This point bears repeating, because I have been told by many, many people over the years when I’ve given talks on meditation and the Relaxation Response that they tried this out in the past, but failed because they couldn’t attain a state without thought. Please understand that I’ve been doing this for more than 35 years and I don’t achieve that state except intermittently. Perhaps someone high in the Himalayas can do it (and perhaps not), but I don’t think you or I should set that as our goal.

Finally, like so many other natural health care methods, success in mind-body self-care methods like this one comes down to one key point. These methods only work if you actually use them! Come on in, the water’s fine.

Daniel Redwood, DC, is Editor-in-Chief of Health Insights Today.