Sport Modified Autogenic Training

A few techniques to develop concentration and relaxation by the

concept of Autogenic Training.
Autogenic Training (AT) is one of the most important auto regulatory system for
athletes used today. Widely used in Eastern Europe, it involves relaxation and
concentration. AT is a method which, when practiced regularly, contributes to the
fast recovery of strength and elimination of the symptoms of stress and
restlessness. It also eradicates incorrect habits, negative thoughts, and anxiety and
allows the athlete to achieve the required properties of successful performance. AT
allows the athlete to mobilize and use his or her own natural energy and power in
order to achieve a definite objective. Through AT, it is possible to influence both
the emotions and the functions of the autogenic nervous system.

The phenomena of mind/body self-regulation exhibited by yogis awakened the

curiosity and interest of British physicians more than 200 years ago. Later, the
British and other European physicians began to study the mind/body relationship.
It was around 1910 that Dr. J. Schultz of Germany began to develop a mind-body
training system called Autogenic Training (AT), from hypnosis and yoga, also
called self-generated or self-motivated training. Schultz correctly identified some
of the effective components of hypnotherapy and yoga and incorporated them into
a method of self-regulation. He realized that self-regulation would have to be
simple to be effective. Neither hypnosis nor yoga is simple. Hypnosis is especially
complex since it requires a psychologist who has developed trust and rapport with
the patient. Even then, some individuals resist the process. Schultz therefore drew
effective elements from both hypnosis and yoga to create a more practical method
than either.

Yoga can be seen in many aspects of Schultz's method: muscle relaxation (similar
to Savasana), the method of concentration (Raja Yoga), body awareness or
proprioception (Laya Yoga), repetition of mantra-like auto suggestive phrases
(Mantra Yoga) and closing the eyes, reducing external and internal stimulations
(Pratyhara).

Autogenic training optimizes passive attention and helps learning autonomic

control through passive attention. In AT you attend passively to certain areas
(such as the arms) and speak internally to your body (liMy arms are heavy, my
arms are warm"). The muscle tension activity will change in the area where your
passive attention was focused. Body control is achieved through passive attention
and not active trying, and the important part of the control is the process and the
attention to it - not the outcome. AT implies self-control. The student is
responsible for his or her own growth and mental state. Hence, there is a change
in the source of responsibility it rests with the athlete and no one else.

Schultz's Classical AT: The classical AT of Schultz has six categories of exercise:

muscle, blood vessels, heart, breathing, organs of the stomach, and the head. AT is
based on an exact system and consists of the following standard exercises, which
are paired with complementary auto suggestive phrases. Classical AT is very slow -
commonly 7 to 8 months long. The heaviness exercise is, for instance, practiced
one limb at a time, with one week for each limb, and so on through each of the
other exercises.

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AT for Athletes: For the athlete, the use of AT can have many benefits. AT helps the
athlete to calm or activate his/her mental state and to change his/ thoughts,
emotions and self-confidence. It can also help them to relax more, and recover
more quickly during the competition and practice. With AT, it is possible to learn
enhancing new skills and techniques in a sport more rapidly and more easily than
before. When applying AT to sports, one must consider the specific or concrete
demands of the sport along with the specific problems and personal abilities of the
athlete. In other words, AT is both specific and individual specific.

Learning Autogenic Training

Sport-modified AT takes 4 weeks of practice, 3 times daily, for 2-3 minutes. During
the first 2 weeks, athletes will do four autogenic exercises.
1. Encouraging feelings of heaviness (heaviness exercise).
2. Encouraging feelings of warmth (warmth exercise).
3. Encouraging feelings of calm and regular breathing (respiration exercise).
4. Encouraging feelings of a strong and quiet heartbeat (cardiac exercise).

These exercises will focus on both arms during the first week and both legs during
the second week. During the third week and thereafter, they will practice two
additional exercises:
5. Encouraging feelings of warmth in the solar plexus (solar plexus exercise)
6. Encouraging feelings of a cool forehead (forehead exercise)

In addition, they should focus attention on sensations of heaviness and warmth

not just in the arms and legs but throughout the entire body as well.

I. Week One: Exercising Both Arms

Choose a quiet, comfortable room in which to practice. Lie on your back (perhaps
on a bed or sofa) and assume a comfortable position. You may put a pillow under
your head. However, your neck must not have an unnatural bend or be in a
stretched position. Place your arms down beside your body. As an alternative, you
may practice these exercises in a sitting position.

Preparatory Exercises
Close your eyes and let yourself go. Take 3 deep comfortable breaths. Begin
preparing for concentration. To prepare yourself for this state, you must be aware
of your quiet tranquility. Repeat in your mind, "I am calm, totally calm." Visualize
this calmness in your mind. Concentrate on the image of calmness. Your
concentration should be a passive one, rather than the active concentration
normally required for reality-oriented tasks. Do not actually try to achieve this
state. Instead of trying or striving, just let yourself go into this state. Draw your
attention away from action, either past or future. Be aware that you have sufficient
time to practice and that you will totally relax. Allow your muscles to relax. Let all
your muscles soften. Let them go limp. Slowly repeat in your mind the autogenic
phrase, "My whole body is relaxing." Repeat it 2-3 times.

Heaviness Exercise
After experiencing relaxation, let yourself experience the sensation of heaviness.
Slowly repeat to yourself, "My arms are relaxed." Repeat it 2-3 times. Then, repeat
to yourself, "My arms are heavy, very heavy." Repeat it 3-4 times. Focus your

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attention on your arms. Feel your arms relaxing and feeling heavier and heavier.
Use your imagination to help induce the sensation of heaviness. Remember always
to attend passively without striving or trying. Let it happen. Don't be discouraged
if at first the sensation of heaviness is minor, or not felt at all. With practice, the
feeling will appear and over time, will become more pronounced.

