Not long ago, meditation was seen as more of a joke than a useful
therapy technique. I remember seeing many comedies where one person
would be sitting with their legs crossed "ohm"ing while someone else
made fun of them. Over the past few years, however, the benefits of
meditation have become more widely accepted. One of the major benefits
it offers is relief for stress and anxiety.
Why is meditation so helpful in relieving stress? Well, first of all it
helps your mind to focus on something other than the causes of your
stress. By focusing on one thing, it helps to release the anxiety.
Meditation also helps to repair the damage caused by stress - both
physical and mental. Meditation helps promote certain chemical
reactions in your body that help promote peace and relaxation.
These benefits are merely short-term, however. The real benefit to
meditation is in its longer-term effects. By practicing it daily, it
can help to keep hormone levels in balance, as well as other chemicals
that affect stress and anxiety, from day to day - even when you're
going about your daily routine....

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/panicpml