Natural Stress Relief

I learned Transcendental Meditation when I was going to college and meditated for many years. I found it relaxing and useful in eliminating stress. I was impressed by the early scientific studies that showed increased Alpha wave activity, reduced oxygen consumption and increased galvanic skiin resistance. What I didn't like about TM was the mysticism, religious overtones and eventually the rediculous vedic flying. In 2003, a former TM teacher in Italy developed his own meditation method, Natural Stress Relief, which is basically TM using a different mantra and which can be easily and inexpensively learned at home, using his manual and an audio file containing the mantra. The physiological and mental benefits are the same as TM.

More information can be found at Natural Stress Relief USA.

Meditaion and sleep

Natural Stress Relief (NSR) is a form of meditation which uses a silent mantra. It is practiced twice a day for 15 minutes at a time, while sitting in a comfortable chair. Silent repetition of the mantra creates a resonance in the nervous system which leads to the release of stress in the body. Scientific studies have been performed to determine the effectiveness of NSR. In one study galvanic skin resistance was measured during NSR meditation and the results indicated lowered anxiety. Another study showed the effectiveness of NSR in creating alpha brain waves.

NSR can be inexpensively learned from an instructional manual and audio file, unlike some other forms of mantra meditation which require personal instruction and follow-up visits.

NSR was developed by Fabrizio Coppola in the late 1990's, as an alternative to Transcendental Meditation, which had become prohibitively expensive to learn.

NSR meditation does not involve concentration or putting oneself into a trance. The practitioner is awake and fully aware of his surroundings during meditation. Repetition of the mantra is effortless and leads the practitioner to deeper levels of thought. It has been described as a state of restful alertness. Benefits claimed by practitioners of NSR include clearer thinking, better health and increased productivity, all of which are improved by the release of accumulated stress.

Scientific Research on NSR

Galvanic Skin Response experiments

Alpha brain wave activity

NSR Forum notes