The founder of autogenous training is I. Schultz, who initially used it to treat neurotics with various psychosomatic diseases. The technique is also suitable for healthy people as a relaxation technique, because it contributes to the regulation of the physiological and psychological state of a person. The basic exercises of the technique are not at all difficult, but it is important to choose the place and time of the classes successfully.
Exercise preparation
If possible, the place for the exercises should have dim lighting, all sounds and noises should be excluded. This is especially important at the beginning, when mastering the technique of autogenous training. It is better to do it either in the morning, immediately after waking up, or in the evening, before going to bed. You can also do some exercise during the day when you have free time.
Autogenic training exercises can be performed in several relaxed postures: lying down, especially when waking up and before going to bed, reclining, for example, in a chair, and also sitting - this posture is also called the coachman posture.
When training, you should not deliberately, by volitional efforts, achieve relaxation. Concentration on exercise should be passive, not active. Before classes, you should say to yourself the phrase "I am completely calm." For those who find it easier to work with images, you can imagine yourself as a bird or a balloon, serenely floating in the air.
Autogenic training exercises
The first exercise is associated with a feeling of heaviness in the limbs, which means their relaxation. Self-hypnosis should be carried out according to the following formulas: “My right hand is very heavy”, “My left hand is very heavy”, then the same with each leg. You can achieve a feeling of heaviness in successive steps: "The fingers of the right hand are getting heavier," "The hands are getting heavier," etc. For lovers of images, the phrases are suitable: "My hands are filled with weight", "My legs are heavy as lead." Everyone chooses the option that is more suitable for him personally. With regular exercise, the feeling of heaviness will appear reflexively.
The second exercise is to feel warmth in the arms and legs, and you can start doing it only after mastering the first exercise. Autogenic training formulas are similar to the previous ones: “My right hand is warm”, “My left hand is warm”, etc. At the end, the phrase "My hands and feet are warm and heavy" is pronounced. After completing these two exercises, a state of autogenous immersion is achieved, which is on the verge of wakefulness and sleep. In order not to fall asleep completely, it is necessary to get out of this state by following the orders: “Bend your arms, stretch your arms! Breathe deeply! Open your eyes!"
The third exercise is to regulate breathing. The self-hypnosis formula in this exercise should determine the unconsciousness of the process, i.e. breathing should not be changed by volitional efforts, when a person consciously regulates its rhythm, frequency and depth. A variant of this formula: "I breathe easily and calmly." Regular repetition of this formula and work with images, for example, imagining yourself walking in a pine forest, will help to achieve even and calm breathing.
The following exercises can be called local, because they cover specific organs or areas of the body. One of them is aimed at regulating the heart rate. The formula for diving is as follows: "My heart beats evenly and calmly." You can break it down into several sequential actions: "The heart rate becomes smoother," "The heart works steadily, like a motor," etc. Saying the phrase "I feel good and calm" will help you to quickly immerse yourself in an autogenous state. After mastering this exercise, it will be possible to speed up or slow down the heartbeat if necessary.
Another exercise focuses on the sensation of warmth in the solar plexus area. It is the feeling of warmth in this place that will allow you to achieve peace, relaxation, and also reduce pain. As a formula for entering an autogenous state, the phrase is used: "The solar plexus emits heat." To better feel this, you can put your palm in the area between the sternum and the navel, or imagine a heating pad in this place.
The last exercise is to feel cool in the forehead. In addition to relaxation, this exercise helps relieve headaches. To enter an autogenous state, you need to repeat the formula "My forehead is pleasantly cool." You can divide the exercise into parts: "My forehead is cooling", "My forehead is getting colder", "My forehead is cool". In this case, there is a feeling as if a light breeze touches the head area.
