Out of the traffic

Step out of the traffic! Take a long, loving look at me, your High God..."

Psalm 46:10 The Message paraphrase

Step out of the traffic - isn't that an interesting way to say "Be still"? Pull away, do it differently, remove yourself from danger, stop moving.

Reminds me of an activity - rather more an inactivity - that I mentioned yesterday: the relaxation response. The relaxation response was first named in 1974 by doctor and professor Herbert Benson and his colleagues. After studying physiological changes occurring in people practicing transcendental meditation, a pattern was noted that included reductions in blood pressure, respiratory rate, heart rate, oxygen consumption, blood flow to skeletal muscles, perspiration, and muscle tension. (Benson, H. (1975). The Relaxation Response. New York, NY: William Morrow and Company, Inc.)
Stress, with activation of the sympathetic nervous system, causes an increase rather than decrease in all the aforementioned positive meditative effects. The relaxation response is an antidote to the effects of the stress response. Additionally, increases in alpha waves were observed with the relaxation response, along with enhanced effectiveness of the body’s defenses and self-repair mechanisms.

There are two essential steps to elicit a relaxation response:

1. Repetition of a word, sound, phrase, prayer, or muscular activity.
2. Passive disregard of everyday thoughts that inevitably come to mind and the return to your repetition.

Other techniques for evoking the relaxation response are
imagery, progressive muscle relaxation, repetitive prayer, mindfulness meditation, repetitive physical exercises, breath focus.

If interested, go to http://www.mbmi.org/basics/whatis_rresponse_elicitation.asp for the easy-to-do generic technique taught at the Benson-Henry Institute.

Time for me to go pull out of the traffic.