Warmth Exercise
After practicing heaviness, now focus on feeling the sensation of warmth. Slowly
repeat to yourself 3-4 times, "My arms are warm, very warm." Focus your
attention by "seeing" your arms and experiencing the sensation of warmth. Use
your imagination to induce this feeling. For instance, visualize and feel the warmth
of the sun on your skin, or the sensation of warmth in a hot tub or whirlpool or
some other familiar source of warmth. Use passive concentration and let it
happen. The image and visualization of warmth is accompanied by relaxation of
the arteries and capillaries. This means that they enlarge, allowing an increase in
blood supply into those areas of the body upon which you are focusing-in this case,
the arms. After learning this exercise you will not only have a feeling of warmth,
but, as well, the areas where you focus will actually increase in temperature.

Calm Breathing Exercise

After practicing the exercises above, move on to the respiration exercise.
Concentrate on the autogenic phrases, "My breath is calm and regular," and "I am
breathing easily." Repeat them slowly 4-5 times. This exercise's goal is easy,
regular breathing. Inhale by moving your stomach out-ward and exhale by moving
your stomach inward. This quiet breathing will have a pleasant, calming effect on
you. When the exercise is well executed, you will find yourself concentrating on
your breathing, as you perceive the regularity of your automatic breathing. You
will be extremely aware of the quietness of your breath. Anxiety and stress are
commonly connected with respiratory irregularities. This exercise is helpful for
eliminating the symptoms of stress, and thus for quieting the autonomic system.

Cardiac (Heartbeat) Exercise

Following the respiratory exercise, you should then work on the cardiac exercise.
However, anyone suffering from a heart disorder of any kind should engage in this
exercise only after consultation with the doctor. After recalling the sensations
described above - relaxation, the sensation of heaviness, the sensation of warmth,
and the sensation of calm breathing - you should concentrate on the phrase, "My
heartbeat is quiet and strong." Repeat this phrase slowly, 5-6 times.

This exercise sets in motion a sequence in which various elements stimulate each
other: When your heart has a quiet rhythm, this increases your peace of mind.
Peace of mind strengthens relaxation. In turn, relaxation strengthens the
quietness of your heart rhythm. You may find that putting your hand over the
heart area during the exercise will facilitate heightened awareness of your
heartbeat. It will disturb the feelings of relaxation in your arm, but it is only a
temporarily maneuver.

Activation Exercises
An AT session always ends with three exercises to return you to the normal waking
state: taking a deep breath, opening the eyes, and briskly moving the arms and
legs. These exercises are executed as follows: Give yourself (in order) these self-

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commands: "Deep breath," "Open the eyes," and "Exercise with the arms." Next,
repeat these self-suggestion statements to yourself: "Strength is returning to my
arms and legs," and" I am feeling fresh and reenergized." Exercising the arms
means stretching and flexing the arms, followed by energetic movements.

II. Week Two: Exercising Both Legs

Calmness
Start each AT session with the preparation exercises used during the first week,
beginning with, "I am totally calm" and "My whole body is relaxed."

Heaviness Exercise
First, induce the learned sensation of heaviness in your arms. Next, let yourself
experience the sensation of heaviness in your legs. Slowly repeat to yourself, "My
legs are relaxed." Say it 2-3 times. Then say, "My legs are heavy, very heavy." Say
this 3-5 times. Again, use your imagination vividly to help to induce the sensation
of heaviness. Focus your attention by visualizing your legs. Feel the heaviness
happen, visualize it happening, and let it happen. Remember always to attend
passively - without striving or trying.

Warmth Exercise
After practicing heaviness, let yourself experience the sensation of warmth. First,
induce the learned sensation of warmth in your arms and legs. Then focus your
attention on your legs. Slowly say to yourself two to three times, "My legs are
warm, very warm." As before, focus your attention by losing your legs and
experiencing the sensation of warmth in your legs. Feel the warmth move from
your thighs down toward your knee, calf, foot, and toes. Again, use a vivid image to
visualize warmth.

Calm Breathing Exercise

As during the first week, allow yourself to experience the sensation of calm,
regular breathing. Use a phrase such as, "My breath is calm and regular." Use the
same instructions as for week one.

Cardiac (Heartbeat) Exercise

Use the same procedure as you did during the first week to experience a strong,
quiet heartbeat. Silently say this 5-6 times: "My heartbeat is strong and quiet."

Activation Exercises
As during the first week, conclude the exercise session with these phrases: "Open
eyes." "Deep breath." "Exercise the arms and legs", "Strength is returning to my
arms and legs." "I am feeling fresh and re-energized.

III. Week Three: Exercising the Whole Body

Calmness
Use the same preparation exercises as those used during the first two weeks. Begin
with these statements: "I am totally calm." "My whole body is relaxing."

Heaviness
Repeat 4-5 times, "Both arms and legs are heavy," followed by, "The whole body is
heavy." While repeating these statements, visualize and imagine heaviness as
perfectly and as vividly as you can.

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Warmth
Repeat 4-5 times, "Both arms and legs are warm," and then, "The whole body is
warm." Again. use the phrases and visualize warmth as perfectly as possible.

Calm Breathing
Use the same procedure as during the first two weeks.

Cardiac (Heartbeat) Exercise

Use the same procedure as during the first two weeks.

Solar Plexus Warmth

Focus your attention on your solar plexus Oust below the rib cage}. Let yourself
experience a feeling of warmth in your solar plexus, perhaps by imagining warm
sunlight pouring onto your stomach. Feel the warmth and let it happen. " Say
slowly to yourself, four to five times, "Warmth is pouring into the solar plexus. My
solar plexus is warm." In your mind, see the warmth spreading from the chest
gradually down, warming the whole area, both from within and out. The goal of
the solar plexus exercise is to calm and regularize the functioning of the organs in
your stomach cavity. It can be very helpful in decreasing your anxiety and can
create a pleasant, relaxed, tranquil state.

The Cool Forehead Exercise

Next Focus your attention on your face and forehead. See your forehead and say
slowly," My facial muscles are relaxed," about 5-6 times. Later, say," My forehead
is pleasantly cool." Imagine a pleasantly cool sensation on your forehead, perhaps
a gently wind.

Rules/Guidelines for Practicing AT

1. Try to practice 3 times daily. If you cannot, it is better to practice 2 times a day
regularly than to try practicing 4 times a day occasionally.

