The heaviness exercise ("My arm is heavy")

Repeat "my right arm is heavy" slowly and passively until you feel a real physical sensation of heaviness.

Why it works

The heaviness phrase targets skeletal muscle relaxation: focused passive attention on heaviness reduces motor neuron firing tone in that limb, producing measurable decreases in EMG activity. Schultz called this "passive concentration" — you do not force the heaviness but observe whether it arises while holding the idea gently. The sensation of heaviness is the felt correlate of actual muscle relaxation rather than a placebo suggestion.

How to do it

1. Lie down or sit in a reclined, supported position in a quiet room.
2. Close your eyes and repeat slowly, internally: "My right arm is heavy... my right arm is heavy..."
3. Do not try to make it heavy; simply notice whether heaviness arises. Observe it passively.
4. After two to three minutes, move to the left arm, then legs.
5. If distracted, return to the phrase without judgment.

Evidence

Autogenic training including the heaviness exercise is part of the overall AT protocol that showed significant effects in a 2002 meta-analysis; the heaviness exercise specifically correlates with EMG reductions in trained practitioners. (clinical)

The meta-analysis covers the full AT protocol, not the heaviness exercise in isolation. Initial learning typically takes weeks before the heaviness sensation arises reliably. Impatience with early practice is the primary reason people discontinue.

Sources

• Stetter & Kupper (2002), autogenic training: a meta-analysis of clinical outcome studies, Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback

Common mistake

Actively "trying" to feel heavy — tensing or visualizing weight — which is the opposite of the passive concentration Schultz described. The instruction is to observe, not produce, the sensation.