So I've always been a fan of meditations and relaxation techniques as a person who suffers from pretty high levels of anxiety in certain scenarios.
My usual go-to's are quite simple: deep breathing exercises, classical music, lavender candles, you know, the easy stuff. I never really got into anything technical until I was on Youtube browsing some relaxation instrumentals and something popped up called "Autogenic Training". Sounds intense and professional, right?
The next thing I know, I'm like 5 videos deep into this process, feeling, QUITE relaxed with each variation, also googling articles and reading Wikipedia to make sure I get all the details I need on this process.
While I was able to find a good amount of Youtube videos that went through the method in a spoken tone over relaxing music, I didn't see a specific full track for it.
I was digging the whole concept behind it so much that I got the idea to create my own version of this Autogenic Traning stuff (after more research of course). I'd like to share the product of this random Youtube research whole I dug through; something pretty dope became of it!
Autogenic training is a method developed by German psychologist Johannes Heinrich Schultz 100 years back.
It helps to trick your body into calming WAY down when you're very stressed or anxious, designed to slow your heartbeat, lower your blood pressure, and increase the pleasant feelings of heaviness and warmth that individuals calmed by a hypnotic state often feel a combination of.
The training focuses on self-affirming verbal statements of feeling warm, heavy, and at peace within your own body.
With this knowledge, I headed over to my music-making corner, pulled out some warm MIDI chords and textures for musical background, and sang a few affirmations repeated 5-6 times in a calm fashion.
At first, I thought, "just because you're singing some nice-sounding statements over and over doesn't mean anybody is about to be relaxed."
But once I went over the 10-minute track a few times, made adjustments, made sure not to sing too powerfully or do too many vocal rifts, and mixed and mastered the track, I took a moment the following night to sit in an unbothered space and really tune in, following my sung cues. And WOW.
I wasn't sleepy when I first started it. It was like 11 pm, but I'm a night owl that cannot sleep before 1 in the morning, so I had every intention to get back up out of bed and work on another song for a couple of hours, but.
That relaxation HIT ME! Whew! So check out the song I made below. I hope this can help as many people as possible when it comes to relaxation and anxiety or stress relief. We all need some relief in our lives.
For a more in-depth look into Autogenic Training and how it can help ease your mind and put you in a more relaxed state, check out Prof. Luis de Rivera's "Autogenics 3.0: The New Way to Mindfulness and Meditation".
As a session singer, writer, and producer that has worked with over 300 clients to provide high-quality jingles, singles, and features, Yona spends her time creating and marketing new music and helpful resources for creators. Check out Yona’s latest releases on her Spotify, her Youtube and share if you like it!
If you are in need of singer, songwriter or song producer services, see what Yona Marie can offer you on her services page.
