Category: Longevity

A Winning Combination: Earthing, Nondirective Meditation, Forest Bathing, and Rejuvenating Sleep

7/6/2024

July 2024
By Lorraine Alexander

As life rapidly changes around us, have you ever wondered how WiFi affects our health? As we adapt, we can take steps to preserve our health and vitality. Summer is an ideal opportunity to rebalance with self-care and time in nature.

Boost your health with four simple practices.

1) Earthing

Back in 1998, Clint Ober found success when he developed effective grounding systems for the cable television industry. He soon pioneered the Earthing movement, after learning the potential of grounding to improve human health. Learn more about Clint Ober at https://www.earthing.com/.

"Earthing (also known as grounding) refers to the discovery that bodily contact with the Earth's natural electric charge stabilizes the physiology at the deepest levels, reduces inflammation, pain, and stress, improves blood flow, energy, and sleep, and generates greater well-being." ScienceDirect.com

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Forever Young(er): The science of meditation, telomeres and longevity

4/15/2023

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“Your cells listen to your thoughts.”
—from the New York Times Bestseller, The Telomere Effect

April 2023, NORTHBAY biz magazine
Live Wise column
Read the full article.

by Lorraine Alexander

We know that aging is inevitable. Then why do some people appear noticeably younger and healthier than their age? One of the best anti-aging strategies may be meditation. Science cautiously proves the link between meditation and aging well, through the efforts of Elizabeth Blackburn, Nobel Prize-winner and co-author of the New York Times bestselling book, The Telomere Effect.

Telomeres and the science of longevity

In 2009, Dr. Elizabeth Blackburn, the former president of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and a professor of biology and physiology at the University of California in San Francisco, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for her study of telomeres. More specifically, Blackburn discovered how science accurately measures our biological clock on aging.

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The Rejuvenating Power of Gratitude

11/1/2021

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Image credit: Motoki Tonn

The Rejuvenating Power of Gratitude

Article courtesy of DASA Meditation
Estimated read time 2 min.40 sec.

"In positive psychology research, gratitude is strongly and consistently associated with greater happiness. Gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships." -- Harvard Health

The simple sage practice of gratitude can cultivate our happiness and satisfaction in life.

Long-term studies support the effectiveness of a gratitude practice, suggesting that a positive and appreciative attitude contributes to higher success in the workplace. Additionally, these studies indicate gratitude improves health, peak performance in athletes, accelerates healing after surgery, and deepens our sense of well-being.

While we acknowledge the benefits of gratitude, the practice can be challenging to sustain, because so many of us dwell on what's lacking in our lives. And for gratitude to meet its full healing potential, it needs to become more than just a Thanksgiving word. First, we can begin by looking at life with fresh eyes and then put the word gratitude into practice.

A daily practice of gratitude makes so much sense. When we practice giving thanks for all we have, instead of complaining about what we lack, we give ourselves the chance to see all of life as an opportunity and a blessing.

Gratitude offers balance and hope.

Remember that gratitude is not blind optimism, in which the bad things in life are whitewashed or ignored. It's a simple matter of refocusing our attention. Pain and injustice exist in this world, but when we focus on the gifts of life, we gain a feeling of balance and hope. By doing so, we naturally uplift others.

There are many things to be grateful for: the color and crunch of autumn leaves, good health, friends who listen and hear us, dark chocolate, fresh eggs with homemade bread, the warmth of down jackets, a deep belly-laugh with your best friend, reading a treasured book, a pet that snuggles up when you need it most, and butterflies that remind us to stop to appreciate the gift of life and the awe of nature. What might be on your list?

7 Ways to Practice Gratitude

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The Vedic Way: Transform Your Life Path to a Place of Balance with Meditation

7/4/2019

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Image Pricilla Dupreez

The success of a student in their meditation practice may have everything to do with two single factors, the commitment of the student, and the awareness of the teacher.

By Lorraine Alexander, July 4, 2019

In today's complex and uncertain world, meditation is an essential daily ritual used to enhance personal stability, reduce stress, and preserve a balanced lifestyle. According to the Mayo Clinic, meditation ranks in the top three "must-do list" to improve health, along with eating healthy and exercising. Learning to meditate is like having a dose of the perfect health elixir, offering a blend of unparalleled benefits. And best of all, the practice can enrich one's life by improving self-awareness. The bottom line is this, life with meditation can feel amazing.

