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About Antigym®

“I know few people with a free and flexible neck, without tension. Blood vessels and nerves pass through the vital channels in our neck, and our neck transports important nerve messages and nutrients all the time. And this passage between our head and our body is narrow. Instinctively, ought we not to open these channels transporting blood, nerve signals, food and air? Ought not the body make sure that our arteries, veins, oesophagus, larynx and trachea are not compressed? And make sure that there is circulation to the thyroid gland, which is located in this area too, and to the autonomous nerve system which has its origin at the bottom of our cranium? But no! Our instincts do not take into account such logical considerations, they just react instantaneously, as if we were in great danger. This instinct is stronger than ourselves, and we tense our neck muscles as a result – in an eternal battle to keep our head above water.”  Translated from  “Le Repaire du Tigre” by Thérèse Bertherat

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“Antigym® is working at a very deep level with our body – taking into account any health issues of each participant – and the method alleviates pain, releases knots and tension and helps you regain peace and mobility. Thanks to this method, which is based on deep respect for the individual, your body will over time find its own path to self-healing.” Bérangère Coupeau, French Antigym® practitioner

                                                            

“Antigym®” – a name that goes against the grain. The name “Antigym®” is controversial in itself. It asks questions. It is the name of a method of well-being, originating in France in the 1960s. The method could have been named after Thérèse Bertherat who invented it. But she decided on something else. Antigymnastique® or Antigym®. The words reflect the current trend at the time and the revolutionary and rebellious character of the method. The repercussions of the student revolt – the winds of freedom were blowing. The search was on for new solutions, new ways of thinking. Anti-psychiatry released the patients from the asylums, the couturier Sonia Rykiel created fashion where the seams were visible. Daniel Cohn-Bendit proclaimed that it is “prohibited to prohibit”. And Bertherat published the groundbreaking book “The body has its reasons”, establishing a revolutionary method of movement, a system of precise movements which give people the opportunity to understand and relate to their bodies with new insight, and to move unhindered.” Translated from «Ma leçon d´Antigym®:
Reveillez votre corps et retrouvez bien-être et energie»

What is Antigym? Thérèse Bertherat says: “Try it! Try it and you will see! Is Antigym work with the body? Yes. Is it work with the mind? Yes, that too. Is it art? Yes, it is a form of art. Is it about our human relationships and communication with others? Yes, and yes again. And it is also a declaration of love, a communion with those closest to us.” Thérèse Bertherat, 1993

Therese Bertherat

WHAT IS ANTIGYM®?

 Antigym® is a method to promote physical and mental well-being, created by the French physiotherapist Thérèse Bertherat in the 1970s. The method is suitable for people of all ages. After more than 40 years, the method is known and practiced world-wide. 

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