Sophrology: Next Gen Mindfulness or Holistic Scam?
At the start of the new year, we may tell ourselves that we want to be more present in our lives and bodies, that we want to be more mindful of what's going on within and around us, and we may want to even try incorporating a yoga or meditation practice into our daily routine.
But what I've discovered is that very few people will actually stick with it unless it comes pre-packaged in a nice little box. And thus we have sophrology, the next wave of Mindfulness
Sophrology - 'the science of the consciousness in harmony'
The phenomenon is currently on the rise in parts of Europe - where it's offered as a therapy at some businesses and colleges, but expected to make its way across the pond shortly to American audiences. It mixes aspects of Western relaxation with the meditation of Eastern practices, and includes breathing and relaxation techniques using gentle movement and visualization. These self-development techniques aim to create an alert mind in a relaxed body.
An example of a sophrology exercise is to close your eyes, breathe in, and hold your breath for a few seconds while tensing up all the muscles in your body. Then, as you exhale, release all the muscles and let go, allowing the body and mind to slow down. -- The Guardian
As a highly anxious person who is always looking for ways to feel more calm and present, I sought to try it out myself. The problem arose when I realized that all of the apps currently available for sophrology exist only in French. Which I don't speak...well.
I'm not sure, if I downloaded Sophrologie Avec Petit BamBou, I'd be "feeling very bien", so I instead Googled some free sophrology exercises and decided to practice doing at least one every single day for a week.
Most of what I found reminded me a lot of the simple guided meditations I used to do when I first was interested in mindfulness, so the more I researched the more baffled I became that people actually charge outrageous amounts of money to have a person sit in front of them and tell them how to relax different areas of their body!
A majority of "sophrologists" tout this practice as an alternative to medication for depression and anxiety and present it as a holistic approach. Which is all well and good, but to advise patients to forgo a medical route and use their techniques instead is especially irresponsible if they are not qualified medical practitioners....
Which may holistic entrepreneurs are not. Facts.
Even so, my week of simple yoga, moments of mindfulness, and brief guided meditations for relaxing felt very beneficial, especially after a few days of hectic office hours. Do I recommend sophrology as a relaxation method and a way of reconnecting with yourself? Absolutely! Do I advise you to pay ridiculous sums to have a lady tell you to 'breathe out tension in your big toe'? Probably not.
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