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 meditators: 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?

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