Ever watched someone practising meditation and thought: I wish I could do that but I couldn’t sit still or stop thinking for that long…
When Dr Herbert Benson, pioneer of mind-body medicine, studied a group of transcendental meditators in 1969, he had to sneak them into his Harvard building in secrecy for fear of condemnation by his prestigious peers. This was after several polite refusals, until the group convinced him that something really was happening when they meditated, and they hoped he could study them to find out what.
Back then meditation was considered a hippy undertaking, or some sort of spiritual voodoo. How could sitting still, being quiet or chanting, possibly bring about any potential health benefits?
Largely thanks to Dr Herbert Benson and his non-judgemental curiosity, he discovered that meditation does in fact change our physiology from that of the stress response (sympathetic nervous system), to a relaxed response (para-sympathetic nervous system).
This means that as we move through our rushed and hurried day: preoccupied, multitasking and operating in our heads, we’re experiencing a dominant sympathetic response from our nervous system that increases our heart rate and blood pressure, shortens our breathing, reduces oxygen quality to our brain and cells, and constricts blood flow to our vital organs.
Stress causes the “fight or flight” hormones, epinephrine and norepinephrine, to secrete into the bloodstream. This incites or exacerbates a number of conditions including: hypertension, headaches, insomnia, irritable bowel syndrome and chronic low back pain, as well as heart disease, stroke and cancer.
Whilst first studying meditation, Dr Benson observed reduced metabolism, rate of breathing, heart rate, blood pressure and brain activity. He subsequently wrote the book, “The Relaxation Response” (a meditation teacher’s bible) in 1975 and has continued his work on mind-body medicine in relation to stress ever since.
Stress that continues without relief can lead to a condition called distress — a negative stress reaction with elevated levels of the main stress hormone, Cortisol. Distress can lead to physical symptoms including headaches, upset stomach, elevated blood pressure, chest pain, and problems sleeping.
Stress can also bring on or worsen certain symptoms or diseases.
Instead of relieving the stress and returning the body to a relaxed state, many people use alcohol, tobacco, or drugs to try to relieve their stress. These substances tend to keep the body in a stressed state and inevitably cause more problems.
Here’s a few of the latest statistics according to WebMD.com as of June 2015:
- Forty-three percent of all adults suffer adverse health effects from stress.
- 75% to 90% of all doctor’s office visits are for stress-related ailments and complaints.
- Stress can play a part in problems such as headaches, high blood pressure, heart problems, diabetes, skin conditions, asthma, arthritis, depression, and anxiety.
- The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) declared stress a hazard of the workplace. Stress costs American industry more than $300 billion annually.
- The lifetime prevalence of an emotional disorder is more than 50%, often due to chronic, untreated stress reactions.
If you’re feeling stressed, whatever that means for you, what are you doing about it?
One of the quickest ways to combat stress is to return the body to its’ opposite state – relaxation, or the relaxation response. This could be easily achieved by taking regular moments throughout the day to consciously breathe in a slow, deep and even manner connecting awareness with physical sensations.
Deep belly breathing is the quickest way to relaxation because it slows down heart rate, reduces blood pressure, slows brain wave activity and reduces muscles tension.
Featured image by Brooke Cagle on Unsplash.
Author:
Viki Thondley
Viki Thondley-Moore is an Integrative Holistic Counsellor, Brain-Based Coach, Clinical Hypnotherapist, Mind-Body Somatic Practitioner, Wellness Coach, Meditation Teacher, Educator and Disordered Eating Specialist. Viki is founder of MindBodyFood and Founder/Director of the MindBodyFood Institute.
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