3 Ways Meditation Keeps us Young

Whether you are a believer in meditation practice or not, it's hard to ignore the wealth of scientific studies behind it. At 7E, a large number of our customers and followers are seeking the best techniques and latest trends in anti-aging. So we are excited about the connection between meditation and its' anti-aging benefits (both internal and external).

Meditation Reduces Stress Levels

For anyone looking for ways to preserve their youth, we stand by the idea of integrating even a small amount of meditation into your routine. Just a few minutes of meditation a day has been said to slow the aging process due to its ability to reduce stress levels. It should be no surprise to hear that our stress levels have a lot to do with how quickly our body appears to age. So, when you give yourself an outlet for that stress through focused breathing and quieting your mind you reduce its overall negative impact; from dull skin tone and wrinkles on the exterior to reduced inflammation and heart rate within.

Meditation Slows Cellular Aging

If you really want to dig into the science of it, you'll be interested to hear that there are protein caps on the end of each of our chromosomes called Telomeres. Over time, as our cells divide and conquer, these protein caps become shorter. This is the process of aging on a cellular level. When we meditate, the practice encourages the production and lengthening of those Telomeres, which slows down this cellular aging process. For more details on this, you'll have to head over and read the full article from wsimag.com!

Meditation Helps Us Stay Mentally Sharp

Another perspective we loved from the Beauty Heroes blog was that meditation keeps you young by helping you make healthier, more education decisions. Because we learn to slow down and become more aware we retain our youthful appreciation and enthusiasm for the little things, make choices that benefit us in the long-term rather than act for instant gratification, and encourage those around us to do the same.

If you've never meditated before, here are some starter tips from a member of our team who meditates regularly:

Meditation Tips for Beginners

• Don’t feel like a failure if you can’t quiet the noise in my head. Meditation isn’t really about not thinking, it’s about not getting too involved in thinking. Your goal is to be more observant of where your mind goes, not to control it.
• I’ve tried a few different strategies with meditating and have found what works best for me isn’t the traditional method of sitting in silence, cross-legged, chanting “ohm”. Sitting straight up wasn’t comfortable for my back for extended periods of time. Instead, I’ve found that laying on my bed, on my back, with my knees bent is most comfortable. Key word: comfortable. As long as you don’t think you’ll fall asleep, don’t worry about your positioning.
• Pick one question to focus your mind on (example: how can I be more productive) or one phrase to come back to you if you feel your thoughts start to get too loud. Some of the phrases I’ve used are “I am open and receptive to positivity”, “the universe has my back” and even just “calm”.
• Overall, we want to be focused on breathing cleansing breaths. So even if your anchoring phrase doesn’t seem to work, direct your focus to the simplicity of inhaling and exhaling.
• If silence makes you feel unsettled, turn on a white noise app, gentle music or guided meditation. I’ve even had a essential oils diffuser running and focusing on the bubbling noise helped me get to a deeper relaxing state. I’ve put together a meditation playlist on Spotify that I always turn on to get into the zen den.

All in all, the holistic health practice of meditation keeps us young mentally and physically. So whether you're hoping to feel younger in spirit or look younger for your Facebook profile picture, setting aside 5-10 minutes a day to quiet your mind is a good place to start. Let us know in the comments if you actively practice meditation and what changes you've experienced since adding it to your life!