Online SOBI Sponsored Study Groups

The Society of Ortho-Bionomy International sponsors monthly Online Study Groups. They are primarily in a conference call format and are taught by various Registered Ortho-Bionomy Instructors via Zoom.

Our Study Groups cover a variety of topics and also count towards the study group requirements in the Practitioner and Advanced Practitioner Training Programs.

The receipt received upon registration will have a link to download the handout, any preview materials and the Zoom link. Be sure you have these materials available before you login to the study group. 

There is a limit to class size, so be sure to register early.

After a group finishes, all attendees will be emailed an evaluation form for that session. To receive study group credit attendees will need to keep their cameras on during the study group and complete and submit the evaluation form within two weeks.

Recordings of select past study groups are also available in the SOBI Bookstore.

The study groups are a full three hours, with no credit given for homework time.

Out of respect for the Instructor and the other students please be on time for the study group.

Advanced Applications of the Circle Theory

with SOBI Registered Advanced Instructor Jim Berns

January 16, 2025

6:00 PM Eastern, 5:00 PM Central, 4:00 PM Mountain, 3:00 PM Pacific, 12:00 PM Hawaii (US and Canada)

Three hours

SOBI member $45; non-member $55

You may already be familiar with the Circle Theory in Ortho-Bionomy, often used working with the shoulders and patella.

In this study group, we will explore deeper applications of using the Circle Theory throughout the whole body:

• In Different Phases
• Skin/Muscle/Bone Levels
• Constricted Muscles
• Joints
• Individual Vertebrae Reflexes
• And In a Variety of Creative Ways

I will show Advanced Applications of the Circle Theory in ways that you may never have thought about.

REGISTER HERE

Jim Berns is a Registered Advanced Ortho-Bionomy® Instructor and Advanced Practitioner.

He has been trained directly by the founder, English osteopath, Dr. Arthur Lincoln Pauls D.O.

Jim is co-author of ORTHO-BIONOMY® A PRACTICAL MANUAL (North Atlantic Books, Berkeley, CA). This training book has sold over 15,000 copies.

Jim was given the “Excellence in Massage Education Award” by the AMTA-CA (American Massage Therapy Association, California Chapter) for his excellence in teaching and sharing his knowledge.

He has lectured to and trained over 7,000 health practitioners in his career. Jim brings to his 32 years of teaching-detailed information, a compassionate heart and a “unique” sense of humor.

He has been using Ortho-Bionomy® since 1980 and has taught internationally. He has been a certified Massage Therapist since 1979 and is a registered California instructor in Massage Therapy.

Jim has presented several times at the bi-annual conferences.

Whole Horse Breathwork

with SOBI Registered Instructor Susan Smith

February 20, 2025

6:00 PM Eastern, 5:00 PM Central, 4:00 PM Mountain, 3:00 PM Pacific, 12:00 PM Hawaii (US and Canada)

Three hours

SOBI member $45; non-member $55

How do we ask for and employ the breath in our horse work and how does the horse work with it on his/her own?

In horse work, watching for signs is most important - we watch eyes, ears, expressions, and posture but we also watch for breath. Stressed horses can often hold their breath and not want to exhibit any response to bodywork, until possibly the end of a session or even not at all! 

The breath may come softly, incrementally, in one part of the neck or abdomen, but nowhere else at first. Learn how to ask your horse to work with the breath beyond the diaphragm and ribs to encompass the whole horse.

Handout, charts, and video list will be included.

REGISTER HERE

Susan Smith is Instructor of Equine Body Balance, and Registered Instructor & Advanced Practitioner of Ortho-Bionomy®, Ortho-Bionomy® for Equines; Certified Acupressure Practitioner (Tallgrass Animal Acupressure Institute), and Equine Positional Release practitioner. She has been involved in equine activities and bodywork for over 20 years. Her articles have appeared in Trail Blazer Magazine, Western Horseman, Equine Wellness, Horse Around New Mexico and many others.