Relaxing the French way

American Fitness, Sept-Oct, 2004 by Henriette Javorek

Here's a riddle for you:

What do a soccer player, recovering alcoholic and woman giving birth have in common?

Let's make it more specific:

What activity could a player from the World Cup-winning French soccer team share with an alcoholic on the road to recovery and a woman peacefully controlling her labor pains?

How about a hint:

You will solve the riddle if you put together three Greek words: sos, meaning harmony and health; phren, meaning spirit and diaphragm, and logos, meaning dialogue and science.

Do you give up?

The answer is they all practice sophrology (or as the

French say, sophrologie), the most popular relaxation art in France.

Annie Garnier is a saphrology master. On a warm summer day on Rue des Roserais at the Gamier ranch, Gamier walks from her house to a little studio next to her husband's rose-filled greenhouses. Eight people are already waiting for her in the room. It's the first day of a 10-week-long sophrology class. She greets the group, serves green tea and asks her students to make themselves comfortable on the room's colorful couches. Beginning the introduction, she explains the Greek origins of the word sophrology, acknowledges Dr. Alfonso Caycedo, the Columbian neuropsychologist who developed this relaxation method in the 1960s, and how sophrology incorporates elements of Rajah Yoga from India, Tummo Buddhist meditation, Japanese Zen and Schultz's autogenous training.

"In this class, we will try to attain a state of conscience between being awake and being asleep. We will try to become sophroliminal," laughs Garnier. Although concentration, visualization and controlled breathing are the pivotal points of the relaxation process, movements also play an integral part, she explains. Sophrology was initially used for medical purposes, to allow patients to undergo certain treatments without experiencing nausea or pain, relieve anxiety and fear, treat dermatological problems, ulcers, asthma, insomnia, fight drug and alcohol addictions as well as ease childbirth. "But," Gamier adds, "I am not a doctor and sophrology can only supplement therapies and medical treatments, not replace them."

She continues, "A sophrology session can last anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour and always begins with a brief explanation of what movements and sensations you might expect." At the end of each session students briefly discuss what they experienced and Gamier encourages them to keep a record of these sensations. Finally, she tells the students that a sophrology session can cover a maximum of four levels of difficulty, depending on the participants' needs and pre-existing relaxation techniques. "[Since] you're all beginners, we'll stick to the first level for now," she teases.

Garnier then asks her students to either stand up straight, sit on a chair or stability ball with feet planted, hands on the knees and spinal column perfectly erect. "Just listen to my voice and try to follow my directions. If you get blocked, just accept it and go on. This is not supposed to be stressful," she smiles, "Just let go. Live your own experience and enjoy it for what it is. Whenever you feel ready, please close your eyes." She takes a deep breath, looks at the room once, closes her eyes and the session begins.

Stage One

Garniers beginner sophrology group will focus on the first stage of relaxation, the one practiced most often at French health clubs and sports facilities. With a good trainer and motivated group, this level of relaxation can easily be attained in 15 minutes, at the end of an aerobics or step class, for example. Participants are taught to breathe from the abdomen, allowing the inhaled air to fill it and pushing the air out when exhaling.

During the lecture du corps, or reading of the body, participants focus on individual body parts, from head to feet. They learn to visualize, relax and become separately aware of each part. The individual parts are then slowly connected until the participant becomes conscious of the entire body. Once the participant can mentally perceive his or her body in its entirety and completely liberated from all tensions or sensations, a neutral object becomes the focus. Participants are asked to imagine an object that leaves them neutral or void of any connotation or emotion. They concentrate on this imaginary object, freeing their minds from all other thoughts or perceptions. This relaxation leaves participants with a sense of well-being, teaches them to manage stress, improves body awareness and image as well as removes muscle tension.

Stage Two

The second relaxation stage goes beyond mentally contemplating the body to considering the internal organs and achieving inner peace. Furthermore, students progress toward the mental convocation of a positive wish. In other words, they are led to visualize and feel the possible realization of a goal or desire. For example, Garnier has used this relaxation stage to improve people's relationship to food. She invented a branch of sophrology called sophroalimentation or nutritional sophrology, in which she slowly guides students toward becoming aware of the rich variety of tastes and sensations offered by various foods. Her students awaken all five senses and use them when preparing and consuming food, fully enjoying and savoring it with their hands, eyes, nose and ears before concentrating on eating with the mouth. She guides students toward accepting their addictions to certain foods, teaches them how to let go of it, instills better eating habits and a more positive relationship to food.