing work into the future. Honoring and remembering those who came before us is foundational. These are the ancestors of our tradition. Memorial reminds us of their presence. It binds us together and empowers us. As we move forward with the business of living, we know that these spirits are with us and amplify our work.
Alchemy, Ancestry, Ashes
Here in Portland, Oregon, I have had the privilege of dedicating a room at my clinic to Zero Balancing practice and Zero Balancing classes. Creating a space with conscious intention is in itself empowering. Within the space, amplifying the intention, is a memorial to Dr. Fritz Frederick Smith, founder of Zero Balancing.
A few months ago, our Portland ZB community received the gift of a portion of Dr. Smith’s ashes. He passed away in 2024 but has felt quite present to us since then. With the ashes in a keepsake urn and a few meaningful objects – a photo, a piece of obsidian from Rio Caliente, a small wooden donkey – we have created a simple memorial to honor him. Every time we walk into the room – whether for a ZB session or for a class – the memorial brings us into the field of ZB. It focuses our intention on what we are there to do. It says to us “this place is for ZB.”
During a recent Zero Balancing class (Alchemy of Touch), we held a brief ceremony to dedicate the memorial and we invited the wider Pacific Northwest Zero Balancing community to join us. People shared stories of Fritz and what Zero Balancing has meant in their lives. It felt significant to share at a heart level and embrace the experience of others, revealing threads of connections that I had not known existed.
Community of Consciousness, Collective Creativity
Zero Balancing is a living art, not a static system meant to be practiced rigidly in its original form. ZB continues to evolve, not only with the founder’s insights, but also with the contributions of others. Dr. Fritz Smith created a lineage, held by the ZB teachers, mentors and practitioners. New insights are put into practice, within the fundamental principles of balancing body energy and body structure. At the June 2026 in-person Zero Balancing Faculty Meeting and Community Benefit, a Memorial Table honored all of those in our community who have passed away. Let’s say some of their names here: Fritz Smith, Aminah Raheem, Hau Thi Long, Giovanni Pescetto, Mary Zinman, Larry Adams, Tom Gentile, Ann Kershaw, Linda Butrey, Bhasa Leona. We honor and remember their contributions to the living stream Zero Balancing.
