Relaxation techniques

The progressive muscle relaxation technique was developed in the 1920s by the American medical doctor Edmund Jacobson. Jacobson discovered that one can relax more easily after tensing the muscles first.

Actively trying to relax our muscles usually results in tension rather than the desired relaxation. However, by tensing our muscles first and then releasing the tension, the relaxation takes place automatically.

Thus, in progressive muscle relaxation, individual groups of muscles all over the body are tensed systematically and then relaxed again. As a result this method offers the possibility of relaxing the whole muscle structure of our body and so achieving inner balance in a simple and effective manner.

Autogenic Training was developed in the last century by the German neurologist J. H. Schultz. This technique basically involves working with autosuggestions (suggestions you give yourself) and your imagination.

There are different forms of autogenic training. The relaxation exercises that I offer are mainly directed towards increasing the body sensations and activities that lead to relaxation. The focus of the exercises is to increase the feeling of inner peace, a sense of pleasant heaviness and warmth in the body.

Breathing is an autonomous (uncontrolled by our will) as well as a self-controlled function of the body. Emotions have an impact on our breathing pattern, but at the same time we can also influence our emotions through our breathing. Through practising certain breathing techniques, we can learn to keep calm and remain relaxed even in stressful situations or moments of fear.