Relaxation Response

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Just as the body has an automatic process to prepare it for a 'fight or flight' situation, it can also go into what is called the 'relaxation response', This stage of low arousal is less well known than the body's red-alert status, and it initially takes a concentrated effort in order to experience it.

The symptoms of the 'fight or flight' response-increased metabolic rate, quickened heart rate and faster breathing-are the direct opposite of those experienced by the body while in a state of deep relaxation.

We need to be truly relaxed for the process to begin and for the body to feel the full benefits. Two branches of the automatic nervous system are responsible for most of the changes that take place. What is known as the 'sympathetic branch' slows down, allowing the 'parasympathetic branch' to assume a greater role, calming the body and mind and decreasing metabolism until it reaches a hypometabolic state-it was in a hypermetabolic state during the 'fight or flight' process.

During relaxation our bodies require very low maintenance, and the decrease in metabolism is similar only to that found in deep sleep. Our breathing becomes more regular and the heart rate decreases. In a sustained period of relaxation oxygen consumption actually falls below that measured during deep sleep.

There is also a significant fall in blood lactate, a substance that enters the blood through the metabolism of skeletal muscles. This occurs three times faster during meditation than while sitting at rest.

Blood pressure is also lowered, but only to normal pre-stress levels. All these things allow the body to recover from the strains placed on it by everyday life.

The relaxation response also elicits a marked alteration in brain activity. The brain emits four types of waves, each with its own rhythm. Beta waves signify everyday conscious rhythms; delta waves are present during sleep; theta waves appear while in a dreamlike state; and alpha waves are more prominent when the mind is active, yet relaxed.

Effective meditation manufactures a predominance of alpha and theta waves-signifying a state of restfulness and deep relaxation, where the mind is alert but not strained or confused. These waves appear almost as soon as the body starts to relax, increasing in frequency as the process intensifies, allowing clearer and more constructive thinking. A prolonged period of relaxation will also increase the body's secretion of particular mood-altering chemicals, known as neurotransmitters.

One of these, serotonin, is a powerful hormone that is associated with feelings of happiness and contentment. Recent medical research suggests that a deficiency in this hormone is a contributory factor in cases of clinical depression.