"The soul that moves in the world of the senses and yet keeps the senses in harmonyàfinds rest in quietness" (Bhagavad Gita).
"Stress is defined as a chronic imbalance of the autonomic nervous system" (O'Brien, 1994, p. 2).
"Stress in humans results from interactions between persons and their environment that are perceived as straining or exceeding their adaptive capacities and threatening their well-being" (Ford-Martin, 2001, p. 1).
The first person to study 'stress' was Walter Cannon in 1896. While this study involved the digestive tracts of dogs, his findings allowed him to continue studying and produce further interest in stress and the study of its effects on the human body. These effects can range from irritable bowel syndrome, to heart attacks and chronic headaches. "The American Heart Association reports that daily meditation can reduce the risk of a heart attack" (Alexander, 2000, p. 1).
Meditation is a state of heightened mental awareness and inner peace that brings mental, physical, and spiritual benefits. It is a useful self-help technique and can be practiced without adherence to any religion or philosophy. . .A growing number of doctors believe that just as physical exercise and a healthy diet are now acknowledged to be important factors in the prevention and treatment of disease, so conventional medicine will place more emphasis on relaxation and meditation in the future (Woodham & Peters, 1997, p. 174-175)
In the study of stress, we need to look at opposites known as 'dynamic pairs' that play an important role in stress. There are four main dynamic pairs that have been identified by scientists:
Body/mind û Our thought patterns influence our body's systems. Thoughts and actions produce immuno-modulators that regulate the immune system.
Breath/Awareness û When we are calm, we breathe slowly and deeply. When we are excited we breathe with short, shallow breaths.
Change/Control û When...