Endocrinologist, Hans Selye (1907-1982) introduced the "general adaptation syndrome" model showing the effects of stress on the human body.
In his work, Selye - 'the father of stress research', developed the theory that stress is a major cause of disease because chronic stress causes long-term chemical changes.
Pressures, tensions, and other stressors can greatly influence normal metabolism.
Selye observed that if the body didn't have sufficient adaptation energy, the body would respond to any external source of stress with a predictable biological pattern - this hormonal reaction is the fight or flight stress response.
He determined that there is a limited supply of adaptive energy to deal with stress. That amount declines with continuous exposure.
Selye concluded: “Every stress leaves an indelible scar, and the organism pays for its survival after a stressful response by becoming a little older.”
Thankfully, our meditation technique is a systematic way of eliminating the scars of stress from the body and at the same time topping up our adaptation energy so that more and more we have adaptive responses to demands rather than stress responses.
What we know from science is that our central nervous system acquires deeper rest from meditation than it does while sleeping - which, over time, makes us impervious to the debilitating effects of stress.
The relatively small amount of time we invest in meditation will continue to pay off over and over in every area of life, forever.
Deep rest is the basis for all dynamic action. If being confident, secure, fun, and adaptable were drops of water, meditation would be our ocean.