2. Practice should only last 2 to 3 minutes, even if the desired effects do not occur.
Longer practice can be counterproductive, leading to increased tension.

3. Try to develop a daily practice rhythm. Pick a time of day that works best, and
practice at that same time each day.

4. You can practice AT by both lying and sitting positions. The desired effects often
occur more quickly in a prone position. However, you may be forced at times to
practice in a sitting position (for example, at a competition). Therefore, you can
alternate between the lying and sitting positions when you practice. In both cases,
the position must be comfortable so that the whole body is able to relax. In the
lying position, the feet are slightly apart with the toes slightly turned out. The arms
are beside the body, slightly bent at the elbows.

5. The sitting position has several variations, depending primarily upon the chair.
It can be more difficult to avoid muscle tension in a sitting position. Therefore,
attention to the position is important. If possible, support your back comfortably
against the chair. Legs are slightly apart, toes slightly turned out, and feet are flat
on the floor. If the chair is too high and your feet do not touch the floor, put a

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pillow or blanket under the feet for support.

7. If the chair has armrests, place your forearms on the supports with your hands
hanging freely over the front of the rests. If the chair has no arm support, place
your forearms on your thighs. Your arms should not be touching each other. Of
course, your comfort is foremost, and if a variation in the above position is
necessary, feel free to go ahead with it.

8. AT should always terminate with activation exercises, even during the times that
the desired sensations do not occur.

9. A systematic recording of all AT exercises should be done. Keep track of the

frequency of practice, progress occurring over time, specific sensations that occur
each session, and manifestations that occur as a result of your practice, such as a
general sense of well-being or improvement in your sport. This information is vital
if you have the opportunity to consult with a specialist in AT.

10. An alternative guideline can be used to continue executing each exercise until
the desired result has been obtained on two consecutive days. For some, this may
occur either earlier or later than the suggested time limits.

11. In cases of illness, AT should not be practiced. Illness can disturb the practice
and negatively influence the results.

12. End each exercise session with these energetic inner commands: "Deep
breath," "Open eyes," and "Exercise the arms." Then sit or stand up and make
energetic movements with your arms to get rid of the heaviness. When practicing
in bed before going to sleep, the relaxation need not be disturbed by this
command.

13. During competition and practice, you must quickly come back to an alert state.
This means ridding yourself of drowsiness and the sensation of heaviness. You
need to learn to make the whole process automatic so that you can quickly get back
to your best level and continue your performance. Also remember, however, to be
patient - you must practice the procedures consistently, but without forcing them.

14. During AT you will experience a number of physical sensations: limb heaviness
and warmth, warmth in the epigastric (stomach) region, a drowsy state, and
sensations of heaviness or floating when you shift to a calm state- (this is known as
parasympathetic dominance). At first you may not see progress in inducing these
sensations. Sometimes there is an increase in excitation and tension while
learning the techniques. Gradually your progress will accelerate. Relaxation will
become deeper, visualization will be clearer, and bodily sensations will become
more calming.

15. You can concentrate on auto suggestive phrases using two methods. You should
learn and use both techniques. The first consists of mechanically repeating the
auto suggestive phrase in your mind. The second method involves imagining or
visualizing attributes of the desired state as fully as possible. For instance, if you
are attempting a heaviness exercise, you could imagine the qualities of heaviness
with as much vividness as you can. Imagine the effort it takes to move a heavy tree

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 limb. Imagine the limb pressing down on the couch or floor you are lying on and
picture its magnitude and weightiness.

Mind Over Body: Autogenic Training for Relaxation

By Allen Elkin

An important approach to bodily relaxation for reducing stress is called autogenic

training, or AT for short. The word autogenic means self-generation or self-
regulation. This method attempts to regulate your autonomic nervous
functions and more specifically your parasympathetic nervous system (your
heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing, among others) rather than relaxing
your muscles. With autogenic training, you use your mind to regulate your body’s
internal stress levels.

AT relies on the power of suggestion to induce physiological changes. These

suggestions are mental images that your subconscious picks up and transmits to
your body. Just thinking about certain changes in your body produces those kinds
of changes. As a result, you experience deep feelings of relaxation.

AT may sound mysterious, but it isn’t. After you master this technique, AT is a
highly effective way of putting yourself in a more relaxed state. The method
described here is a more abbreviated form than the one originally devised.
However, it’s better suited to a busy lifestyle. Here’s what you do:

1. Get comfy.

Find a suitably quiet, not-too-hot, and not-too-cold place. You can sit or lie down,
but make sure your body is well supported and as comfortable as possible. Try to
breathe slowly and smoothly.

2. Concentrate passively.

For this approach to be effective, you need to adopt a receptive, casual attitude of
passive concentration. You want to be alert, not falling asleep but not asking your
mind to work too hard. You can’t force yourself to relax. Just let it happen.

Be aware of your body and your mind, but don’t actively analyze everything or
worry about how you’re doing. Should a distracting thought come your way, notice

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 it, and then let it go. If the relaxation doesn’t come at first, don’t worry. It comes
with more practice.

3. Allow various body parts to begin feeling warm and heavy.

Although autogenic training utilizes many suggestions and images, the two most
effective images are warmth and heaviness. Start by focusing on your right arm.
Now slowly and softly say to yourself:

I am calm … I am at peace … My right arm is warm … and heavy … My right

arm is warm … and heavy … My right arm is warm … and heavy … I can feel the
warmth and heaviness flowing into my right arm …

I can feel my right arm becoming warmer … and heavier … I can feel my right
arm becoming warmer … and heavier … I can feel my right arm becoming
warmer … and heavier … I am at peace … I am calm … I am at peace … I am
calm.

Take the time to become aware of the feelings in your arm and hand. Notice that
your arm is becoming warmer and heavier. Don’t rush this process. Enjoy the
changes your body is now beginning to experience.

4. After you complete the phrases, remain silent and calm for about 30
seconds, letting the relaxation deepen; then focus on your left arm.

