Meditation is moving out of the monasteries and slowly taking its place in the hospital sphere. Religious and scientists agree that clearing one's mind is good for healthboth physical and mental. In this article, you will discover a form of meditation particular developed by Dr. Schultz and later taken up by sophrology thus allowing you to take care of your body and mind independently.

Who was the inventor of autogenic training?

Johannes Heinrich Schultz (1884-1970) was a German neurologist and psychiatrist. His method was published in 1932 and is recognized by the medical community in Europe.

The principles of autogenic training

After a few training sessions, the subject is able to induce on himself in a few minutes and anywhere a state of inner calm through auto-suggestions. By extension, autogenic training allows you to increase your perception of the present moment, to connect to your body, to harmonize your breathing, to manage your emotions and thus to relax.

To do this, start with a quiet induction. Sitting or lying down, with eyes closed, the first step is to get the subject to slow down, put down their mind and connect with themselves by repeating the phrase "I am quite calm" several times.

Then, it is necessary to make "circulate" the relaxation in all the body. The method consists of focusing attention on areas of the body while repeating 5 times each of the self-suggestive phrases to accentuate introspection and relaxation.

1 First of all the experience of gravity.

For example "my right leg is heavy, pleasantly heavy", "my left leg is heavy, pleasantly heavy", "both my legs are heavy, pleasantly heavy". As you experience feeling the weight of your own body, you come more into connection with itself, allowing tensions to release, knots to be freed.

2 Then, the heat experience

After you've gone through the whole body, after you've really felt your body sinking to the earth, you're going to circulate the warmth to every corner, always issuing formulas of intention like "my right leg is warm, pleasantly warm", "my left leg is warm, pleasantly warm", "both my legs are warm, pleasantly warm". Bringing your attention to an area that is already well relaxed, you are accentuatingits relaxation. The blood vessels dilate, the blood circulation is carried out for the best warming up your whole body.

3 Then, the experience of breathing

"I am aware of my breathing. "my belly rises and falls as I breathe", "I am breathing"... During this stage, you regulate your breathing, avoiding over-ventilation and poor oxygenation.

4 The experience of the heart

"I feel my heart in my chest" "I feel my heart beating regularly"... This phase invites you to normalize your cardiac functions: regulation of the rhythm but also lowering of the blood pressure.

5 The solar plexus experience

"My solar plexus is irradiated with a soft warmth"... This fifth experience allows to release tensions, to circulate the breath, to relieve the feeling of "ball in the belly"

6 The experience of head relaxation

"My forehead is pleasantly cool"... Here, the sensation of coolness on the forehead counterbalances the effect of heat spread throughout the rest of the body to avoid dizziness and discomfort.

7 And finally, the recovery

Dynamic movements in three steps to normalize all physical and organic functions in order to resume the day in optimal conditions.

Autogenic training, for whom? For what?

Autogenic training can be practiced at any age in life without any restrictions. At the beginning, it may take 10 minutes to find inner peace, and then, the more you practice, the faster you will get there, usually it takes about 3 minutes.

In situation of stress or even anxiety attacks, Schultz's autogenic training can be of great help to you. By learning to listen to your body, you learn to welcome what is happening in it.

Autogenic training is also of interest for managing chronic pain, the aftermath of surgery or injury, and even during the labor phase of childbirth. Indeed, many pains are due to physical tensions induced by a violent emotion (fear, stress...) By bringing relaxation in the body, one can notice a clear attenuation of the pain.

In addition, depending on your problem, it is also possible to insist on certain areas, such as the head in case of migraine, the belly to relieve premenstrual pain, the solar plexus to regain emotional comfort, on the heart to regulate the heartbeat etc... For this, adapted formulas will be repeated at the end of the training.

The fundamental basis of Sophrology, derived from self-hypnosis, Schultz's autogenic training is a technique of relaxation which must be learned from professionals to get all the benefits. However, there are many books that can help you start taking care of yourself.