Though we cannot change our biology or chronological age, we
can definitely reverse or slow down the pace at which we age through yoga and meditation.
Several studies have explored the relation between yoga and meditations practice and its benefits for Brain Health in the last years.
The propective exploratory
study published in Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity was designed to explore the impact of Yoga and Meditation based lifestyle intervention (YMLI) on cellular aging in apparently healthy individuals.
The results suggest that yoga could slow down the harmful effects of chronic stress at both the psychological and physical levels. It also indicates the benefits of a yoga practice that incorporates more than just poses by including yoga breathing and meditation or deep relaxation.
Yoga and meditation, key to better aging
This study demonstrates improvement in both cardinal and metabotrophic biomarkers of cellular aging and longevity in apparently healthy population after YMLI. So, our health and the rate at which we age entirely depends on our choices. Making Yoga and Meditation an integral part of our lifestyle may hold the
key to delay aging or aging gracefully, prevent onset of multifactorial complex lifestyle diseases, promote mental, physical, and reproductive health, and prolong youthful healthy life.
If you want to practice yoga,
check out these videos at Metropolitan Club:
*YMLI is designed to be an integrative health strategy incorporating the classic components of Yoga including Asanas (physical postures), Pranayama (breathing exercises), and Dhayna (Meditation) which are derived from a mix of Hatha Yoga and Raja Yoga. The YMLI for the current study was suitably modified for apparently healthy subjects. YMLI program included 96 individuals who recieved sessions 5 days per week for 12 wks.