Autogenic Relaxation: Preparing the Body for Meditation

Many people approach meditation as a purely mental exercise. They try to focus the mind, observe the breath or settle attention. Meanwhile, the body is still carrying tension, restlessness or fatigue.

When the body isn’t ready, meditation can feel like hard work. But meditation doesn’t have to be a chore.

That’s where relaxation comes in — not as an afterthought, but as an essential preparation. A relaxed body creates the conditions for a more natural and effortless form of meditation.

The practice described here is autogenic relaxation, adapted from classical autogenic training. While it draws on the same principles, it’s practiced in a simpler, more flexible way, with an emphasis on gentleness rather than technique.

Relaxation Before Meditation

Relaxation is often treated as something separate from meditation, or even optional. In practice, it plays a crucial role.

When the nervous system is settled:

• attention steadies more easily

• the breath softens on its own

• sitting still feels natural rather than forced

Rather than trying to make the mind calm, we allow calmness to emerge from the body upward.

Active Effort and Passive Effort

One of the paradoxes of relaxation is that trying to relax usually has the opposite effect.

Active effort — striving, controlling or forcing sensations — tends to increase tension. What works better is a passive form of effort: allowing, imagining, and gently inviting sensations without needing them to be a certain way.

In autogenic relaxation, nothing is forced and all is accepted. Sensations are suggested, not demanded. If they appear, that’s great. If they don’t, that’s fine too. With regular practice, the body learns the pathway on its own.

The Technique: Six Simple Steps

This practice is usually done lying down or sitting comfortably, with the eyes closed. Each step involves silently repeating a simple phrase and gently imagining the associated sensation.

There’s no need to concentrate hard. A light, almost casual attention works best.

Step 1: Arms

Begin by bringing awareness to your hands and arms.

Silently say to yourself:
‘Arms heavy’
Imagine a sense of heaviness spreading through the arms.

After a short while, say:
‘Arms warm’
Imagine a gentle warmth accompanying the heaviness. The warmth is often easiest to notice in the hands.

Then say:
‘Arms warm and heavy’
Imagine feeling both the warmth and heaviness.

Step 2: Legs

Now bring awareness to the feet and legs.

Say:
‘Legs heavy’
Imagine the legs feeling heavy and supported.

Next, say:
‘Legs warm’
Imagine feeling a sense of warmth in the feet and legs.

Then say:
‘Legs warm and heavy’
Allow a sense of warmth and heaviness to spread.

Finally, gently include the arms and legs at the same time:
‘Arms and legs warm and heavy’

Be patient. These sensations tend to become clearer with regular practice.

Step 3: Solar Plexus

Bring awareness to the area below the chest, around the solar plexus.

Say:
‘Solar plexus warm’
Imagine a gentle, comfortable warmth filling this area, as though it’s being softly warmed from the inside.

Step 4: Neck and Shoulders

The neck and shoulders are common places for holding tension.

Bring awareness to the back of the neck and across the shoulders.
Say:
‘Neck and shoulders heavy’
Imagine the muscles softening and settling, as if their weight is being supported.

Step 5: Jaw

The jaw is another area where tension often goes unnoticed.

Bring awareness to where the jaw meets the cheekbones.
Say:
‘Jaw heavy’
You may notice the jaw subtly dropping or loosening as it lets go.

Step 6: Whole Body

To finish, include the body as a whole.

Say:
‘Whole body letting go’
Imagine tension melting away from both large and small muscles, with the body resting comfortably in place.

A Gentle Approach

The key to this practice is to take a gentle approach. If you notice yourself trying to make sensations happen, simply soften and return to imagining them lightly.

There’s no need to achieve a particular state. Relaxation unfolds naturally when it’s allowed.

Once the body has settled in this way, sitting for meditation usually feels easier and more natural — not because the mind has been controlled, but because the body is no longer resisting stillness.

A great next step is to then increase bodily awareness through a body scan.