Final answer:
The practice of meditation brings about numerous health benefits, including relaxation, stress reduction, and better management of various conditions such as high blood pressure, anxiety, and pain. Developed by Herbert Benson, the relaxation response technique is a form of meditation especially noted for reducing stress and improving well-being.
Step-by-step explanation:
The benefits you’re describing, such as relaxation and centeredness, relief of headache, insomnia, anxiety, and pain, increased musculoskeletal flexibility, improved breathing, and overall contentment, are typically associated with the practice of meditation. Meditation is an ancient technique used not only for spiritual growth but also for stress reduction and the promotion of mental and physical well-being. The relaxation response approach, which was developed by Herbert Benson in the 1970s, is a specific meditation technique that combines relaxation with transcendental meditation principles.
Meditation involves sitting in an upright position on a comfortable chair with feet on the ground and body relaxed, being in a quiet environment, closing the eyes, repeating a mantra, and allowing the mind to focus on pleasant thoughts. Not only are these practices rooted in various religious traditions, but they have gained widespread acceptance among alternative medicine practitioners. Research supports the various health benefits of meditation, including its ability to help manage hypertension, improve sleep quality, treat mood and anxiety disorders, and manage pain. The American Heart Association even suggests that meditation could be used alongside traditional treatments to manage hypertension, given its potential health benefits.
Moreover, regular practice of meditation has been linked to additional mental health benefits, such as stress reduction, improved body image, and positive self-esteem. It has also been noted that physical exercise, which is sometimes recommended in conjunction with meditation, further contributes to these benefits by reducing stress, promoting positive self-esteem, and improving body image.