stress and meditation

  A response to life situations producing anxiety is a cascade of human hormones, neurotransmitters and other biochemical events. The 2 major stress hormones are cortisol and adrenalin. Very useful in short bursts, but very toxic in the long term, disrupting sleep, leading to weight gain and undermining brain function.

 Overwork is a common stress trigger. Being in constant overdrive leaves us stuck in the sympathetic part of the autonomic nervous system. The “flight or fight” mode. What we need is the body’s natural antidote, the calming parasympathetic nervous system. Measurable health benefits in terms of heart rate variability happen as our nervous system dominance switches from sympathetic to parasympathetic.  

...is the gold standard for relaxation. Health benefits are innumerable and borne out by many good studies. The mind is the most powerful healing tool you have. By releasing dysfunctional patterns of mental and emotional stress we can free the body from the cascade of endogenous toxins (hormones, free radicals etc.) associated with stress. This will improve your general state of well-being and help with headaches, IBS, musculoskeletal pain and allergies. 

 Your meditation practice doesn’t need to be strict, New Age, or religious. Walking meditation, mantra repetition, thought-clearing visualization are all good ways to focus, engage the parasympathetic nervous system and unwind stress. 

  A 10-minute practice can produce amazing results. 

I find that following the restorative series featured in our video with attention to breathing produces a kind of meditative state with very beneficial results.

 If you want to meditate in a high-tech way, there are plenty of websites, podcasts, and apps e.g. Getsomeheadspace.com