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available Nov 10th 2003 from DVD CYMRU  buy
| AN AUDIO VISUAL AID FOR MEDITATION. 9 TEN MINUTE FILMS AND SOUNDTRACKS TO ASSIST THE VIEWER AND LISTENER, TO ACHIEVE THE ULTIMATE RELAXATION EXPERIENCE. Although the autonomic nervous system was long considered to be involuntary, the last fifty years of research shows that this is not quite the case A certain amount of conscious control can be exerted over it as has long been demonstrated by practitioners of Yoga and Zen Buddhism, and other eastern meditational practices.
During their periods of meditation, practitioners are clearly able to alter a number of autonomic functions including slowing down the rate of heartbeat and oxygen consumption, lowering of blood pressure, constriction of the pupils, increased blood flow to the skin and viscera, peristalsis of the gastrointestinal tract, improved imune system response.
These changes are not simply a reflection of decreased physical activity because they exceed the amount of change occurring during sleep or hypnosis. Transcendental Meditation ( TM ) alone has had more than 500 scientific studies conducted at 200 independent universities and institutions in 33 countries, and published in over 100 leading scientific journals, all of which have documented that the technology of meditation benefits every sphere of life: physiological, psychological, sociological,and ecological.
One of the most interesting series of studies in this area was by Dr Herbert Benson in the seventies. Building on the work of Swiss Nobel Laureate Dr. Walter R. Hess and himself, Dr. Herbert Benson described a physiological response that is the opposite of the fight-or flight response. It results in decreased metabolism, decreased heart rate, decreased blood pressure, and decreased rate of breathing, as well as slower brain waves (Wallace, Benson, Wilson, 1971). Dr. Benson labeled this reaction the "relaxation response" (Benson, Beary, Carol, 1974).
It is essential to understand that the regular practice of meditation and therefore the manifestation of the "relaxation response" results in long-term physiologic changes that counteract the harmful effects of stress throughout the day, not only when the relaxation is being brought forth (Hoffman, et al, 1982). These mind-body approaches have been reported to be effective in the treatment of hypertension (Stuart, et al, 1987), cardiac arrhythmias (Benson, Alexander, Feldman, 1975), chronic pain (Caudill, et al, 1991, insomnia (Jacobs, et al, 1993; Jacobs et al, 1996), anxiety and mild and moderate depression (Benson, et al, 1978), premenstrual syndrome (Goodale, Domar, Benson, 1990), and infertility (Domar, Seibel, Benson, 1990). All films shot by Geraint Hughes in California and Nevada USA, and in the south east of France.
Sountracks composed and produced by Geraint Hughes. |
