The Total Relaxation Protocol is aimed at adjusting the body’s reactions to the environment, allowing space for the psychological and behavioral adaptation that defines a sense of well-being in human beings.

Adapted from the “Total Relaxation” section of the freediving manual by Umberto Pelizzari

This adjustment and internal synthesis involve the processes of learning, memory, and creativity, and ensure continuity in personal development.

One of the main features of total relaxation is the close relationship between muscular form and mental activity. Muscles learn to maintain posture (during static apnea) or to execute a specific movement (finning during constant weight), influenced by psychological conditioning in which the muscle’s basic function becomes the center of a psychosomatic dialogue.

Mental control becomes paramount and, in order to increase safety, the body must be relaxed effectively, making actions more efficient and execution more economical (the “Rule of 3 Es”).

If the mind is not calm during a freedive, or if it is disturbed by anxiety or unresolved tension, the diver will be affected by those negative thoughts. They will manifest physically as a lack of relaxation or efficiency in movement. A contracted body will consume more energy, shorten apnea time, and reduce positive sensations.

The goal of total relaxation is to release both body and emotions through a single process. Achieving this optimal state is facilitated by preparation based on Autogenic Training, a psychophysiological self-relaxation method that consists of mentally repeating short formulas (e.g., “my arm is heavy… warm… my breathing is calm…”) to evoke bodily sensations that activate the parasympathetic system, reduce muscular tension, and stabilize breathing and pulse.

• Purpose: reduce stress/anxiety and promote calm and concentration.
• How: in silence, eyes closed, seated or lying down; practice the six classical exercises (heaviness, warmth, heart, breathing, abdomen/solar plexus, cool forehead).
• Ideal frequency: short sessions of 8–12 minutes, 1–2 times per day.
• Nature: self-induced; learned with guidance but practiced autonomously.

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Practice Sequence

The practice begins with a basic physical relaxation, consisting of paying attention to each part of the body—from head to toe or vice versa—minimizing muscular use. Once this physical relaxation is completed, the next step is to calm the emotions with a mental relaxation exercise: visualizing “a scene from nature.”

This means “immersing oneself” in the visualization of a real or imaginary place, focusing all senses on every detail of the scene: the fragrance of the air, the smell of the sea or vegetation, seeing the most significant elements of the place, feeling the body’s contact with its surroundings, hearing the sounds—allowing the mind to exist in a positive “virtual reality” that soothes and refreshes.

Audio recordings are often used initially to learn relaxation techniques, but the next step is to advance toward full Autogenic Training, in which the freediver, alone, guides their own session using their own words instead of audio. This is the only way to train self-dialogue and activate better mental organization, beginning with listening to the body, emotions, and stressors.

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Guided Example

I lie down in a comfortable position, on my back… arms at my sides… legs extended… letting the feet fall outward…

I close my eyes… and bring attention to my eyelids… particularly to the small muscles around the eyes. I relax those muscles… let them go… and feel the relaxation traveling like a wave… descending slowly through my entire body.

We will now establish the 4/8 breathing rhythm for this total relaxation protocol. Every time our exhalation is longer than our inhalation, the body enters calm mode. I take several full diaphragmatic breaths, inhaling for 4 and exhaling for 8, and as I exhale… I relax… I let go.
Inhale 1-2-3-4, exhale 8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1… Inhale 1-2-3-4, exhale 8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1.

Now I turn attention to the events of my day that most unsettled me…

I leave all tension and worry outside this room, and begin to focus on my body… from head to toe.

I bring attention to my scalp… trying to feel where the hair is implanted in the skin… then I focus on the top of the head… and from there descend to the forehead… focusing on the eyebrows… feeling a calming sensation passing across the forehead, smoothing its lines.

I relax the eyes… and the eyelids. I feel the soft weight of my eyelids… they are completely closed.

Now I release the muscles of the face… the cheeks… My entire face melts into a state of relaxation…

I relax the jaw and tongue… even try to sense my gums… and my teeth…

I move to the throat… and the vocal cords… and notice how they become as relaxed as the rest of my head.

I relax the nape of the neck… this calming sensation spreads down through the neck and reaches the shoulders…

My arms are heavy… I bring attention to my forearms… and hands… I relax the fingers… even the nails…

Now I focus on the chest… and the lungs… I feel my lungs breathing at their own rhythm… I pause a moment to listen to my breath…

My heart beats with a normal, natural rhythm… I focus on my chest and thoracic tissues… listening to the sounds…

Now I move attention to the abdominal area… I focus on the digestive system… I feel how, with each breath, the diaphragm massages my stomach… the liver, pancreas, intestines… Everything works as it should, naturally and beautifully.

I shift attention to the sphincter muscles of the anal and genital areas… I relax these muscles and feel completely at ease.

I relax my pelvis… and realize my back is completely relaxed… the large dorsal muscles… and the spine… all relaxed.

Moving on to the legs, I let my thighs soften… I relax my knees… calves… feet… heels… even the toes and their nails…

Now I prepare to release the last vestiges of my body…

I relax… I let go… I abandon my body… I relax…

When I relax this way, I remain conscious… awake… I feel in a state of perfect health… in harmony with life…

Now, to reach an even deeper and more intimate mental level, I will imagine a place—drawn from memory, dream, or imagination. A peaceful place in nature, where I can feel completely calm and at ease.

In this natural scene I witness the intensity of the environment with all my senses… vivid imagination… sensations… and clear sounds.

[PAUSE]

I am relaxed… in tune with the innermost vision of my mind… I am relaxed…

Gradually, as I continue to relax body and mind, I become more aware of the inner levels of consciousness…

My breathing becomes calm and regular… my heartbeat serene and steady… I feel the power of my will. And if I desire something, so it shall be.

When I open my eyes I will return from this inner mental level, and feel perfectly awake, renewed, reborn, and in harmony with life.

Now, slowly, with almost imperceptible movements, I become aware of where I am… of my body… of my breathing… and I open my eyes.