Just by using your imagination, you can give yourself a mental vacation from stress response whenever and wherever you feel the need to elicit relaxation response. Meditation is a physiological process which allows you to open up to a higher level of awareness creating peace of mind, emotional balance and renewed sense of well-being. Meditation is tuning of heart and mind toward the presence beyond the ordinary self. Currents of mind oscillate between past and future. Meditation can take you into a state where your body is completely relaxed and your mind is alert, yet still and peaceful.
Meditation gives a new buoyancy and sense of freedom and a powerful antidote to stress.
Music with a slow tempo and even rhythm is most effective for eliciting relaxation response. When using music for relaxation the volume should not be too high, as loud sounds are stressful to the body. Laughter is the best medicine and a natural gift. It is everyone s for the taking. When it is done freely, it provides a safety valve that shuts off the flow of stress hormones and has a profound effect on the immune system.