Exit
health conditions like anxiety and
hypertension, by actually altering
the expression of genes in the immune system. Researchers were
able to measure physical changes
brought about by the relaxation
response by looking at alterations
in gene expression.
“People have been engaging in
these practices for thousands of
years, and our finding of this unity of function on a basic-science,
genomic level gives greater credibility to what some have called
‘new age medicine,’” Harvard
Medical School professor Herbert Benson, the study’s lead researcher, said in a statement.
STIMULATE BRAIN GROWTH
When controlled breathing is
used during meditation, it can
actually increase the size of the
brain. Meditation that involved
focusing one’s attention on the
breath has the capacity to increase cortical thickness, according to a 2005 Harvard study.
ALLEVIATE ANXIETY
AND NEGATIVE EMOTIONS
Many of us have felt short of
breath during times of panic or
stress. This is the body’s natural reaction to a perceived threat,
THE THIRD
MET