Reddit mentions of The Relaxation Response

Here's some basic instructions that are good for an introduction to meditation, from The Relaxation Response, a classic on the physiology of tranquility:

>1.
Sit quietly in a comfortable position.

>2.
Close your eyes.

>3.
Deeply relax all your muscles,
beginning at your feet and progressing up to your face.
Keep them relaxed.

>4.
Breathe through your nose.
Become aware of your breathing.
As you breathe out, say the word, "one",
silently to yourself. For example,
breathe in ... out, "one",- in .. out, "one", etc.
Breathe easily and naturally.

>5.
Continue for 5 to 15 minutes.
When you finish, sit quietly for several minutes,
at first with your eyes closed and later with your eyes opened.
Do not stand up for a few minutes.

>6.
Do not worry about whether you are successful
in achieving a deep level of relaxation.
Maintain a passive attitude and permit relaxation to occur at its own pace.
When distracting thoughts occur,
try to ignore them by not dwelling upon them
and return to repeating "one."

>With practice, the response should come with little effort.
Practice the technique once or twice daily.


I'd say even five minutes every day is enough to help. Also, I use a mantra, instead of counting, some people count each breath up to four. In case you missed it, there is one key step: relax.

Getting into meditation was the game changer for me. Especially training wise. This book is awesome. No muumuu-jumbo spiritual bs just pure physiological benefits.

https://www.amazon.com/Relaxation-Response-Herbert-Benson/dp/0380006766

The Relaxation Response is the original in the genre.

Books by Jon Kabat-Zinn, founder of mindfulness-based stress reduction.

/r/meditationpapers for a distillation of recent research.

The classic non-spiritual book on the health benefits of meditation was The Relaxation Response by Dr. Herbert Benson ....a "real" doctor. Available used on Amazon for $.01 + $3.99 shipping... Nirvana for $4.00.


It's long in the tooth and I'm sure has been supplanted by other books and studies over the years, but it'll get you started and give you some scientific background with no BS.

https://www.amazon.com/Relaxation-Response-Herbert-Benson/dp/0380006766#

Outside of seeing a therapist I've found that meditation and exercise are the best ways to deal with lowering my overall anxiety level. Several years ago I had a significant bout of anxiety and panic attacks that were pretty debilitating. I ended up seeing a therapist who specialized in anxiety disorders (I've dealt with panic attacks nearly my entire adult life). He introduced me to simple meditation and breathing exercises that really worked in reducing my overall baseline anxiety levels.

The meditation exercises allowed me to better cope with periods of new stress simply because my overall anxiety level was now starting at a lower position whenever new stress/worry showed up. If my overall anxiety level was hovering around a 7 out of 10 and some new stress showed up it was easy for it to go right to a 10 out or 10. With the meditation exercises it brought my overall level down to around a 4 out of 10. When new stress showed up I would still experience worry and anxiety but it wouldn't send me over the edge into panic attacks and the cycle of worry that would keep me amped up for weeks on end.

There are a couple of good books dealing with this. The Relaxation Response and Don't Panic that were really helpful.

If you choose to see a therapist (something I've found very helpful multiple times throughout my life) look for one specializing in anxiety disorders and cognitive behavioral therapy. They can help you reframe the way you think about anxiety and stress and help provide new coping mechanisms.

The meditation routine is like a discipline. You have to keep it up in order for it to work. I've gotten out of the habit of doing it (like right now) several times only to pick it back up again when I realized I was getting myself into a bad place.

Hope this is helpful. Good luck!

I recommend Herbert Benson's The Relaxation Response on relaxation meditation. Especially if you want something far from New Age and based on research.

The Relaxation Response by Herbert Benson is the book recommended to me by my therapist. It's not a cure all by any means but having 15-30 minutes of peace every day makes a difference.

https://www.amazon.com/Relaxation-Response-Herbert-Benson/dp/0380006766