Repeat the same phrases again, this time substituting left arm for right arm.
(Hopefully by now you’ve memorized these phrases and can close your eyes and
not worry about a script.)

5. Move to other parts of your body.

Focus on other areas, repeating the same phrases but substituting other parts of
your body. Here is the complete sequence: right arm, left arm, both arms, right
leg, left leg, both legs, neck and shoulders, chest and abdomen, and finally your
entire body.

Completing the entire sequence shouldn’t take you more than a half hour or so. If
you can fit in two or three autogenic sessions a day, all the better. You may need
some time to master this technique, but the results are well worth the effort.

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 With autogenic training, you may find that using the “warm and heavy”
suggestions and images isn’t effective for you. You may need a different image to
release the tension in your body. Here are alternate suggestive images that can
induce feelings of warmth and heaviness.

 Heat me up: Imagine that the body part in question (arm, leg, and so on) is
wrapped in a heating pad. Slowly but surely the heat permeates your body,
relaxing your muscles more and more.

 Get in hot water: Imagine that you’re immersing your arm or leg in soothing
warm water.

 Sunny side up: Mentally direct a sun lamp to a particular part of your

anatomy.

 Heavy metal: Visualize weights attached to your arm, leg, and so on.

 Get the lead in: Imagine that your limb is filled with lead.

How Faith Helps You Cope with Stress

By Allen Elkin

Having a belief in something greater than your immediate experience can be a

powerful force in helping you create inner peace and cope with the stress in your
life. We live in a universe that is both mystifying and, at times, overwhelming. We
attempt to give meaning and purpose to our all-too-brief lives.

Faith in something bigger, something cosmic, can help some people come to grips
with the unknown and perhaps unknowable. No one right way exists for finding a
sense of spiritual connectedness. For many, this belief may take the form of a
belief in God and involvement in a traditional religious system of beliefs.

However, your spirituality may take a different form. It may be a belief in a more
global, more vaguely articulated higher power or higher purpose. Or it may take
the form of a belief in such values as the human spirit, the human community, or
nature.

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 How your faith can help you reduce stress

Whatever form your spiritual beliefs take, growing evidence shows that faith can
be a powerful stress buffer, enhancing your ability to cope with life’s more serious
stresses. Faith can help you cope with illness, and it may even help you live longer.
The reasons why faith helps are both direct and indirect:

 Faith can provide meaning and purpose. Having a deeply felt belief system
can help you cope with many of the perplexing and distressing questions that
surround the meaning of existence. Why are you here? What is the meaning and
purpose of life? What happens when you die?
 Faith can strengthen stress-effective values. Virtually all religions promote
the values of love and kindness and condemn stress-producing feelings such as
anger, hostility, and aggression.
 Faith can provide hope and acceptance. It encourages a sense of optimism
and hopefulness that things will work out for the best. Faith also helps you accept
what doesn’t work out and what you can’t control.
 Faith unites you with others. It can create a sense of community that often
brings people together in a mutually supportive way. Having others to be with and
share with can lower your stress. Belonging to a religious organization can put you
into contact with others in the wider community who are less fortunate in some
way, which allows you to play a helping role.
 Faith can calm you. It often involves prayer and contemplation, which, like
meditation and other forms of bodily relaxation, can result in a range of physical
changes that reduce stress.

The power of prayer for reducing stress

Dr. Herbert Benson, MD, of the Benson-Henry Institute at Massachusetts General

Hospital, is a pioneer in the field of faith, relaxation, and stress reduction. He has
studied the role of prayer and its effects on stress. Benson found that by having
individuals include words or sentences with religious meaning in their programs
of meditative relaxation, the levels of relaxation they attained were significantly
higher than in those who didn’t include religious content.

The content could be as simple as a word or phrase taken from a traditional prayer
(the Lord’s Prayer, for example) or a word from a spiritual text (such as shalom,
meaning “peace,” or echad, meaning “one”).

Research about the power of belief

A number of studies now document the importance of faith in strengthening one’s

coping ability. Just take a look at these:

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 A recent National Institute of Mental Health study, for example, found that
people who consider religious beliefs to be a central element in their lives
experience lower amounts of depression than does a control group.
 In another study, researchers in Evans County, Georgia, looked at the
stress-reducing effects of regular churchgoers when compared with non-
churchgoers. They found that blood pressure measurements were significantly
lower for the committed churchgoers.
 In a different study, in Washington County, Maryland, researchers found
that those who attend church on a routine basis are much less likely to die of heart
attacks than are infrequent churchgoers. (Researchers made sure the results had
nothing to do with smoking, drinking, and other variables that may have clouded
the results.)
 In a study conducted in Israel, researchers compared the health of secular
and orthodox Israelis and found that the less-religious or non-religious group had
a risk of heart attack that was four times higher than their religious counterparts.
Also, the non-religious group had higher levels of cholesterol than did the more
religious group.

Tummo meditation
versus Autogenic Training

Visceral nervous system self-regulation, East and West, and implications for
integrative psychotherapy
© 2014
by Gérard V. Sunnen, M.D.

BACK TO HOME

Introduction

Tummo (inner fire) meditation is an ancient technique of personal enlightenment

centered on the creation of bodily warmth. Autogenic training, some hundred
years old, is a system of self-control, centered on the creation of sensations of
heaviness, and also of bodily warmth. Both techniques implicate conscious entry
into nervous system networks because heaviness and warmth are sensory
modalities. Both techniques also aim to create higher states of well-being derived
from greater body/mind entente, yet suggest that dedicated practice opens doors
to dimensions of the self hitherto unknown.

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Holistic psychotherapy embodies a concept that invites the engagement of the
body in any meaningful personal transformation. This approach incorporates, by
any number of methods, the expansion of awareness into the workings of bodily
organs, resulting in experiences of inner harmony and of centering of self.

Many contemporary therapies, from classical psychoanalysis to cognitive therapy,

seek to engage the mind, yet the mind only, to satisfy one’s quest for personal
evolution. This is insufficient and can only have limited success. Attaining a sense
of wholeness necessarily engages the body/mind interface.

