Meditation

Meditation is said to be a great stress reducer.

The first significant studies, in the '60s and '70s, proved that

meditators could get themselves so deep into trances that they

wouldn't react when they were prodded and burned. Another study

showed that meditators, unlike marksmen, didn't flinch at the sound

of a gunshot. And a Harvard Medical School professor studied 36

meditators and found that they used 17% less oxygen, lowered their

heart rates by three beats a minute, and increased their theta

brain waves -- the ones that appear right before sleep -- without

slipping into actual sleep. A later Harvard test showed that the

EEGs of meditators were significantly different than those of a

control group.

Later studies became more sophisticated with brain imaging. One

study showed that the brain doesn't shut off when it meditates but

rather blocks information from coming into a certain portion of it

-- the parietal lobe. Another study showed that meditation slows

blood flow to all portions of the brain but the limbic system,

which generates emotions and memories and regulates heart rate,

respiratory rate, and metabolism.

For 30 years, meditation research has told us that it works

beautifully as an antidote to stress," says Daniel Goleman, author

of "Destructive Emotions." "But what's exciting about the new

research is how meditation can train the mind and reshape the

brain." Tests using imaging techniques suggest that it can actually

reset the brain, changing the point at which a traffic jam, for

instance, sets the blood boiling.

Good news: You don't need a guru, weird clothes, or a monastery to

meditate. It's pretty simple:

1. Find a quiet place and turn out the lights.

2. Close your eyes.

3. Inhale slowly and deeply through your nose.

4. As you exhale (slowly), say a word or phrase that has a soothing

sound.

5. Repeat.

Start with 10-minute sessions. If desired, increase gradually.