Habits play a huge role in anti-ageing as both good and bad habits can have a lasting impact on an individual’s health and the people around him. To introduce a good habit, an old habit needs to be discarded and this requires discipline. Yoga is in fact about breaking one’s habits. Everything the mind experiences affects the body simultaneously, and vice versa. This connection between the mind and the body is ever present and immediate.
Yoga inculcates discipline
Take the example of eating. Animals eat only when they are hungry. Human beings tend to eat due to stress, anxiety, boredom or celebration. It is healthy to train the body and mind to eat at specific times until it becomes a habit.
Yogic practices help establish discipline in an individual which gives him or her a sense of understanding of one-self from which he or she operates and not a rigid sense of dos and don’ts. Through these practices, it is possible to attune the body to its natural state. As a result, the mind feels calmer and becomes more co-operative. It is easier to remould one-self to make the right choices and instil habits that boost longevity.
Meditate to slow down the ageing process
I have explained ageing at the cellular level in Yoga: Introduction to Kayakalpa as understanding cellular ageing is critical to understanding longevity. Telomeres, which are the protective caps at the ends of chromosomes, offer insight into mitotic cell and possibly longevity. Telomere length has now been linked to chronic stress exposure and depression.
An interesting research was led by Nobel laureate Elizabeth Blackburn to examine if cellular ageing can be modulated by psychological functioning. It was observed that some forms of meditation may have positive effects on telomere length by reducing cognitive stress and increasing positive states of mind and hormonal factors that may promote telomere maintenance. This has further led scientists to explore the body-mind connection in age reversal.
Research has also proven that meditation can positively influence the total protein levels (required to build new cells, maintain and rebuild muscles and support immune system), blood pressure, heart rate, lung volume and reaction time. Reaction time is the interval time between the emergence of a stimulus and the initiation of the muscular response to that stimulus. These factors are vital to good health and normally decline with ageing. It is possible to slow down or even reverse this process.
Thus kayakalpa (reengineering the body) is possible under the guidance of experts who understand the science of age reversal and through a tailor-made lifestyle regime that includes yoga.
Practice of the week
Practice a set of 12 sun salutations and the postures pictured to loosen up the body.
A simple technique of meditation is to sit in a meditative posture with the eyes closed and observe the breath for 20 minutes. If one is unable to sit on the floor, choose to sit on a chair in an upright position. Keep a gentle smile.
Relax the whole body and fix the awareness on the breath. After a while, the breath begins to slow down and becomes deeper.
However some discomfort may be experienced initially within the body and mind which will fade away with regular practice.
Next week: Harness the mental energy
— This is an interactive series, in which we bring you practical tips on daily living, inspired by the vision of yoga. Write in to tabloid@gulfnews.com with your questions and doubts regarding enhancing your lifestyle through yoga. For more information, call 800-YOGA (9642) or log on to artisticyoga.com
