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Announcer: Mind-Body Medicine focuses on the interactions among the mind, the body and behavior. Mind-Body Medicine uses techniques to help boost the mind's ability to affect how the body functions. One example of Mind-Body Medicine is meditation, a practice that relaxes the body and calms the mind.

Instructor: What we're doing here is really just learning to pay attention to our experience.

Announcer: Most meditation practices started in Eastern religious or spiritual traditions thousands of years ago. Today many people use meditation outside of its traditional religious or cultural settings for health and wellness purposes. In meditation, people learn to focus their attention and suspend the stream of thoughts that normally occupy the mind.

Instructor: Seeing if you can let go of any desire or urge to accomplish anything with this meditation, knowing that the whole purpose is to be aware of what's happening.

Announcer: This practice is believed to result in a state of greater calmness, physical relaxation and psychological balance. It is not fully known what changes occur in the body during meditation, whether they influence health and if so, how. Research sponsored by The Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine is looking at meditation's effects, how it works and what diseases and conditions it may be most helpful for.