Sixteen minutes of first-degree dynamic relaxation, seated. Every movement follows the same three-beat pattern — tense on the held breath, release on the exhale, then pause to notice. Never skip the noticing.
The sophro-liminal level
3 min[calm and procedural — sophrology is a method, and the voice should sound like someone who has done this a thousand times]
Welcome to this sophrology session. We'll be seated the whole way through, so find a chair where you can put both feet flat and sit away from the back rest, spine upright but not stiff. Hands resting on your thighs.
One thing to know about the method: after every movement we stop and pay attention to what's left behind. That pause isn't a rest between exercises — it is the exercise. [pause for 10 seconds]
Close your eyes. We're going to arrive at what sophrology calls the sophro-liminal level — the drowsy state on the border between waking and sleeping. We get there through the breath.
Breathe in through the nose. And out through the mouth, longer than the in-breath. Again — in through the nose, out through the mouth. And a third time. [pause for three full breath cycles]
Now leave the breath alone, and take a moment to feel the body sitting in the chair. The feet on the floor. The weight on the seat. The hands on the thighs. [pause for 30 seconds]
The head and face
3 min 30[give the movement, then the release, then the noticing — the same three beats every time, so it becomes predictable]
First movement. Breathe in and hold the breath. While you hold it, screw up the whole face — eyes, mouth, forehead, everything tight, like a fist. [pause for 5 seconds]
And let the breath go through the mouth, and let the face fall completely loose. [pause for 20 seconds — this is the noticing, don't cut it short]
Notice whatever's there in the face now. Warmth, tingling, heaviness, or nothing in particular. Whatever you find is right. [pause for 20 seconds]
Second movement. Breathing normally now, let the head roll slowly to the right, and back to the middle. And to the left, and back to the middle. Slowly, three times each side. [pause for 40 seconds]
Stop in the middle. And pay attention to the neck and shoulders. [pause for 25 seconds]
Shoulders and arms — the pumping
3 min 30[the pumping is vigorous and should sound it — lift the energy in your voice here, then drop it right back for the noticing]
Now the pumping — this is the movement sophrology is best known for. Make loose fists and rest them near your shoulders.
Breathe in through the nose and hold. Holding the breath, pump the shoulders up and down, quickly and lightly, like you're shaking something off them. Keep going. [pause for 8 seconds of pumping]
And stop, and blow the breath out through the mouth. Let the arms drop and hang. [pause for 25 seconds]
Feel the shoulders and the arms. There's usually a lot to notice after that one. [pause for 25 seconds]
We'll do it twice more. Breathe in, hold, and pump. [8 seconds of pumping, then release and 25 seconds of noticing — repeat this whole cycle twice]
Trunk and legs
3 min[same three beats; keep the tempo you've established]
Now the trunk. Breathe in and hold, and tighten the whole middle of the body — stomach, back, everything between the ribs and the hips. [pause for 5 seconds]
And out through the mouth, and let it all go soft. [pause for 25 seconds]
And now the legs. Breathe in and hold. Press both feet down into the floor, hard, and tighten the thighs and the calves. [pause for 5 seconds]
And out, and release. Let the legs be heavy. [pause for 25 seconds]
And now the whole body at once. Breathe in, hold, and tense everything — face, shoulders, arms, trunk, legs, all together. [pause for 5 seconds]
And let it all go. [long pause — 40 seconds]
The whole body, and closing
3 min[the de-sophronisation is a formal step — do it in order and don't hurry it]
Stay with the whole body for a moment. Head to feet, sitting here. Notice what's different from when you sat down. Don't analyse it — just register it. [long pause — 60 seconds]
If a word or an image came up during the session, keep hold of it. It's worth writing down afterwards. [pause for 25 seconds]
Now we come back up, gradually. Start with the breath — make it a little deeper. [pause for 15 seconds, and begin lifting the voice]
Move the fingers and the toes. Roll the shoulders. Stretch the arms out, and the legs, as much as the chair allows. Have a yawn if one is available. [pause for 20 seconds]
And when you're ready, open your eyes. That's the session complete.