Active Balance

22/10/2026

What a fantastic few days in Tuscany! ⛰️

Huge Congratulations to our new Active Balance Level 2 Practitioners and Self-Help Instructors! 👏

Over four intensive days, we covered a huge amount, drawing on Dennis Bartram's 55 years of clinical experience and our whole-body approach to health and movement.
From kinesiology and muscle testing, orthopaedic assessments and palpation, to spinal alignment, joint mobilisation and understanding how the body works together as one interconnected system as well as students completing their level 2 assessment.

We also explored self-treatment techniques, cross-patterning, brain integration and breathwork, giving our newly qualified Self-Help Instructors the skills to share these techniques and teach others how to help themselves.

Alongside the practical training, we held a Foundations of Field Medicine workshop, exploring the traditional principles of Amatsu Tatara, Hichi Buko Goshin Jutsu and Budo Taijutsu, drawing on Dennis's training with Dr Masaaki Hatsumi and the philosophy of protecting and preserving the self.

With such a small group, there was plenty of opportunity for hands-on learning, individual guidance and some fascinating discussions that continued well beyond the dojo as usual!
Just the right amount of work and play, with plenty of laughs, great food and a lovely helping of organic red w**e along the way! 🍷

A big thank you to our wonderful hosts and everyone who attended and made it such an enjoyable experience. We hope to see you all again soon!

Exciting things to come! ✨

If you’re interested in our Active Balance practitioner training, drop us a message or send us an email at [email protected]

20/10/2026

18/10/2026

Active Balance Practitioner Training | Tuscany 🇮🇹

A little look at our intensive Level 2 practitioner training here in Tuscany, working closely with a small group of therapists to deepen their understanding of the human body and its interconnected relationships.

This week we've been exploring whole-body assessment, structural alignment, fascia, natural movement, self-help methods and hands-on therapeutic techniques.

At the heart of Active Balance are principles Dennis Bartram explored through his years studying Amatsu Tatara / Hichi Buko Goshin Jutsu with Dr Masaaki Hatsumi, alongside more than 50 years of clinical experience and development.

It's about understanding the body as a whole, recognising how different areas influence one another, and learning how to protect, restore and maintain our ability to move and function.

Preservation of the Self — Protect • Restore • Preserve.

A fantastic few days already sharing this knowledge and putting the principles into practice here in Italy! And more to come today!🇮🇹

17/10/2026

Budo Medicine | Preservation of the self | Tuscany 🇮🇹

A great session exploring the relationship between Budo Taijutsu, natural movement and therapeutic practice.

At the heart of Hichi Buko Goshin Jutsu is the principle of preservation of the self

It’s not simply about defending yourself against an opponent. It’s about understanding how to protect, maintain and restore the body, preserving our ability to move, adapt and function through life

From working with the feet and restoring freedom of movement to understanding how the same principles of structure, balance and positioning can be applied through Budo.

These are principles Dennis Bartram explored through his years studying with Dr Masaaki Hatsumi, and has continued to develop through more than 55 years of clinical experience.

Now we’re beginning to share more of this knowledge through Active Balance & Amatsu Field Medicine.

Active Balance •Amatsu Tatara • Hichi Buko Goshin Jutsu

Budo • Medicine • Movement

Preserve the knowledge. Understand the principles. Carry it forward.

17/10/2026

11/10/2026

What if the area that hurts isn't the whole problem?🩻💥

A painful foot. A tight shoulder. Restricted movement. Nerve irritation.

Too often, each problem is looked at and treated separately.

Active Balance teaches you to start looking at the whole body — how the joints, muscles, fascia, nerves and different systems interact, and how an imbalance in one area can influence another.

And this is exactly what you'll begin learning on our Active Balance Level 1 Practitioner Course.

You'll learn our step-by-step approach to whole-body alignment, including how to:
• Assess the body as a connected system
• Rebalance joints throughout the body
• Identify and work with muscular and fascial restrictions
• Understand nerve mobility and areas of potential nerve irritation
• Recognise compensation patterns rather than simply chasing symptoms
• Work through the body using practical Active Balance protocols
• Understand how the systems of the body interact (muscles, bones, fascia, energy meridians, nerves, viscera, Lymphatic system, craniosacral mechanism)

You don't need years of previous training to start.

Level 1 is designed both for people who want to begin learning hands-on bodywork — whether that's helping friends and family or taking the first steps towards a new career — and existing therapists who want to add a whole-body approach to what they already do.

Massage therapists. Sports therapists. Reflexologists. Acupuncturists. Movement professionals. Or simply someone fascinated by how the body works.

After more than 55 years of clinical experience, Dennis Bartram and the Active Balance team are bringing these principles together into a system that can be learnt and applied practically.
If you've been thinking about joining us, this is the time.

👉 Our next Active Balance Level 1 training is coming up soon.

04/10/2026

A brilliant weekend completing Active Balance Level 4 🙌

Level 4 is the final stage of our current Active Balance practitioner training, taking our practitioners into cranial and craniosacral mobilisation and some of the more advanced aspects of the system 🧠

This training draws on Dennis Bartram's 55+ years of clinical practice, research and teaching, including more than 35 years studying with Dr Masaaki Hatsumi in Japan, drawing on ancient teachings of Amatsu Tatara Hichi Buko Goshin Jutsu alongside the continued development of Active Balance.
It was a great weekend of learning, practising and refining techniques — with plenty of laughs along the way too!

We also reached another exciting milestone. Our Level 4 practitioners were introduced to Spine Realign and trained in how we use the device as part of our approach to whole-body alignment and physical performance.

They are the first Active Balance practitioners to receive and be trained to use Spine Realign devices, which makes this group a particularly special one for us after all the work that has gone into its development.

A massive well done to everyone who completed the weekend. 👏 It’s brilliant to see how far the group has progressed and to see this knowledge continuing to be passed on and developed.

Level 4 complete! 🎓

Interested in beginning your own Active Balance practitioner journey? 🌀 Sign up to our mailing list for course updates (link in comments) 🦶🏼

03/10/2026

02/10/2026

If you’re interested in using or getting back to being able to do this position, here is a video we made a while ago that can help 🦵🏼

https://youtu.be/lJWIF_6k2Zo?is=nn-YiPRBJsDT2OC3

One of the most devastating structural losses in modern society is the total erosion of our lower body flexibility. Today, millions of people suffer from agonizing knee pain and tight ankles, directly caused by sitting lazily in western chairs with our legs dangling. For centuries, ancient Japanese Samurai and Eastern scholars practiced "Seiza"—the disciplined, formal posture of resting completely on their knees, with the tops of their feet pressed flat against the floor. This was not just a cultural display of respect; it was a mandatory, elite biomechanical stretch.

Modern orthopedics and kinesiology reveal the immense structural power of this forgotten posture. When you sit in a chair, the muscles on the front of your shins (anterior tibialis) and the deep ligaments of the knee capsule become incredibly tight and stiff from disuse. When you fold your body into the Seiza position, your entire body weight acts as a massive, passive traction device. It violently, yet safely, stretches the front of the legs, forcing the ankle joint into maximum plantar flexion.

This extreme stretch physically pulls on the knee capsule, signaling the body to flood the joint with synovial fluid for deep lubrication. By avoiding the floor, modern adults have literally glued their leg joints shut. Gradually practicing this ancestral kneeling posture for just five minutes a day acts as a zero-cost orthopedic overhaul for your knees. Can you comfortably sit on your knees, or are your joints completely locked?