“Meditation brings wisdom; lack of mediation leaves ignorance. Know well what leads you forward and what hold you back, and choose the path that leads to wisdom.” ~ Buddha
Like most people you have wondered why, if meditation has such phenomenal benefits, can you not learn to meditate? The simplest answer is that it must become a part of your daily routine!
In a recent study researchers at University of California, San Francisco, have found that a regular habit of meditation brings about psychological changes of permanent nature which in turn are caused by an increase in the telomerase activity (an enzyme which is responsible for longevity in your body cells).
Telomeres are sequences of DNA at the end of chromosomes that tend to get shorter every time a cell divides. When telomeres drop below a critical length, the cell can no longer divide properly and eventually dies.
Telomerase is an enzyme that can rebuild and lengthen telomeres.
Though the study does not conclusively suggest that meditation is directly related to increase in Telemerase, it points out towards the fact that meditation improves a person’s sense of well-being which then have a profound effect in his physiology and result in increased Telomerase activity.
This study is the result of UC Davis-based Shamatha Project, one of the first long-term, detailed, matched control-group studies of the effects of intensive meditation training on mind and body.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-11/uoc--ppc110310.php
