[borroka]

Autogenic training is a practice that works wonders for your ability to control yourself under pressure, whether in specific situations, in the spotlight, or under more mundane pressures. Only after consistent training (but not gruelling! It doesn't require tedious 10-day meditation retreats) can you finally notice how much mental and physical tension, and fears, real or imagined, are present in your life.

In the same way that we practice motor skills (which are also mental skills) separately (think of preparatory running exercises as pedagogical tools for sprints) and then integrate them into performance (soccer players train with specific drills for ball control and one- or two-touch passing), we should practice mental skills first in isolation and then integrate them into performance (Dave Alred, the famous coach who was once the kicking coach for Wilkinson, the fly-half for the English national rugby team, wrote about this in his book “The Pressure Principle”).

Similarly, the autogenic training skills we develop must first be developed in isolation and then integrated (but integration begins on day one) into the performance itself. That is, it is not enough to be relaxed in bed, even if this is reflected in “real life,” but relaxation, which does not mean a state of torpor, far from it, must be part of every activity and challenge.