In this article, two mind/body techniques are selected for their ability to activate
multi-level personal transformation. These techniques can be integrated within
most psychotherapeutic methods. Melded into the psychotherapy process,
mind/body practices can offer physical and psychological benefits that can turn
out to be far more substantial than would be seen from either modality used alone.

Several practices have shown usefulness as activators of personal transformation

within the framework of psychotherapy. Added to the mission of self-discovery
and self-actualization that psychotherapy embodies, techniques such as hypnosis,
and its auto-administered modification, self-hypnosis, yoga, meditative disciplines
in their various forms, and autogenic training (AT), can be utilized to kindle the
push to coveted personal change.

Increasingly appreciated, is that the therapy of the mind becomes more

comprehensive, and its mission most successfully attained, when the deeper
workings of the body are more fully explored and, in a sense, mastered. Cliché and
true: harmony of body resonates profoundly with harmony of mind.

Visceral regulation: Relationship to spiritual development.

The human psyche generates a vast array of emotions, from the most primal, such
as fear, hunger, anger, and libido, to the most subtle, as with empathy, love and
gratitude. Emotions drive self-adaptation and change; without them life would
remain strangely static.

Primal emotions, however, are not only the strongest and most pervasive in the
mind’s emotional repertoire, but importantly, they usurp much of the psyche’s
energy reserves, and this mostly subliminally.

Primal emotions are mainly experienced in the brain, and specifically in the
ancient limbic system and its extensive ramifications, but for the most part, they
biologically take place in the body. Emotions in the anxiety/fear/worry spectrum,
and the in the anger spectrum (irritation, annoyance, resentment, rage), recruit
vast conglomerations of nerves connected to the spinal cord – including the celiac
(solar) plexus – and further relayed to organs of the chest, the abdomen and
pelvis, and to the entire musculature.

Much of all this activity occurs below the threshold for consciousness, churning
organs all the more because inhibitory signals originating in higher brain centers
temper the full expression of primal emotions. Energies spent in this process are

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simply that: spent, and unavailable to those dynamics that would otherwise
awaken personal evolution and higher order states of experiencing.

The dissolution of stress, in all its myriad physical and psychological

manifestations, is the primordial indication for the practice of Autogenic Training
and Tummo Meditation.

Executive Awareness

Executive Awareness (EA) is herewith defined as the experiencing of the

immediacy of personal existence. Translated into the fabric of emotions, EA is the
feeling of “I,” the ongoing perception of “I am, here and now.”

Awareness - much like human memory - is located ubiquitously in the brain,

involving the activities of all neurons. Various cerebral areas contribute selectively
to awareness’ intensity and configuration. Although there is no single brain locus
housing the core entity of awareness, the brain’s frontal cortex illuminates the
largest component of willful intent, a fundamental component of executive
awareness. Will, as a penultimate human faculty, incorporates clarity, direction
and determination, all essential ingredients for meditation.

Executive awareness can exercise several decisive functions, amongst them a

capacity to project itself into and through the brain’s outflow conduits that, via
their most distant tendrils, reach the totality of the organ systems they energize.

The fact remains, however, that although science can explain many dynamics of
awareness as it travels within nervous system circuitry, its true and fundamental
nature is yet totally unknown.

Autogenic training (AT) in clinical practice

Autogenic Training, a healing modality developed by a psychiatrist in the last

century (and further perfected by many other clinicians over the decades) (Luthe
1969), offers a process of self-development leading to improvements similar to
those achieved via hypnosis and meditation. The impetus for the creation of this
technique came from the ambivalence some people voiced about hypnosis as it was
viewed at the time, implicating some abdication of self-control. Today, clinical
hypnosis, and its modification, self-hypnosis, are viewed as skills leading to
enhanced self-knowledge and fluid self-control.

In the beginning stages of this training, in the context of comfortable body

positioning, sensations of relaxed heaviness are elicited in the extremities,
mentally amplified, and then progressively channeled into the entire body volume.
Soothing sensations of warmth are subsequently evoked in the same bodily spaces.
Care is taken to avoid tensing muscles, and generating motion of any kind, except
for respiration. The expansion of awareness into hitherto autonomously
functioning bodily processes gradually takes place.

Autogenic Training’s beneficial sensations can be brought on more quickly by

creating verbal reflexes. During practice, the inner voicing of selected words or

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phrases, such as “calm, relaxation, energy” engage the brain’s extensive language
networks, eventually eliciting heaviness and warmth with their verbal prompts.

Autogenic Training may be suggested to someone experiencing symptoms of

visceral imbalance due to stress. Talk of “stress” is often brought out early in the
initial interview of individuals who thus show a capacity for insight that tends to
make them good candidates for mind/body training. Stress is invariably described
as involving any number of organ systems: cardiovascular, respiratory, gastro-
intestinal, skin, urinary, and immune among others.

Tummo Meditation in clinical practice

Tummo meditation derives its name from the nature of its meditative focus. Most
meditation practices offer a direction for meditative centering. An exception may
be Zen meditation, which seeks to banish all thought forms, so that meditating on
nothingness allows new perceptions to emerge.

Tummo is the Tibetan word whose meaning approximates “inner fire.” In this
practice, the meditator focuses on the creation and amplification of imagery that,
in the realm of the senses, belongs to the experiencing of bodily warmth, if not
outright heat, and of inner light.

The description of the benefits of Tummo meditation features the attainment of

special abilities for confronting cold environments with physiological grace. While
this capacity may be useful in milieus commonly encountered by developers of
these techniques, namely the Tibetan monks of the Himalayas, the true intent of
Tummo meditation lies far beyond cold tolerance. Indeed, the attainment of the
“inner fire,” even in its beginning stages, yields far-reaching rewards of enhanced
mind/body capabilities, and in more advanced stages, offers pathways to higher
order transcendental experiences.

