Meditation Alters Genes: Mind over Matter

Mind over Matter?  It does work- I have practiced this myself many many times in the past.

As conscious BEings, we are the creators of ourselves. More and more studies have shown that sound, thoughts and emotions are all frequencies and vibrations. If you apply this simple understanding to your own health, you can positively effect your body.

Where you pay your energy is where you are directing your energy.  Do you wake up in the morning and complain? Do you worry about your sore knee? Your headache?  Your teeth?  Or do you say to yourself "I am happy and healthy!"   Both options are paying energy into and directing your energy towards a specific goal.... Do you SEE?

I can wake up and CHOOSE to NOT focus on "what if this happens..." or "what if I get a... tooth ache, belly ache, head ache...", or "I don't feel well", or "Something horrible will happen today.."

Or I can wake up and CHOOSE to Focus on Health and vitality.  I can tell my body "I am strong and fit and healthy and I love ME!".....  "I am going to have a great day!"


Look in the mirror and say "I LOVE YOU" to YOU.  Look in the mirror and tell your body that you love it.  Look in the mirror and pick one body part and say "I Love you hands/eyes/toes/shoulders- you are awesome and have helped me so much!!!"

ONLY YOU CAN CHANGE YOU.

It keeps coming back to one of my favorite quotes:  BE the Change you wish to see in the World. 

BE the change you wish to see in YOU.


http://www.wakingtimes.com/2014/01/30/new-study-meditation-alters-genes-rapidly-triggers-molecular-changes/

New Study: Meditation Alters Genes Rapidly, Triggers Molecular Changes

January 30, 2014 | By WakingTimes | Reply

Elizabeth Renter, Natural Society
Waking Times
If you are a practitioner of meditation, the results of a new study published in Psychoneuroendocrinology will likely come as no surprise. But for some scientists, the revelation that meditating can actually trigger molecular changes is groundbreaking.

The researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Institute of Biomedical Research in Barcelona, Spain found subjects who partook of 8-hour intensive mindfulness meditation showed significant molecular changes.

A group of experienced meditation practitioners spent an 8-hour day in mindfulness while a control group spent the day in quiet but non-meditative activities. The meditation group experienced genetic changes including reduced levels of inflammatory genes like RIPK2 and COX2, indicating faster recovery from stressful situations.
As Medical News Today reports:

“The extent to which some of the genes were down-regulated was associated with faster cortisol recovery to a social stress test, where participants were challenged to make an impromptu speech or complete mental calculations in front of an audience.”

In other words, the meditation helped participants keep cool under pressure.

“The regulation of HDACs and inflammatory pathways may represent some of the mechanisms underlying the therapeutic potential of mindfulness-based interventions. Our findings set the foundation for future studies to further assess meditation strategies for the treatment of chronic inflammatory conditions,” explained Perla Kaliman, co-author of the study.

Far from the first study on meditation, this is the first to demonstrate molecular changes caused by the age-old practice.

“Our genes are quite dynamic in their expression and these results suggest that the calmness of our mind can actually have a potential influence on their expression,” said Dr. Richard J. Davidson of the Center for Investigating Healthy Minds.

Meditation has been used for centuries and longer to assist humankind with their spiritual and health endeavors. In other words, this study is catching up with what many people have known for a long time—that the mind can influence the body.

Other studies have linked meditation practice with stress reduction, IBS and digestive relief, the easing of cold symptoms, and helping to regulate blood pressure. Meditation was even shown to beat morphine in reducing pain in one small study. These studies didn’t explain how the meditation was working, but this most recent one seems to tap a new expanse of potential.

When it comes to the world of science, evidence is king. Anecdotes and surveys that reveal meditation to have physical benefits are not as convincing as genetic proof. Practitioners of meditation may not need that sort of laboratory evidence, but for scientists it provides a foundation of legitimacy for a practice they may have previously doubted.


Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of WakingTimes or its staff.