Steve Cooper reflects on men’s health and wellbeing, his own heath challenges and why sophrology is a great choice for men.
As we leave the month of November behind, I’ve been reflecting on the Movember movement, its humble beginnings and how it has grown over the years.
It’s amazing to think that it was all started in 2003 by two blokes in a bar in Melbourne reminiscing about the lost fashion statement that was the moustache. Driven by the desire to bring the moustache back into fashion (albeit briefly) and inspired by a friend’s mother who was fundraising for breast cancer, they created a charitable movement by sponsoring men to grow moustaches whilst raising awareness of men’s health issues – particularly prostate cancer and mental health.
Since that time things have grown dramatically. Movember now exists in 21 countries and has raised hundreds of millions of pounds for men’s health programs around the world. The focus now is on four key men’s health challenges: prostate cancer, testicular cancer, mental health and physical inactivity. The movement is striving to create a shift in men’s attitudes to their physical and mental health and encourages men to become engaged in conversations about the health and wellbeing issues they face.
Barriers to engaging in mind-body practices
One of the articles I read recommended that men should adopt approaches to personal health and wellbeing like yoga, mindfulness and meditation. Promoting these techniques as a way of caring for oneself through recognising and nurturing the relationship between mind and body. However, the article also noted that it is very difficult to get men engaged in these types of activities. Reasons given for this include “efficiency bias” – hitting the gym and doing cardio and weights has a definite input/output feel to it whereas mindfulness and meditation can seem from the outside to be a bit, well, fluffy and non-productive. Conversely practices like yoga may seem too physically challenging or require a level of flexibility that some men feel they lack.
Discovering sophrology: a way out of a negative spiral
Having read the articles, I thought about my relatively recent journey to sophrology. I had been a fan of running and visiting the gym but when a physical health issue prevented me it had a knock-on effect on my mental health. I got myself caught up in a spiral of doom and gloom – unfit and unable to get fit I took advice from a consultant at the local hospital and searched for a mind body approach to health. I stumbled upon sophrology as I was researching mindfulness, contacted the Academy and eventually signed up for the practitioner programme – and I graduated in October this year. Reflecting on what I was looking for that drew me to sophrology above other approaches, I can point to these key benefits.
Simplicity and Accessibility
Sophrology has minimal physical requirements – there are no complex postures, and sophrology can be practiced sitting, standing, or even lying down. Sophrology requires no mats, props, or special clothing. It can be practiced anywhere – at a desk, in a car, or at home – in the middle of a field of you like. It is highly accessible.
It is also highly structured, targeting specific outcomes such as stress reduction, sleep improvement, or performance enhancement. It meets the required input/output criteria that some men may require.
Quick and Time-Efficient
Sophrology exercises can be completed in as little as 10–15 minutes, making it ideal for busy people – and this brevity and simplicity make it easier to incorporate into a workday or daily routine.
Adaptability
Sophrology welcomes all fitness levels – during my training the phrase “doing whatever is comfortable for you” was often repeated and very welcome – especially when I was recovering from hip replacement surgery. It is highly adaptable and can be tailored to address physical goals like recovering from injury and psychological goals like addressing anxiety.
Results
One of my case study clients said to me “I don’t know how it works – but it works”. I think because sophrology often targets real-world applications, its structured, goal-oriented nature appeals to people looking for tangible outcomes.
I’m hugely grateful that I discovered sophrology for all of the above reasons. It has made a real difference to my life, carrying me through some dark days when my physical health was not great and my mental health suffered as a result. I really do believe that sophrology’s, combination of dynamic exercises, breathwork, and visualisation has improved my life immensely and the same can happen for other men.