Tummo meditators invite heightened sensations of bodily heat, often coupled with
the imagery of symbols designed to summon spiritual knowledge. Heat, paired
with light in the mind’s eye, may initially be visualized as emitted by a candle
radiating from the abdomen’s center. The visualization of this inner flame is
coaxed to expand in its intensity and configuration, eventually infusing the totality
of the body schema. Rising from the abdomen’s center and becoming more
brilliant with every breath, it is beckoned to rise into the crown of the head. Heat
and light, as metaphors for life energies thus rise from the body to flower in the
mind.

Documented are the abilities of seasoned Tummo meditators for reducing their
oxygen consumption, and for raising their bodily temperature. (Benson 1982,
1990; Kozhevnikov 2013). Beyond the attainment of physiological harmony - such
as cardiovascular and circadian rhythm regulation – Tummo meditators
invariably report experiences that may be described as transcendent (Sunnen
2013, “Spiritual epiphanies during hypnosis”).

In clinical practice, Tummo Meditation is suggested when the visceral nervous

network shows signs and symptoms of dysregulation referable to cardiovascular,

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respiratory, gastro-intestinal, skin, urinary, and immune systems, among others.
The art of meditative focusing, at times problematic in practice, can be developed
via clinical strategies tailor-fitted to the proclivities of meditators.

The neurology of Autogenic Training

In the beginning phases of Autogenic Training, awareness is directed to sensitizing

the sensory circuits of the extremities. One or both arms, then both legs are invited
to amplify sensations of relaxed heaviness, maintaining all the while an awareness
connection to the flow of respiration. The sensation of heaviness then diffuses
outwardly, ever further into the spaces of the chest, abdomen and pelvis.

Subsequently, and melded with sensations of heaviness, is the elicitation of

sensations of warmth. The heaviness-warmth combo is then progressively
disseminated into the entire body space.

The signals initiating Autogenic Training start within Executive Awareness (EA).
They are then channeled into the domain of the somesthetic cortical areas where
bodily sensations are experienced in all their nuances. Awareness, continuing in
its exploratory journey, reaches more primal sensory centers in the thalamus,
then onward into the nerve conduits that, from the spinal cord, receive signals
from receptors in the skin, muscles and joints, including those for touch, pressure
and heat.

The sensations of bodily heaviness and warmth elicited in AT are correlated with
muscular relaxation. As training progresses, finer awareness develops for micro-
tensions as they are generated deeply within the body, giving rise to stress. This
new internal sensitivity offers the realization that stress can be un-created as
easily as it is created.

In Autogenic Training, the body’s voluntary muscles become ever more relaxed,
often far beyond ordinary experience. Pushing onward beyond voluntary muscles,
the smooth muscles are then imbued with calming awareness, as the ultimate
gateway to the dissolution of stress.

Smooth muscles function within the jurisdiction of the visceral nervous system
and therefore are ordinarily beyond voluntary influence. Smooth muscles regulate
the functions of the heart, vascular tension, digestive peristalsis, respiratory
rhythm, urination, sexual function, the eye’s workings, and numerous basic
reflexes.

As stress reactions are transcended in Autogenic Training, other sensations may

be manifested. Beyond heaviness, there can appear a pervasive lightness of being;
and beyond warmth, there sometimes comes a sensation of refreshing global
coolness, first appearing around the forehead and temples.

The neurology of Tummo Meditation.

Tummo Meditation entrains the participation of several major mental functions,

recruiting the action of vast nervous system networks, implicating visual,

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somesthetic, and visceral systems. Participating, as well, are higher-level cortical
functions because they draw on Tummo’s spiritual significance.

The experiencing of warmth, and eventually of heat in the abdominal, thoracic and
pelvic bodily spaces implies an involvement of the rich conglomeration of nerve
plexuses inhabiting these areas. Indeed, it is said that the number of neurons in
the peripheral nervous system rivals those in the brain.

Heat and light from the image of a lit candle in the abdomen’s center activate nerve
plexuses in visceral regions. Participating plexuses include those sprouting from
the spinal cord (cervical, brachial, lumbar and sacral), and the diffuse networks
innervating the visceral organs (cardiac, celiac, gastric, mesenteric, phrenic,
hepatic and pelvic).

Conclusion

Techniques that develop heightened entente between mind and body can easily
complement contemporary psychotherapies. The benefits include new levels of
well-being that incorporate multi-level relaxation, visceral organ harmony, and
hitherto unknown (and higher) states of experiencing.

Autogenic Training (AT) and Tummo Mediation originate from different

paradigms. While AT derives from Western neurological concepts, Tummo strives
to tap into energies conceptualized as resonating with a parallel dimension of a
universal kind.

This paper proposes two disciplines of body/mind development, Autogenic

Training, and Tummo Meditation. Each can be practiced alone or within the
context of psychotherapy. The meditator has the choice, not only of developing
either method according to one’s capacities and preferences, but also to
incorporate elements of both in the creation of a unique personal meditative
blend.

Achieving Alpha And Theta States Through Deep and Prolonged Breathing by

Mr.Activated

Posted byadmin

September 12, 2020

Posted inArticles

Tags:Breathing Techniques

Sometimes, we feel quite stressed out or at a loss for motivation due to any reason
in life. It might be a tough routine, tight deadlines, or personal problems that
might lead us to feel in this particular way. And no matter whatever we try to do to

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come out of this “Low-Zone”, nothing seems to work in our favor at all. It is only
after some time when we finally notice a change in our life coming all by itself that
takes all our negative energy away.

This fact is no longer surprising that everything inside our bodies is connected.
Our body organs work together synchronously after consulting the mastermind –
the brain, similarly, our mind is strongly connected with our soul.

It is also said that how we breathe reveals greatly about our inner feelings, apart
from depicting our external state. With breathing being a subconscious activity, we
do not even at times realize that we are ourselves giving away our real feelings
through our changing patterns of breathing. Ever notice how at times when you
are angry or frustrated, you seem to breathe faster all of a sudden? All of this
happens because of the deep-rooted connections and interlinkages between the
brain neurons and the respiratory cycle of a human being.

However, thanks to the recent discoveries and research, we can finally put an end
to all of this (by will!) and learn how to achieve a calm and relaxed state of both
our mind and personality.

