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Our bodies are in a constant state of renewal much like the earth itself. Just as leaves unfurl, rivers forge new paths, and seasons shift; our cells undergo constant change. Meditation helps us reconnect with this natural rhythm of change, allowing us to observe the subtle shifts in our bodies and minds. Through meditation – attention to and equanimity with what is – we can observe our own regeneration.
Last month I attended my first 10-day silent meditation course. For 10 hours each day, beginning at 4 a.m. when we woke to the song of the gong, we sat in meditation, bringing our attention inward. With practice we trained our minds to come to stillness, perceive sensations in our bodies, and observe that each is fleeting.
One moment I might observe an intense pain or burning in my hip. As I’d sit there and watch it without reacting – without bracing, without sifting in my seat to find ease, without even wishing it would go away – it would unfailingly shift. Sometimes it would shift within moments; sometimes it would be there an hour later. But eventually it would shift.
Not only did we observe intense sensations in our bodies as they came up, but we attended equally to the minute. I observed, for example, my breath naturally entering my left nostril one moment, and shifting to enter my right nostril minutes later.
I observed a tickle on my upper lip – that I could have scratched to find relief – but instead simply watched with curiosity and non-reaction, until it disappeared, as all sensations eventually do. Over hours and hours and days and day, I came to know in my being that every sensation, every pain, every tickle eventually shifts.
Modern life pulls our minds in a thousand directions; our bodies, responding to this chaos, can become burdened with stress. Meditation teaches us to attend to all moments and shifts with equanimity – without attachment or aversion, without desiring the breath to stay in one particular nostril, and without wishing a pain away, or a new sensation to arrive. We simply observe with equanimity, knowing this too with change.
Because meditation fosters a mind state of equanimity, it allows the body to shift out of tension and into the parasympathetic mend mode. Acupuncture similarly draws the body into a parasympathetic rest and rejuvenate state, and as an acupuncturist I love helping people shift their bodies and minds from constriction to ease and repair. But meditation is a tool we have access to all day, every day, for free. As long as we are alive, we are breathing; regardless of circumstance we can return our attention to our breath.
By focusing on the breath or bodily sensations without reacting, we let go of the stress that hinders our healing process, and transformative healing shifts can occur. During my deep-dive, 100-hour meditation course, I observed as tensions unravel that had been there for decades.
Science corroborates the healthful shifts that meditation can usher in. Studies show that through meditation, cortisol levels drops, inflammation recedes, oxidative stress decreases, and immune function is boosted, and the body’s nature cellular regenerative abilities are heightened.
Studies suggesting that meditation may increase telomerase activity, and thus foster longevity and healthy aging, are particularly exciting. Telomerase is the enzyme that repairs and lengthens telomeres (which cap our chromosomes).
Because telomeres act like aglets on shoelaces, protecting chromosomes from fraying during cell division, shortened telomeres are linked to cellular aging, increased risk of disease, and decreased longevity. So clearly, the higher levels of telomerase found in people who meditate regularly is an intriguing avenue of research being pursued by Nobel laureates and others.
Annie Lindberg is a licensed acupuncturist, Chinese Medicine practitioner, and Ayurvedic practitioner. She also holds a Masters of Environmental Studies. She owns and practices at The Point Acupuncture & Ayurveda, located in Madison Park and is a regular Madison Park Times health columnist.