People with neuromuscular diseases request an orthosis close to the body for assistance with their arm movements. This paper proposes a concept for a passive arm support that is close to the body and is based on bending beams. Simulations resulted in the final configuration and dimensions of the beams, optimised to balance an arm. One Carbon-fibre-reinforced polymer beam with dimensions 0.22x0.0041x0.0027m at the medial side and one at the lateral side of the upper arm delivers the required energy for balancing the arm. Experimental evaluation of a prototype demonstrated the technical principle; more than 87% of the moment around the shoulder was balanced between 0 and 1.1rad. A second prototype was built for preliminary evaluation of the concept in relation to the body. The width of the elastic and structural elements was more than four times smaller than in present arm supports. From this it was concluded that bending beams have the potential to make an orthosis that is closer to the upper arm than current orthoses.