Lindsay
Abrams May 2 2013, 10:27 AM ET
RelaxingMusic/Flickr
PROBLEM: The flight or fight response -- the natural response
to stress -- essentially puts the nervous system in overdrive. So it's no
surprise that its opposite state, known as the relaxation response to stress,
is associated with feeling good, in a general sense. People are able to
evoke the relaxation response by repeating a yoga pose, prayer, or mantra
while disregarding other thoughts, and it's been shown to protect against
psychological disorders like anxiety and depression as well as physical
conditions like hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and types of cancer that
are exacerbated by stress.
METHODOLOGY: Researchers at the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind/Body
Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical
Center Subjects trained 26 adults with no prior experience in this type of
meditation for eight weeks. They practiced deep breathing, repeated mantras,
and learned to ignore intrusive thoughts. CONTINUE
