Mindfulness for Longevity

Do you want to live a longer, healthier life?

Some very interesting research is being done on if and how mindfulness meditation can extend your life.

What has been found is that regular mindfulness meditation not only extends your life, it also maintains your wellness during that time.

All of our cells contain chromosomes. These house the DNA/genetic information for our very existence. Chromosomes are capped on the end with repeating sequences called telomeres. When we are young, we have long, luscious telomere caps that serve to protect the genetic information in our genes during cell division. Thus, genes can function properly. As we age, telomeres shorten as segments are lost during cell division. The function of genes begins to fade as the chromosome length shortens.

Telomere length predicts survival overall, and survival from specific potential causes of death including heart disease and cancer (1).

In other words, people with shorter telomeres are more likely to die of any cause, including cancer.

How is telomere length maintained?

Our cells use an enzyme called telomerase to maintain telomere length. It serves to replace telomeres back onto the ends of chromosomes when they shorten during cell division.

What can you do to lengthen telomeres?

Mindfulness meditation! Research on meditation has shown that telomerase levels are increased in individuals who meditate. This results in maintenance of longer telomeres.

Lavretsky and colleagues published their results in 2015 (2):

After just 8 weeks of meditation for 12 minutes per day, telomerase levels increased by 43%!!! This is more effective than any drug or supplement ever sold.

Through meditation, you can literally reverse the aging process at the cellular level.

Dr. Linda Carlson and colleagues have studied this in breast cancer patients, showing that participation in a mindfulness based cancer recovery program resulted in maintained telomere length in healthy cells relative to controls (3).

In sum, meditation has direct effects on our DNA at the cellular level to create more optimal conditions for a longer, healthier life. 

Start or continue your practice today with this free meditation series: https://www.jointhecircleofhope.com/meditations