Are you too busy to meditate? Find it impossible to meditate? Do you wish you could successfully meditate, but the thought of being away from your phone for a few minutes makes you anxious? Don’t worry, these feelings about meditation practice are completely normal. Sophrology is a meditation for people who think they can’t meditate.
As we get more and more distracted by social media and other interruptions, our attention span becomes shorter, our mind wanders and we find it difficult to focus on any task. If only we were able to practice meditation techniques for a few minutes a day instead of needing to find a quiet place and be in a lotus position or chant a mantra, right? Actually, you can be mindful in many different ways, some of which can be quite dynamic and you can easily fit them into your busy schedule to help reduce anxiety and stress.
Have you heard of Sophrology? It’s perfect for people who think they can’t meditate
Sophrology is simple and doesn’t require you to sit down to meditate and be still, be in a particular place or create special conditions like complete silence to benefit from it.
Sophrology, also called dynamic relaxation, works with consciousness and gradually teaches us to meditate, but it also uses our consciousness’ inherent power to positively influence the body and mind and transform our wellbeing, having similar benefits to meditation.
Meditation on the go
Daily practice is easy to implement: you can take a few minutes during your working day, or even on the go or in your free time. Start by sitting down at your desk, closing your eyes and taking a deep breath. You don’t need to “empty your mind” from all your thoughts floating around as this can be quite difficult in the middle of your day, all you need to do is anchor your body and mind to the present moment.
Mindfulness is a calm and neutral state in which you focus on the now. A technique like Sophrology can help to bring a feeling of calm very quickly and help you focus on what really matters, especially if your mind is overactive. It’s a dynamic meditation for people who think they can’t meditate.
Simple steps to reach a meditative state
Practising Sophrology will naturally soothe you and help you reach a meditative state of relaxation and serenity. Through a step-by-step practice including deep breaths, concentration, gentle movement and visualisation, the mind and body are both engaged through a series of simple steps. Think about a Sophrology practice as taking on a journey to self-discovery.
You start learning to let go of worries and tensions within your body, reduce stress, be happily grounded in the present moment and feel empowered towards your future. Sophrology can even help you transform your relationship with your past, so you can notice more of your resilience and use it to move forward.
Unlike a mindfulness meditation practice, which may require allocating more time from your schedule, you can take only 10 minutes out of your day to practice Sophrology. Practising over a few weeks can truly transform the way you feel and connect with the world around you.
How to practice Sophrology with BeSophro
It’s entirely up to you how you prefer to learn how to practice Sophrology with BeSophro, either with one-to-one sessions or in a class, or both. You can set an objective during each session, for example, to feel calmer, more confident or empowered.
You may be facing a very specific challenge or a health issue, so you can use the session to get more clarity on your situation and cultivate specific resources that would help you. But you can also practice Sophrology to positively connect to yourself and inner peace and be more mindful and happy.
Sophrology practice
In Continental Europe, particularly in France, Belgium, Spain and Switzerland, Sophrology is widely available to help manage stress for sportspeople preparing for a competition or for mothers-to-be to prepare for birth.
There is plenty of literature about Sophrology in French (700 titles in French on Amazon) and now the first practical guide in English, The Life-Changing Power of Sophrology, aims to support you through some simple guided meditation and dynamic exercises and give you an introduction to Sophrology as a practice and as a philosophy.
Be open to new possibilities
Sophrology can help you become more solutions-orientated and more open to new experiences as you connect with the natural dynamic force of consciousness. When we become too involved in negative thinking, we are not as open to new ideas or suggestions. We may focus too much on the problem instead of remaining open to welcoming new possibilities.
By learning how to calm the mind through a practice such as Sophrology, you allow the creative mind to explore alternatives and possibilities. Maybe you’ll get a “Eureka!” moment, or maybe you’ll remember that someone else went through a similar situation and you decide to call them to ask how they solved the same problem you are facing. Answers and opportunities will start to come to the surface of your conscious mind as you go through your daily activities.
If you are facing a very specific challenge or a health issue, you can choose to have one-to-one sessions with a BeSophro Sophrologist to gain clarity on your situation and cultivate specific resources that would help you. You can set an objective during each session, for example, to feel calmer, more confident or empowered. Or, you can simply learn how to positively connect to yourself and be more mindful and happy. Your Sophrologist will even give you a recording of the session to help you practise at home.