Meditation is one of the most commonly used mind-body strategies and everyone can learn meditation.

While there are many variations of meditative practice, meditation can be broadly defined as any activity that involves the controlled regulation of attention.

One of the primary benefits of this mind-body technique is the achievement of a “relaxation response,” a term coined by Herbert Benson to describe the physical changes—such as decreased heart rate, respiration rate, and blood pressure—that are associated with a state of relaxation.

These changes are the physiological opposite of stress and anxiety, and achieving them helps heal the damage caused by dealing with stress.

In mindfulness meditation, the objective is to shine the light of observation on your experience without judging or attempting to change anything about it. This practice regulates the body and mind through attentional control, and you allow thoughts, feelings or sensations to arise while maintaining an unattached, accepting, non-judgemental stance.

You can try my mindfulness meditation practice here.