Meditate to Regenerate
Finding peace in a stressful world
The World we live in…
 We live in a world filled with
stress…
 Social
 Occupational
 Family
 Educational….
What is Stress?
 Defined by Hans Selye as:
“The non-specific response
of the body to any demand of
change”
 Evolutionary Perspective
 3-Parts of Stress
 Stressor
 Stress Appraisal
 Stress Response
 Emotion
 Physiology
 Behavior
How does Stress Work?
 The Nervous System
 CentralPeripheral
Autonomic (vs. Somatic)
 Parasympathetic
 Sympathetic
  Rest of Body
Issues From Stress
-Biological: every major system
-Psychological: Depression,
Anxiety, etc.
-Personal: Family, Friends,
Work
How Do We De-stress?
 Externally





Therapists
Psychiatrists
Medication
Social Support
Substance
 Internally
 Relaxation
 Coping
 MEDITATION
Experiment…
 Get out a Piece of Paper and
pen/pencil
What is Meditation
 Release from constant
evaluation of past, worrying
of future
 Relief from Thoughts
 Thoughtless Awareness
Shall We Try it?
How Does it Work?
 Balancing of Sympathetic
and Parasympathetic
 Reduction of Mental Activity
 Control of Attention
 Balances Nervous Plexuses
How Does it Work?
 Our own inner energy
 Provides body with energy
needed to meet demands of
stress
 Sahaja-Spontaneous
(autonomic)
 Yoga- Union
 Mental, Physical, Emotional
states achieve optimal
functioning
About the Founder…
 The founder of Sahaja Yoga
 Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi
 1970
It is like a seed…