Americans paid attention to this ancient practice once meditation hit the cover of Time Magazine and Scientific American. Then, America's top CEOs, famed actors and actresses, and NFL football team members all came forth to proclaim their health and personal success was credited in large to their daily Vedic meditation practice.

The mind-body wellness of meditation
Meditation is a vehicle that can transport you from frenzied to calm, taking you back to your center, a position of balance. For creatives, the meditative state is the point of pure inspiration. To layer even more benefits, there is an absurdly long list of medically-backed health benefits for the mind and body, such as heart health, brain health, deeper sleep, lower stress, and the ability to flex easily with the occasional curveball that life may throw.

One single question that begs to be answered about meditation
Over the years, I find people continue to ask me the same question over and over, "What is the best form of meditation?" There are many useful meditation forms; some are simply more effective than others. This article explains two fundamental approaches to meditation.

Directive versus non-directive meditation
Within the practice of meditation, there are two primary categories, directive and non-directive. The directive form requires focused attention, while the non-directive form allows the mind to wander. Although the origins of both forms emerged from religious roots, many contemporary versions have risen—free from dogma and religion, with a primary focus on stress reduction, health, and happiness.

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A Beginners Guide to Stress Reduction and Mind-Body Wellness

4/1/2019

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Image Kal Loftus

Doctors report that 75% of all illness is caused by stress. Yet, we walk through each day unaware of the stress response, a warning signal that calls out for rest, relaxation, and balance.

By Lorraine Alexander

Resilience by definition is the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties. The pressures of life continue to mount, especially in the workplace. Stress management techniques preserve the quality and longevity of life.

Today's world is multifaceted, and stress pervades our life each and every day. Traffic builds, three jobs are funneled into one, financial pressure increases as housing costs rise, violence dominates our schools, social pressures rise, there is a mounting sea of new technology, moreover, we have an uncertain future with climate change. As a teacher of meditation and mind-body wellness, I see firsthand the impact of these stressors.

This article will answer three vital questions:

How does stress affect the body?
Can stress be held at bay?
What steps can be taken to restore health and happiness?

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Telomeres and Aging: The Gateway to Longevity May Be Meditation

8/3/2017

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The Nobel Prize Winning Science behind Telomeres and Aging

by Lorraine Alexander

In 2014 Diane Sawyer reported groundbreaking historical research from Harvard University. The researchers at Harvard succeeded in reversing aging in elderly mice. These changes were evident through hair growth, shinier coats, improved memory, the size of their brain grew, and even the ability to reproduce was restored. For the first time in history, research proves that there may be a way to delay or even turn back aging.

"Nobody had any idea that meditation and the like, which people can use to reduce stress and increase wellbeing, would be having their salutary and well-documented useful effects in part through telomeres." - Elizabeth Blackburn, Ph.D., Nobel Prize 2009

Telomeres are our "clock of aging"

Humans are comprised of 37.2 trillion cells. With time, these cells naturally age. Each cell has a nucleus, which holds forty-six chromosomes. Chromosomes are often described as long shoelace-like X-shape structures. The tips are called telomeres, a protective end cap, much like the end of a shoelace. Every time a cell divides the telomere shortens. As telomeres shorten, we become more susceptible to disease and cancer. Eventually, the telomeres diminish to a degree that causes the cell to die. This is the only known "clock of aging" in humans discovered by medical science to date. As science grows to understand telomeres and telomerase, there is hope on the horizon for solutions that will preserve the integrity of the telomere, offering a higher quality of life and health well into our golden years.

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A Winning Combination: Earthing, Nondirective Meditation, Forest Bathing, and Rejuvenating Sleep

Forever Young(er): The science of meditation, telomeres and longevity

The Rejuvenating Power of Gratitude

The Rejuvenating Power of Gratitude

The Vedic Way: Transform Your Life Path to a Place of Balance with Meditation

A Beginners Guide to Stress Reduction and Mind-Body Wellness

Telomeres and Aging: The Gateway to Longevity May Be Meditation

The Nobel Prize Winning Science behind Telomeres and Aging

by Lorraine Alexander

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