Yoga District offers by-donation meditation classes weekly because meditation has so many benefits including improved concentration, emotional regulation, stress reduction… and now research indicates we can add youthfulness to the list.

Nobel laureate and UCSF biochemist Elizabeth Blackburn conducted experiments on how meditation may slow the process of aging. Her research proved that telomeres (the “cap” found on the ends of human chromosomes protecting our chromosomes from deterioration as we age) shorten dramatically if we have high levels of stress. Yet Blackburn found that with meditation, telomeres lengthened. These results suggest that meditating on a regular basis can combat stress and promote a more youthful life. So in case you needed yet another reason to join us for a meditation class at 14th Street, Dupont, Glover Park, H St.,or I St., you’ve got it.

Photo Credit: Early Morning Meditation by Sarvodaya Shramadana from Colombo, Sri Lanka (Flickr) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons