> The mind can be a contributing factor but it is absolutely not necessary. Injuries that you're entirely unconscious of can cause significant levels of stress which are measurable.
You're making a division between mind and body, stating that stress can occur without the mind.
If your body is ill and needs surgery, the aftermath of the surgery can make you feel worse for a while.
Likewise, if not understood well, not accompanied by proper understanding (which is a symptom of the western approach), it can just be poorly performed.
The mind is the brain and the body. Stress is generated by the mind when contacting external objects, or when reliving past trauma.
There is no such thing as an external source of stress. You can't measure how much stress an object or situation is objectively emitting, because it is a response generated by the mind itself.
As such it can only be examined by the mind itself, and with that it can be mastered.
In that analogy, compassion and love are the oxygen. If you hold on to anger and defensiveness in order to "fend for yourself" it's like failing to put on your oxygen mask because you hold on to your valuables, thinking someone is going to steal them in the middle of a plane crash.
The other practices also have an effect on your body and mind, you just don't bother verifying it for yourself because you want an external authority to do it for you first.
You don't need to buy into the esoteric teachings, or even the core belief of reincarnation. But you don't have to reject them either. Just inform yourself on the basics and keep them in mind. "If this bit was true, what would the world be like? How would my actions impact the world? How would they impact my future self?"
In the end the whole point is reducing suffering, and the longer you wait for someone else to verify one claim or another, the longer you're going to be bound to your habitual suffering.
I've done vipassana retreats where they play audio files from Goenka's instructions. You can do the same with a phone.
I've used analogue timers to determine when to get up from my session. Please explain the difference between an analogue timer and a digital one, for this purpose.
From direct observation, people who are persuaded astrology tend to know a lot of people. You could say a sort of map to observe and predict relationships across all the people you already know and all the people you will meet is useful.
Conversely, people who are very outspoken against astrology don't have as varied, dynamic and big social circles. Hence they'd not need a "social map", and they might even lack the social intelligence to realize that other people do.
I think the fact that you find other people's beliefs frustrating says more about yourself and how you deal with the world than about the value of those beliefs.
Emotional intelligence is real, and being easily frustrated (specially when that frustration comes from being so sure that you're right and someone else is wrong) is a sign of low emotional intelligence.
The belief that you're a completely rational being is irrational in itself. If that's the belief you hold about yourself I guarantee you can find a friend or acquaintance who can point out contradictory and irrational behavior of yours.
You're making a division between mind and body, stating that stress can occur without the mind.