Mindfulness Practices Like Yoga and Meditation Can Change How Your DNA Reacts to Stress

‘Yoga teachers love to remind their students that yoga isn’t just a physical practice; it’s a deep mind-body experience that follows you off of the mat into the rest of your life. That might seem like an out-there concept, but new research is proving it a scientific fact. The latest is a study published June 16 in the scientific journal Frontiers, showing that mind-body practices like yoga, tai chi and meditation don’t just relax their practitioners in the moment, but have the potential to reverse stress reactions at the molecular level.
In other words, these practices can physically alter the way our DNA interacts with stress.
The study analyzed 18 prior studies that used gene expression analysis in their research. These were studies looking at various mind-body interventions (MBIs), including yoga, tai chi, qigong, mindfulness, relaxation response, and breath regulation. The analysis concludes that the stress reaction appears to reverse at the molecular level due to mind-body practices, though much more research is needed to better quantify this trend.’
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