Unlocking physical and emotional stiffness can become a game. As? With bioenergy, a technique capable of helping to dissolve the blocks that regulate us on a muscular and mental level. Telling us is Omar Montecianiauthor of personal development books, body mediation consultant and host of bioenergy classes at Todi.
What does bioenergy consist of?
“Bioenergy includes a series of exercises, postures, movements and breathing techniques that help with self-awareness. The goal is not to improve physical condition, but to find a balance between body, mind and emotions using mainly the body’s energy, i.e. the energy produced at a metabolic, biochemical and neuromuscular level” explains the expert. “It is usually practiced in a group, under the guidance of a leader.
Each session lasts about an hour and a half the physical benefits are immediate: joint and muscle stiffness decreases, breathing becomes calm and deep, movements become fluid. As a result, we also intervene in existential problems that “come down” to the body, such as difficulties in relationships, fears, depression, low self-esteem, lack of autonomy”, continues Omar Montecchiani.
Bioenergy frees us from emotional armor
It was Wilhelm Reich, a student of Freud, who understood that man is a prisoner of an armor formed by the behaviors applied to contain emotions. “From an early age we learn to block reactions that are not accepted by others. This is the case with anger, for example, which we are taught to repress,” Montecchiani clarifies. Traumas, experiences, emotions and habits are fixed in rigid patterns and make us who we are, shaping character and regulating movements, voice and attitude.
“Some blocks may be temporary. Like, for example, when we line up and put the nervousness of waiting on our shoulders. In these tensions, called “state”, we can intervene with bioenergy lessons”, continues the expert, who wants to emphasize: “If the blocks are connected to deep emotional wounds and traumas, we need a leader who is also a psychotherapist».
How bioenergy is practiced
Each bioenergy session begins with grounding: is the basic stance, which sees the student standing, feet hip-width apart, knees slightly bent and toes hooked; as if they should stick to the ground. “The goal is to regain contact with reality: by rooting ourselves in the ground we recognize that we are ‘someone’ and feel to be able to stand on our own feeteven if in a symbolic way, in everyday life”, explains Montecchiani.
A physical posture that stretches all the vertebrae and allows energy and blood circulation to flow freely. The host then suggests a series of exercises that stimulate all areas of the body, alternating a phase of contraction with another of expansion: during the first the tension of the muscles involved increases, while in the second relaxation occurs.
Bioenergy teaches how to feel the body
Bioenergetics also includes movements linked to the activation of specific emotions: for example, kicking and pressing evoke feelings similar to opposition or rebellion. Or stretching exercises are performed which goal for mental relaxation. In addition, there are sequences that must be performed in pairs or small groups, often in the form of a game: Participants may be asked to represent trees in a forest or animals in a zoo in order to reveal certain aspects of their personality and explore the kind of approach to others in everyday life. The movements are not performed mechanically, nor is perfection aimed at: the goal is always just to “feel the body”.
Train your breathing
According to bioenergetics, breathing shows what we feel and how we feel it. “When we experience a state of anger, fear, joy or sadness, breathing changes: it is slow and deep in relaxed conditions, it becomes restrained when we are agitated,” explains Montecchiani. The discipline aims to restore calmness and deep breathing, acting on both muscles and tensions, which dissolve and they allow the free expression of what we feel.
It can also be practiced alone
“Bioenergy is suitable for any age, even in case of slight physical limitations, and after learning it can also be practiced at home independently”, assures Omar Montecchiani. “Frequent repetition of the exercises helps to better manage everyday life, during which we often exercise involuntary control over the body, leaving worries and stress force us into incorrect postural and muscle patterns. And it helps to regain vitality and the greatest pleasure in life.”
The body is blocked
According to the bioenergetic vision, Body blockages can manifest on 7 levels (ocular, oral, cervical, thoracic, diaphragmatic, abdominal, pelvic). Each of them is a consequence of a specific emotional problem: for example, the constant inhibition of crying and fears can cause severe migraines. Holding back emotions causes tension in the neck and other areas of the back, while doubts and inner conflicts create breathing difficulties and tension in the lower abdomen, lumbar region and pelvic region.
Where to practice bioenergy
To find the nearest qualified conductor, you can consult the websites of the main Italian associations: such as the Institute of Socio-Relational Psychology and the Italian Society of Bioenergetic Analysis.