yoga guru suneel singh
Meditating for Longevity: Why and How?
If you struggle to reach a "zen place" in your daily routine, you should know that meditation might actually be the key to a longer, fuller life. Multiple studies have determined that not only can meditation physically alter your brain for the better, but it will also offer immense emotional benefits that also translate into brighter moods and longer lifespans. Not quite convinced? Here's your guide to meditation as a source of longevity.
Understanding the Aging Process
For the most part, scientists are still trying to figure out why we age and what can be done about it. Researchers are making breakthroughs, however, and one of them concerns an enzyme called telomerase. These little molecules act as protectors for chromosomes that are constantly changing and reproducing within the body. Each time a chromosome is altered, the telomerase becomes more worn and less able to protect and strengthen it. Think about a shoelace and the plastic aglets that cover their ends.
The longer you wear the shoe, the more the aglets start to fray, exposing the lace within to all the elements.
The aglets are the telomerase. The exposed, fraying shoelace represents wrinkles and age-related disease.
Meditation as a Countermeasure
In a recent study by the University of California-Davis, a group of participants were taken to a meditation retreat and asked to meditate several hours a day for a period of three months. Their telomerase levels were then compared to control subjects.
The results were a rousing success for the mediators: Their bodies were boasting 30 percent more telomerase on average.
While telomerase can be artificially increased, as Harvard University did in a study where they injected telomerase in rats, this was the first time telomerase production was measured to be naturally induced without any chemicals or clinical assistance.
What made the difference?
Physical and Psychological Benefits
According to Elizabeth Blackburn, a Nobel-winning scientist, psychology has a lot to do with telomerase. The better you feel, the more telomerase you produce. It's just that a life filled with kids, spouses, pets, financial worries and work stresses isn't conducive to the kind of environment where telomerase can flourish.Another study from the American Journal of Cardiology supports these findings. Researchers took more than 200 seniors living with hypertension and divided them into groups based on blood pressure management techniques. For example, some took pills, others tried muscle relaxing practices.
After 18 years, those who practiced Transcendental Meditation had much higher survival rates than their peers. 30 percent less died from heart disease, 49 percent less were struck down by cancer and 23 percent less passed away overall. With more than 350 published studies reporting benefits that include reduced corticol (known as the “stress hormone”), normalized blood pressure, lower risk of heart attack and stroke, reduced anxiety and depression, improved learning ability and memory and reduced insomnia, the evidence is conclusive; meditation works.
Incorporating Meditation Into Your Life
Let's say you're sold on the idea of meditation as a life-lengthening practice. How should you start meditating at home? While there are a number of techniques you can choose from, the ones clinically proven from the above studies tended to focus on three things:
• Mindfulness, or creating a calm and stable state of mind by letting go
• Purpose, or re-affirming life goals and finding meaning in one's existence
• Perceived control, or understanding and accepting one’s surroundings and events
If you're serious about dedicating yourself to meditation and increasing your longevity, let these three tips be your starting point. Mastering this skill is easier said than done but with some effort and guidance you'll start generating that telomerase in no time! SOURCE BY ROB GREENSTEIN
To know more visit www.yogagurusuneelsingh.com Pic by Brian Crawford
Meditating for Longevity: Why and How?
If you struggle to reach a "zen place" in your daily routine, you should know that meditation might actually be the key to a longer, fuller life. Multiple studies have determined that not only can meditation physically alter your brain for the better, but it will also offer immense emotional benefits that also translate into brighter moods and longer lifespans. Not quite convinced? Here's your guide to meditation as a source of longevity.
Understanding the Aging Process
For the most part, scientists are still trying to figure out why we age and what can be done about it. Researchers are making breakthroughs, however, and one of them concerns an enzyme called telomerase. These little molecules act as protectors for chromosomes that are constantly changing and reproducing within the body. Each time a chromosome is altered, the telomerase becomes more worn and less able to protect and strengthen it. Think about a shoelace and the plastic aglets that cover their ends.
The longer you wear the shoe, the more the aglets start to fray, exposing the lace within to all the elements.
The aglets are the telomerase. The exposed, fraying shoelace represents wrinkles and age-related disease.
Meditation as a Countermeasure
In a recent study by the University of California-Davis, a group of participants were taken to a meditation retreat and asked to meditate several hours a day for a period of three months. Their telomerase levels were then compared to control subjects.
The results were a rousing success for the mediators: Their bodies were boasting 30 percent more telomerase on average.
While telomerase can be artificially increased, as Harvard University did in a study where they injected telomerase in rats, this was the first time telomerase production was measured to be naturally induced without any chemicals or clinical assistance.
What made the difference?
Physical and Psychological Benefits
According to Elizabeth Blackburn, a Nobel-winning scientist, psychology has a lot to do with telomerase. The better you feel, the more telomerase you produce. It's just that a life filled with kids, spouses, pets, financial worries and work stresses isn't conducive to the kind of environment where telomerase can flourish.Another study from the American Journal of Cardiology supports these findings. Researchers took more than 200 seniors living with hypertension and divided them into groups based on blood pressure management techniques. For example, some took pills, others tried muscle relaxing practices.
After 18 years, those who practiced Transcendental Meditation had much higher survival rates than their peers. 30 percent less died from heart disease, 49 percent less were struck down by cancer and 23 percent less passed away overall. With more than 350 published studies reporting benefits that include reduced corticol (known as the “stress hormone”), normalized blood pressure, lower risk of heart attack and stroke, reduced anxiety and depression, improved learning ability and memory and reduced insomnia, the evidence is conclusive; meditation works.
Incorporating Meditation Into Your Life
Let's say you're sold on the idea of meditation as a life-lengthening practice. How should you start meditating at home? While there are a number of techniques you can choose from, the ones clinically proven from the above studies tended to focus on three things:
• Mindfulness, or creating a calm and stable state of mind by letting go
• Purpose, or re-affirming life goals and finding meaning in one's existence
• Perceived control, or understanding and accepting one’s surroundings and events
If you're serious about dedicating yourself to meditation and increasing your longevity, let these three tips be your starting point. Mastering this skill is easier said than done but with some effort and guidance you'll start generating that telomerase in no time! SOURCE BY ROB GREENSTEIN
To know more visit www.yogagurusuneelsingh.com Pic by Brian Crawford