The Triple Disconnect and the practice of Sophrology
Because life is a cosmos of connection,
because to be alive is to be in relationship with the world.
Maria Popova
Photo credit: Unsplash
I once met a wonderful and accomplished woman who articulated, quite brilliantly albeit disconcertingly, what she thought about her life over the last few years: ‘I feel like I am doing life all wrong’.
She is not alone, as many people in our western civilisation appear to experience their lives in this way, even if they express it differently. They too seem to be leading a so called ‘successful life’.
At the heart of this phenomenon is the triple disconnect we find ourselves in: a disconnect from our inner selves, from others and from our natural environment.
This disconnect shows up as lack of knowing what we really want to do with our lives or how to get there, worry about the future, feelings of apathy and loneliness, depression and anxiety, burn-out, addiction and other self-harm behaviours.
Reconnecting to yourself requires you to stop and listen deeply. Listen to your own unique energy which resides in, and around, every cell of your body.
Listen beyond your everyday conditioned thoughts. Listen with all your senses, and hear what is really going on.
Sitting still in meditative practice is a good way to do this listening and sensing in, and increasingly meditation is becoming more mainstream in the West.
Photo credit: Unsplash
Another way to listen to your unique energy, and especially if you find sitting still in medicative practice challenging (like me!), is Sophrology. Sophrology exercises are based on Raja Yoga, Buddhist and Japanese Zen practices, and incorporate gentle movement, visualisation and breathwork, making it both effective as well as do-able for most Western ‘monkey minds’, as there is more to ‘do’ rather than simply sitting still and observing your thoughts.
Sophrology exercises are simple and require no special outfits or tools. All you need is a regular chair, a quiet spot and 15-20min of your daily time to do the guided activity. Sophrology is therefore called a dynamic relaxation technique.
In the first two levels of Sophrology you reconnect with yourself and explore who you are.
The focus is on cultivating a present-day awareness (also called mindfulness) and body awareness, as well as exploring the workings of the mind and thoughts. Through the practice you become more present in your own life and body. You become more calm and clear about yourself. You have a better sense of your intuition and inner-knowing.
You start to distinguish your inner voice from the fear that is speaking in you. This is often the first step in moving forward. This was certainly the case in my life!
Photo credit: Anna C. Myrup
Supportive and nourishing social connections are key to human health and wellbeing.
Cultivating such healthy relationships with others, including life partners, becomes easier once you have a good connection to yourself and your emotions. Understanding our emotions for what they are (‘energy in motion’) allows us to make good use of the information they provide, about how we experience the world, but not let them guide our actions in a negative way.
The exercises in the third level of Sophrology explore the nature of our emotions, our programmed patterns in our subconsciousness, and strengthen our ability to respond to situations that bring up strong emotions.
Photo credit: Anna C. Myrup
Connecting with the world around us, the energy of our natural habitat, as well as our ancestral and spiritual connections, is another key source of health and wellbeing.
Walks in nature, praying, singing and dancing all allow us to connect with the energy of the world around us.
In Sophrology, the fourth level exercises, engage us to cultivate a better sense of ourself in everyday life, experiencing the interconnectedness and the wholeness of the world with our body-, mind-, and soul-energy. We become clearer on our existence and how we want to show up in the world.
Reconnecting to ourselves, our social and the wider environment has never been more important than now. This feeling of interconnectedness and wholeness is indeed what healing is about (‘healing’ meaning ‘to become whole’). Many people sense this need, for themselves, the communities they live in and the planet. They are seeking this healing, this feeling of coming home again to oneself.
Many are trying to find ways to do this effectively, while still tending to to their demanding jobs and (family) lives. Some succeed, while others continue to feel quite lost or reach burn-out. There are many ways to reconnect indeed, and each person will chose the way that speaks best to their needs, interests and values.
Sophrology provides a simple, practical and effective way to bring greater clarity and energy into ones life, without any particular belief-system. It is therefore very suitable for anyone interested in experiencing life more deeply, while continue to attend to ones life responsibilities and commitments.
Although Sophrology was created already in the 1960s, it has remained hidden in the French-speaking countries like France and Switzerland. Over the years it has been applied to enhance performance of elite sports people, offered to school children to reduce exam stress and supported in pre-and antennal care as well as pain management. Only in the last years it has entered the English speaking world e.g. in the UK where Sophrology is being offered to clinical staff in the health sector to combat stress and burn-out.
It is my hope that in the coming years the Sophrology practices will help many more people to find their connection and joy in life.
With much love & light AnnA