Herbert Benson, director of the Benson-Henry Institute at Harvard’s Massachusetts General Hospital, developed Relaxation Response, or RR. The practice was popularized in his 1975 book, The Relaxation Response. The benefits of Relaxation Response include:
- Deep relaxation
- Decreased oxygen consumption
- Relaxed muscles
- Slower breathing and heart rate
- Increased nitric oxide levels
- Lower blood pressure
- Genomic changes associated with energy (mitochondrial) metabolism, inflammation, insulin secretion and telomere maintenance
- Reduced addictive cravings, anxiety, chronic pain, depression, insomnia and stress.
Ohio State Integrative Health offers the following free relaxation recordings, recorded by an advanced practitioner and behavioral health specialist:
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Relaxation Response - 5 Minutes
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Relaxation Response – 10 Minutes
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Relaxation Response – 20 Minutes