ACTIVATE TENSION
As already mentioned, the autonomic nervous system consists of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems.
The sympathetic nervous system is responsible for increasing performance and is activated in stressful and emergency situations: the heart rate increases, breathing becomes faster, the muscles become tense and well supplied with blood, adrenaline is released and blood pressure rises.
Fear and anger, two of the most important emotions, put the body in an alarm state via the sympathetic nervous system with the consequences just mentioned, which prepare the body for fight or flight, two natural reactions that ensured the survival of humans in the Stone Age.
And this represents exactly the approach of the exercises: fear and anger are experienced physically (e.g. through trembling, jittering, running away) in order to allow your body to experience the natural physical reaction.
Only then can the autonomic nervous system calm down and then have the opportunity to switch to relaxation, the parasympathetic nervous system. This alternation of the two states is necessary for a well-regulated nervous system, which is largely responsible for our well-being.
If the body has a certain charge of energy, e.g. in an acute state of anxiety, it is very difficult to go directly into relaxation without first expressing this charge physically. This is also one of the reasons why it is difficult for some people to meditate, as this requires calmness.