It is all in our hands, and we can very much control it as well! Surprised? Carry on
reading!

Taking control of our breathing state is not only concerned with the fact that it
would help us think from a clever, broader perspective, or help us in controlling
our angry or frustrated state of mind, it would also help us in boosting up the
“positive” brain waves, which are the real reason for making us feel calm and
relaxed through their naturally acting mechanisms.

What are the Brain Waves and How Do They Work?

The brain is considered to be the “Controlling Center” of a living being. The brain
is expected to send messages to a particular body organ to carry out a particular
function, and that organ has to comply with the instructions sent by the brain.

This communication is made possible because of the “Neurons” which are brain
cells, and are billions in number. These neurons carry messages from the brain to
the organ of interest, and from that organ back to the brain. These neurons
communicate with each other too, and this is how your mood is controlled by the
brain. The neurons communicate with each other through messages in the form of
electrical impulses. These electrical impulses, if visualized on an
electroencephalogram or EEG, are seen to emerge in the form of a wave-like
pattern, and hence, were given the name of “Brain Waves”[1].

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Since the communication between the neurons keeps on taking place throughout
the day, therefore there is a lot of fluctuation in the brain waves’ activity, and they
keep on changing on a minute-to-minute basis.

So far, scientists have been able to discover 5 different types of brain waves[2]. All
of these brain waves reflect a person’s thought processes and feelings and
simultaneously keep on changing throughout the day.

Since these brain waves move at different speeds, therefore they are measured in
Hertz.

A brief overview of the different types of brain waves, in increasing order of their
speeds, is given as follows:

Delta Waves: These are the brain waves with the slowest speed, and measure up to
0.5 – 3 Hz. They are produced when a person is in a state of deep sleep or is deeply
meditating.

Theta Waves: These brain waves are produced when the brain is in a relaxed and
calm state but is open for a reception. They mostly occur during light naps and
relaxed meditative states. They have a speed measuring from 3-8 Hz.

Alpha Waves: Ranging from 8 – 12 Hz, the Alpha type of brain waves are produced
when the body is in an alert yet relaxed state. This is accountable for the times
when the person has just aroused from his sleep, but is not doing any stressful
activity, and has a mind free from all loads. This is a “resting” phase of the brain
and is particularly useful for reducing anxiety and stress.

Beta Waves: Produced at a speed of 12-30 Hz, the Beta types of brain waves are fast
running waves and are produced when a person is wide-awake, and his brain is in
a highly alerted, almost alarmed stated, and is occupied with tasks that require
him to use his mental capabilities for solving those problems. These may include
decision making and arithmetic problem-solving.

Gamma Waves: The Gamma type brain waves are considered to be the fastest
running brain waves as they have been measured to have a speed of about 25 – 100
Hz. These brain waves are “High Level” waves, and are observed to emerge during
learning, thinking, and memorizing processes.

The Significance of Alpha and Theta Waves in Achieving a Calm and Relaxed
Composure

Out of all the five types of brain waves mentioned above, the Alpha and Theta
Waves have been given special importance throughout all the studies[3] carried
out on brain waves. These brain waves are of that much interest that they are given
the designation of a state, the “Alpha Theta State”, which is a state of the mind in
which a person feels at complete rest, and is calm and collected with his thoughts,
a condition in which both are produced in.

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It was revealed through studies that these Alpha and Theta waves can be produced
through conscious control of a person, and they can further help in soothing the
target person. And this conscious control is achievable through making deep,
prolonged exhalation a part of one’s daily routine.

Okinaga[4], or the art of prolonging the expiration step of breathing, greatly helps
in achieving this Alpha-Theta state. The Alpha-theta state is a very intuitive and
clever state of the brain in which a person is in an almost euphoric state – he is
willing to meditate and stay focused on this very state while willing to learn and
absorb new information too. All the body muscles are relaxed, and in a completely
calm, non-functioning state.

In the same study, results were observed after about 10 minutes of starting the
experiment. it was found that while people remained with their eyes closed in a
peaceful environment, their Alpha waves surged with the increasing duration of
breathing, while the Theta waves kept on surging for as long as the person was
breathing at a rate of about 3 to 4 breaths per minute.

Many people strive to achieve this state, and within a few days of regularly
learning to master the art of deep and focused breathing, they can very much
succeed in doing so as well.

How to Achieve the Alpha-Theta State?

The Alpha-Theta state[5] can be achieved by anyone. It just requires complete

focus and a relaxed mind. As soon as a person enters the Alpha-Theta states, his
anxiety and stress levels seem to fade away, and only a relaxed aura is left behind.

These changes can be easily observed on an Electroencephalogram (EEG) which

shows how significantly Alpha and Theta-type brain waves seem to rise as soon as
a person goes in a relaxed state of mind, causing the Beta waves to decrease
significantly.

Changing one’s thought process, or stopping oneself from thinking about all the
negative and worry-inducing energies can also help in stimulating the Alpha-Theta
states. The more Alpha-Theta waves a person can produce, the more endorphins
(happy hormones!) our body can produce.

Here are a few effective techniques that could help a person in achieving the
Alpha-Theta state of mind:

Suit yourself in a calming environment

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Relax your mind and body muscles completely, leave no bodily stress hovering
behind

Don’t strain yourself, listen to brain-designated music

Open yourself for meditation, feel grateful and mindful of everything around you

Inhale to up to a count of 4, pause, and then exhale again after an 8 to 16 times

count

With regular practice of this exercise, you would very soon be able to get complete
control over your anxiety and would be able to successfully eliminate it from your
life in no time.

One Breath in One Minute Challenge

Lance Wantenaar

I have been meditating for many years and have tried many ways to be able to
achieve a calm zen like feeling.

I battled the thousands of thoughts in my head when all I wanted were feelings of
calmness and focus. Add to that the brain seems to wake up and register each little
itch or twitch.

Meditation became a random practice of random results.

It was like I had two opposing forces battling to steal my attention and force me
not to be calm.

My brain would race thoughts through my head. They demanded attention and
seemed to take my down a rabbit hole of jumbled thoughts.

