Page 187 - Demo

185Sounds like a great idea, but what do the experts say about this?Hans Selye, MD, was the physician who first documented the effects of challenge on how we function. He noticed that at first, challenge brings us into focus and improves how we are doing. He called this %u201ceustress%u201d (good stress).But if the challenge is too extreme, or goes on for too long, we get exhausted and damaged, and this is what Dr. Selye called %u201cdistress%u201d (bad stress)%u2014what we commonly just call stress. When asked about the Transcendental Meditation program, Dr. Selye said: I would refer to it as a method which so relaxes the human central nervous system that it can live with stress better, that it doesn%u2019t suffer from stress, without losing all its useful effects. Transcendental Meditation prepares the nervous system for all activity. It%u2019s the nervous system, after all, that is the major source of pleasant stress or distress, of satisfaction or dissatisfaction. And I think that if you can influence the nervous system through Transcendental Meditation so that it can really relax, really be at its best in responding non-specifically to any demand, that is an ideal solution.