Thursday, May 2, 2013

Meditating affects your Genes


A new study by Dr. Herbert Benson, author of The Relaxation Response, found that meditation affects how your DNA expresses itself.

In a new Harvard study, both experienced meditation practitioners and those new to the practice were taught a simple meditation technique, which I teach in my book How to Give Clients the Skills to Stop Panic Attacks: Don't Forget to Breathe. The meditators had blood test results that proved that the meditation changed how the genes expressed themselves, but those who had meditated longer had more profound results. 

The exciting part is that genes associated with energy metabolism, mitochondrial function, insulin secretion, and telomere maintenance were turned on, while those involved in inflammation were turned off. In other words, meditation turns on gene expression that foster the body's natural self-repair mechanisms, helping to prevent and treat aging and disease, while shutting off gene expression that predisposes the body to illness.  Pretty cool!