As someone who had coped with anxiety much of her adult life, Kelly Brose of Urbandale had become well-versed in ways to treat her condition. And despite medications and various techniques, she ultimately found one of the most effective ways to combat her anxiety was through meditation.

“I still use it, and it’s still effective; in fact, it worked so well for me that I actually used to teach it,” Brose, 45, said. “Along with progressive muscle relaxation, it’s a great treatment that doesn’t involve taking medication, and that appealed to me.”

Brose is not alone; according to the Mayo Clinic website, meditation has long been touted, even by health-care professionals, …

As ISU faculty members know, the life of a career academic is filled with stress. Juggling research, grading and teaching taxes the emotional reserves of scholars at every level, from adjunct to department chairperson. At times, the pressures of their jobs can seem inescapable.

But for two ISU instructors, this is not the case. Brian Eslinger and Joel Geske said they find relief from the stress of work in the Buddhist traditions of mindfulness meditation.

Historically, the term “meditation” has been used to refer to many different practices within Buddhism, including breath-counting, repetition of a word or phrase known as a mantra and the contemplation of paradoxical questions called koans. Broadly speaking, the aim of meditation is to attain enlightenment — a …

Students at Waukee South Middle School are learning the sources of stress.

They’re also learning how to break it.

Students in sixth through eighth grade in the school’s health class are working on a stress unit.

During class, students in Traci Havlik’s health class work on ways to identify stress and address it.

“They have a lot on their plates,” Havlik said.

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