photo by: Chansi Long

Brad and Shannon Schmidt meditate together during a class called Mind Stretch at Tallgrass Training and Wellness, 3300 Bob Billings Parkway.

LaVivian Drake was overwhelmed. She’d been taking care of her husband, a severe diabetic, for four to five years, and the task had started to take a toll on her body. One day she felt a burning in her chest that she thought was heartburn. When the pain lingered, Drake went to a health clinic and was surprised to learn she was having a heart attack.

“I didn’t even know I was having one,” says Drake, of Lawrence. “The nurse said I was having a heart attack, and it was a huge jolt to my system. I’m sure that it happened with stress. I’ve had an unbelievable amount of stress in life.”

Research has long indicated that psychological stress enhances a person’s risk for cardiovascular disease.

“We do know that stress is a major risk factor,” says Leann Dickson, a cardiac rehab nurse for LMH Health. “We assess our patients’ psychosocial and mental health and coping … and reassess every month.”

People who have endured excessive work, marital and life stress are more likely to suffer a heart issue, studies suggest. But studies also suggest that the stresses stemming from daily hassles and unpleasant life challenges can be mitigated by meditation.

After receiving a defibrillator and a pacemaker, Drake focused on reducing her own stress levels with exercise, laughter and faith-based meditation. Drake considers eucharistic adoration — a Catholic faith practice — a form of meditation.

Meditation, in its many forms, is a component of most religious traditions. Drake’s particular weekly practice consists of sitting in silence at Corpus Christi Catholic Church, mindfully breathing and thinking.

“It’s basically just meditation,” Drake says. “I think about receiving help for my anxiety, and it works. It helps you; it helps you calm down.”

Many Lawrence residents who practice meditation say it results in enhanced emotional well-being and lower stress levels.

William Perkins, of Lawrence, has a family history of heart problems. To reduce his stress and improve his health, he has consistently meditated for 25 years.

“I have a daily practice,” Perkins says. “I don’t notice when I do it, but I will notice it if we’re on vacation and I miss it.”

An aikido martial artist, Perkins has studied breathing and meditation for more than 25 years. He says his meditation practice enabled him to remain calm and healthy while he worked as a juvenile corrections officer, and it continues to improve his well-being.

“It has helped me regulate my daily stress,” Perkins says. “Meditating enabled me to stay calm, and the more calm I was able to become, the more I was able to deescalate the client … I have seen my heart rate spike … I just take a minute to do breathing exercises and see it drop 20 points. That’s the great thing about meditation: It helps you see physical cues within your body.”

Shannon Schmidt, owner of Tallgrass Training and Wellness, 3300 Bob Billings Parkway, recommends a meditation practice for anyone concerned with cardiovascular issues.

“Especially if you’re concerned with heart health, meditation really helps bring it down a notch,” Schmidt says. “There is a lot of research that shows breath work is good for mental health and that it reduces anxiety, depression and stress. It’s also really good for high blood pressure.”

Tallgrass Training and Wellness offers a weekly meditation class called Mind Stretch for $10 a session. Starting at 10 a.m. on Saturdays, the class opens with yoga-based stretches “anyone can do,” Schmidt says. It then transitions into a visually guided meditation designed to reduce mental stress.

“There are a lot of meditation and mindfulness applications, but when you meditate in a group, you can thrive off of that group energy,” Schmidt says. “When you’re in a group of really calm people, it’s easy to be calm.”

The class is also available on Zoom, which is how most of her clients currently participate.

“It gives people the option of doing it in their own safe space,” Schmidt says. “And if you come to class and participate, you can rewatch it later on, too.”

Paul Rudy, of Lawrence, leads another kind of meditation based on sound.

“The goal is not to create pleasant sounds but to create sound that moves energy,” Rudy says. “Sound meditation is powerful. It’s the practice of consciously listening to sound with our whole body; it can manipulate physiology … A universal benefit is a deep sense of relaxation.”

Rudy sees private clients and occasionally provides group sound meditation classes at Bodytruth Soap Apothecary, 10 East Ninth St.

“(Meditation) absolutely, no question about it, helps reduce stress,” Rudy says. “I feel better when I do it every day. … If a person can lower their stress through meditation, that has physical benefits.”