I tried many things to get zen state but my results where sporadic whenever I sat
down to meditate.

Some days I would feel focused and calm but it would take 20 minutes to get to that
stage.

The time was too much and I struggled to have a consistent result.

My podcast topics meant reading research material on meditation and brainwaves.

I researched how breathing worked to help focus the brain and which parts of the
brain it affects.

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The gut-brain axis highlights the importance of the vagus nerve function. This
allows the vagus nerve to change how the brain functions.

All research mentioned how you had to breath to relax the body and the brain.
Breathing using the diaphragm was key to trigger relaxation in the body. This
signal would then travel back up the vagus nerve to the brain.

Once the body relaxes the brain follows.

It was as simple as that.

But….

Box Breathing Was Not Cutting It

All breathing methods spoke of box breathing, pranayama and various other
complex methods.

An example of box breathing is where each part of your breath is a four second
stage.

Breath in count one, two, three, four

Pause and count one, two, three, four

Breath out count one, two, three, four

Pause and count one, two, three, four

I realised box breathing wasn’t cutting it. Even though I got some results from it.

I felt oxygen deprived and it was time consuming. It became mentally demanding
to maintain focus.

Then during a podcast interview with a guest I had a brain wave.

The long exhale is exactly like a sigh!

A sigh is the bodies natural mechanism to release stress. In some cases a way to
brace you before doing something challenging or stress related.

Before a physically demanding task you take a deep breath and slowly exhale. Its a
way of calming the brain and to help you focus.

This is where the magic happens.

One of the research articles talked about a breathing method that ninja’s used. The
Japanese researcher measured how brainwaves changed when using this specific
breathing method. He monitored participants who all were long term
practitioners of the ninja skills.

The breathing method is known as Okinaga breathing.

There was one hurdle.

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One breath was as long as one minute. The ninja’s were doing this for a minimum
of 20 minutes to get to the alpha and theta brain wave state.

The research came up with one consistent piece of information. The longer the
exhale the stronger the effect was on helping the body relax and destress.

There was very little online reference how to do the super long exhale or do one
breath for one minute.

I became obsessed with learning this breathing method.

I practiced it and struggled to be able to manage a one minute exhale for up to 20

minutes.

A slow 20 seconds inhale is hard, you become oxygen deprived dong this,

Controlling the exhale for 40 seconds was even harder. Again I was using up
oxygen trying to manage this.

I knew the exhale was working as shorter exhales allowed me to feel the relaxation
response.

The research all proved that the signal via the vagus nerve from the exhale to the
brain relaxed you.

But, how do I do one breath for one minute?

Photo by Max van den Oetelaar on Unsplash

Then I came across a hack watching a Youtube video on ways to trigger the vagus
nerve. Stanley Rosenburg’s book about vagus nerve stimulation was part of this
puzzle.

But how?

The Youtube video gave me the key to effortlessly control the exhale!

I now exhale for fifty seconds or more with no effort. My meditation has become a
consistent practice to get me to the zen place.

My emotions are calmer and mental focus is better. My awareness and

mindfulness has improved dramatically.

To prove this technique works and is simple to do I got a guinea pig involved.

My brother.

He has never done breathwork and the like man the pandemic has had its impact.
He needed a way to manage his stress and feel more in control.

The first time I showed him the breathing method he was able to do a 40 second
exhale.

I knew this would work no matter who did this.

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The benefits of effective breathing allows you to reduce feelings of stress. Having a
healthy vagal tone improves health. It allows for improved heart rate variability
(HRV).

How would you like to reduce your stress and feel Zen like calm with one breath?

Get your free guide to the One Breath in One Minute Challenge.

Lance Wantenaar

A Cyber Security pro interested in psychology, cognition and learning with a

passion for developing How to think.

Jack Schwarz Pain and Mind Over Matter Practice

0
By Mark on 4 June 2014Pain Management Possible Mind Power of the mind

Jack Schwarz was beaten and tortured during World War 2 in such a way that
most of us, luckily, would not ever have to experience. He cleverly developed a
practice which involved meditation and prayer that enabled him to cancel out his
pain.
After his release, Schwarz continued his mind over matter practice and
occasionally demonstrated his skills by putting a long sail-maker’s needle through
his arm without injury. He also displayed his ability to regulate his body’s blood
flow by causing the puncture hole in his arm to bleed or stop bleeding at will.
Schwarz was studied by researchers at the Menninger Foundation who found that
he could indeed control many of his bodily processes with only his mind.
Furthermore, through an electroencephalograph, they determined his brain had
different electrical activity as compared to most other test subjects. According to
Schwarz, he could also see people’s auras, which allowed him to gauge their
physical, emotional, spiritual, and mental conditions.

Source – listverse.com

Jack wrote a book called Voluntary Controls sharing some of his views and

techniques. The technique I have used most of his is this one:
The 6 Basic Steps to accomplish changing your states are:

Ground – which means sending your energy into the earth to reconnect with your
energy centers.
Align – means aligning your heart energy to the energy of the unified field.
Go to theta (the theta brainwave) – with your eyes closed, roll your eyes up as if
you were following a golden beam of light out through the top of your head and out

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into the deep black velvet of space – this automatically and energetically moves
you to the theta brainwave.
Command – a silent command in your mind and emotions to communicate your
intention to your subconscious, such as…..
I don’t know how I (am/do/have)________________________, I only know it
is so now, and I am fulfilled.

Example: I don’t know how I am strong and healthy, I only know I am now and I
am fulfilled…..

Or – I don’t know how I am financially secure, I only know I am now and I am

fulfilled.

Expand – allow your Command to expand into an idea greater than yourself – you
are connected now with the profound information of the unified field and your
own greater capacity.
Receive in Gratitude – feel your sense of gratitude for this fulfillment and know
that when your thoughts reach your DNA, new programs or patterns are created.
There is a significant amount of research that indicates that living in gratitude
changes your life for the better, and we know that what you put your attention on
expands – whether it lack and limitation, or abundance and success.
Source – evolutionezine.com

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