Long before I became a sophrologist, I had already experienced something that would stay with me.
I was a teenager growing up in France when I became frightened of doing a particular gymnastics jump. I was worried about hurting myself and couldn't get past the fear.
My gym coach, who was a champion of France, sat me down and guided me through a body scan combined with focused breathing.
I became completely absorbed in the exercise, noticing my breath and the sensations in my body. I enjoyed it.
Then I did the jump.
The fear was gone. Or at least, it felt as though it had never been there.
I couldn't make sense of it at the time, but the memory stayed vivid in my mind.
Years later, when I discovered sophrology, I finally recognised what had made that experience so powerful.
What martial arts taught me
In my 20s, I started practising Tang Soo Do, a Korean martial art. I was very lucky to be taught by a Korean Grand Master, Kang Uk Lee.
The physical training was demanding and precise, but there was also a strong mental side to it.
Before training, we were taught to sit quietly and focus. I noticed that this helped me leave behind the fatigue of a day's work and become more focused and effective in my training.
Before competitions, I was taught to breathe deeply and visualise what I was about to do.
I found that it helped me relax and prepare mentally. Sometimes, I would become completely absorbed in what I was doing. Everything seemed to flow. My body moved almost effortlessly, time seemed to expand, and I was simply present in the moment.
Those moments of flow were some of the most enjoyable parts of training and competing.
I was also taught to stay focused rather than becoming caught up in my emotions when it was time to perform.
Grand Master Kang Uk Lee used to tell me, “Never overestimate nor underestimate your opponent.”
It is probably my favourite sporting quote, and something I still apply in everyday life.
It wasn't about pretending that nerves or fear didn't exist. It was about learning not to let them take over.
But Tang Soo Do wasn't only about techniques. We were also taught discipline, humility and respect. These values were part of how we were expected to behave, both in training and in everyday life.
Looking back, I can see how much those lessons stayed with me. At the time, I simply accepted them as part of my training. I had no idea how much they would influence me, or how familiar they would feel when I discovered sophrology years later.
Then I discovered Sophrology
Years later, life took me in a very different direction.
Like many women, I went through periods when work, relationships and family life brought challenges I hadn't expected. I experienced chronic stress at work following difficult behaviour from a male colleague. Later, in another job, I found myself dealing with the distress of discovering that my pregnancy was not welcomed.
These experiences affected me deeply. I began looking for ways to better understand stress and, more importantly, to find a way of feeling better.
That was when I discovered sophrology.
As I started learning about sophrology and practising regularly, something clicked.
I recognised many of the things I had experienced through sport and martial arts years earlier:
The breathing.
The awareness of the body.
The visualisation.
The ability to focus rather than becoming caught up in emotions.
But this time, I wasn't using these techniques to prepare for a competition or perform a difficult movement. I was learning how to use them in everyday life.
Sophrology gave me a framework for understanding something I had experienced instinctively through sport: the way we work with our body and our mind can influence how we experience difficult situations.
That realisation was one of the reasons sophrology resonated with me so strongly.
Values matter too
As I learned more about sophrology, I discovered that it is not only about breathing, body awareness and visualisation. It also has three core values that can help us live well: freedom, dignity and respect.
For me, freedom means having the freedom to make our own choices and to be ourselves, rather than simply doing what is expected of us.
Dignity means recognising our own worth and the worth of others.
Respect is about how we treat ourselves, other people and the world around us.
I find that I apply these values in my work every day.
No matter how much experience I have, or how successful previous clients have been, I never assume that I know what another person needs or what their journey will be.
I have worked with people experiencing chronic pain, tinnitus and performance anxiety, as well as people living with cancer. I have also worked with children, using games, breathing and simple exercises to help them manage stress and anxiety. Every person is different.
My role is not to tell someone how they should feel or what they should do. It is to listen, respect where they are, and support them in discovering what works for them.
For me, that is what freedom, dignity and respect look like in practice.
And perhaps this is another lesson I carry with me from martial arts: values are not simply ideas. They are something we put into practice through the way we treat ourselves and others.
Learning to work with stress
One of the things I value most about sophrology is that it doesn't ask us to eliminate difficult emotions or pretend that everything is fine.
Stress, fear, excitement and nerves are all part of being human.
What we can learn is to notice what is happening in our body and mind, and to respond rather than simply being carried along by it.
With my tinnitus clients, I often notice a real turning point after a few sessions, when they begin to become more aware of their bodily sensations. This is called interoception, our ability to sense what is happening inside our body.
This is when I get excited for my clients, because so much can change from there.
As they become more aware of their body and their responses, we can begin to work on their relationship with tinnitus and the fear and emotions surrounding it.
Breathing can help us settle.
Body awareness can help us recognise tension and sensations.
Visualisation can help us prepare for something that feels challenging.
And regular practice matters because the brain can change through experience and repetition. This ability of the brain to adapt and form new patterns is known as neuroplasticity.
These are things I experienced through martial arts long before I understood the principles behind them.
From the dojo to everyday life
What I discovered through sport is something I now use in my everyday life and in my work with clients.
But sophrology isn't about fitness or physical performance. In many ways, it is the opposite.
It is about letting go rather than pushing harder.
Releasing tension rather than holding on.
Noticing what is happening in our body rather than forcing it to do more.
The same principles can help when we are facing an important meeting, speaking in public, dealing with stress, struggling to switch off at night or simply feeling overwhelmed.
Sophrology is adaptable. The exercises can be practised anywhere and adapted to different physical abilities and ages. You don't need to be fit, flexible or physically strong.
You simply need to be willing to pause, breathe and notice what is happening within you.
For me, that is what makes sophrology so valuable.
