26 FEB 2019: You’re seated, but instead of your desk chair, you notice you’re sitting cross-legged. As your awareness spreads, you notice you’re not at your desk at all, but on a patch of grass, slightly dewy from the cooler temperatures of the night before.

You begin to notice the contrast of the refreshing coolness to the warmth and light of the rising sun as it spills over the not so distant mountains. With open eyes you see the birds gliding overhead through the gentle warm breeze that grazes your skin. Goosebumps form and you revel in this feeling for just a moment.

The pure peace and contentment you feel is incredible as joy bubbles up within you and overflows. Have I died and gone to heaven? This must be how those monks feel after meditating all day long.

While rooted in the East, the practice of mindfulness is sweeping the western world. Everyone and their dog seems to be talking about it. Yoga studios are popping up all over and even the local libraries are offering meditation classes.

But just how does this traditional Eastern meditative practise fit into your life here at home?

There are kids, pets, and extended family, there’s gruelling work weeks, dinner parties and of course the kids’ sleepovers and hockey practise and ballet. We don’t even have time to go number two anymore, let alone sit down and meditate. If you’re one of the lucky ones who has given it a try, you’ll likely agree that the noise in your mind is so loud it’s hard to focus for more than a few fleeting seconds at a time. It can feel deflating and like a waste of time, but it isn’t!

It feels like too far of a stretch to bring the peace of the Tibetan monk to the big shot proverbial wolf on Wall Street. But as it turns out, the dream of inner and world peace a la Miss America with a side of hustle that rivals Steve Jobs or Nikola Tesla is not out of reach for you or me. In fact, I would argue that great success is impossible without the internal focus achieved through mindfulness.

It started as a coping mechanism to help war veterans in dealing with PTSD back in the sixties and is now taking London by storm. A neuropsychiatrist in Spain thought to fuse together integral concepts of Buddhist meditation, yoga, Japanese zen and hypnosis to create an efficient hybrid that relaxes your body while sharpening your mind, in minimal time. The resulting technique is often described as “learning how to live”.

All it takes is some belly breathing exercises, visualization and a series of clenching and unclenching your muscles.

Coined Sophrology, it is the science of consciousness in harmony, (think Miss America’s pipe dream). This dynamic relaxation or moving meditation can be done almost anywhere, anytime, and without drawing too much unwanted attention.

Visualization engages both the left and right side of your brain, and in combination with the breathing techniques, cortisol stress levels are lowered and your mind becomes focused. The clenching and unclenching of the muscles throughout the body helps to bring the mind back inwards and away from the external distractions, while the sensation of relaxing tense muscles help you let go of the undesirable feelings.

Think of Sophrology as a cross between yoga and meditation, but more of an evolution of meditation and mindfulness where you learn to tap into your resilience and strength to deal with life’s challenges. It is a way to create more balance and happiness in your life.

If you’re feeling anxious about a flight, or have difficulty sleeping, or are just tired of being tired, one session of Sophrology can help you learn to let go, feel at ease, and remind you that you are in control of your emotions. You can use it to prepare for that board presentation, or that networking function or even a difficult conversation. Anywhere you feel any sort of stress or discomfort Sophrology is there for you.

So the next time you’re across the pond, a session may be worth adding to your itinerary.