Picture this: You"re laying in bed, and it's the middle of the night. You've got a huge test tomorrow, it's going to be a late night at work, you've just had a blow up with your significant other - there are a million reasons why you should get to sleep, but your mind will just NOT STOP. You roll over, and look at your clock -- it's 2:28am! You yell in your mind, get to sleep! Little do you know, there is a way that you could have insured yourself a good night's rest. Meditation is the ancient technique of quieting the mind and the body. Each day the brain is bombarded with visual, emotional, physical, and sensory information. The only time for the brain to shut off this stimulus is at nighttime when you lay down to sleep. But with only 15-20 minutes a day, you can recharge your mind and clean the slate for the rest of your waking hours. I first discovered the ancient secret of meditation here, at Fullerton College in a Wellness class called, "The Body-Mind Connection". Each day when the class would begin, we would lay out floor mats, lie down in a comfortable position, and the teacher would put on a tape of guided meditation. After 15 minutes, I felt rested and refreshed. Although the term "meditation" is usually associated with hippies sitting around chanting "Ohmmm", I invite you to put aside your preconceptions and listen to how this ancient stress reducing technique can lead you towards a more relaxed lifestyle. Today I will persuade you that meditation is the best form of stress reduction by first explaining the history of meditation, then the basics of meditation, and then finally, the unique health benefits meditation can bring to an individual. .
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I. The history of meditation. .
A. According to the 2002 book, Managing Stress: Principles and Strategies for Health and Wellbeing, by Dr. Brian Luke Seaward, the practice of meditation began in Asia around the 6th century B.