For the first time, researchers have shown that practising mindfulness meditation or being involved in a support group has a positive physical impact at the cellular level in breast cancer survivors.

A group working out of Alberta Health Services' Tom Baker Cancer Centre and the University of Calgary Department of Oncology has demonstrated that telomeres -- protein complexes at the end of chromosomes -- maintain their length in breast cancer survivors who practise meditation or are involved in support groups, while they shorten in a comparison group without any intervention.

Although the disease-regulating properties of telomeres aren't fully understood, shortened telomeres are associated with several disease states, as well as cell aging, while longer telomeres are thought to be protective against disease.

"We already know that psychosocial interventions like mindfulness meditation will help you feel better mentally, but now for the first time we have evidence that they can also influence key aspects of your biology," says Dr. Linda E. Carlson, PhD, principal investigator and director of research in the Psychosocial Resources Department at the Tom Baker Cancer Centre.

"It was surprising that we could see any difference in telomere length at all over the three-month period studied," says Dr. Carlson, who is also a U of C professor in the Faculty of Arts and the Cumming School of Medicine, and a member of the Southern Alberta Cancer Institute. "Further research is needed to better quantify these potential health benefits, but this is an exciting discovery that provides encouraging news."

The study was published online in the journal Cancer.

A total of 88 breast cancer survivors who had completed their treatments for at least three months were involved for the duration of the study. The average age was 55 and most participants had ended treatment two years prior. To be eligible, they also had to be experiencing significant levels of emotional distress.

In the Mindfulness-Based Cancer Recovery group, participants attended eight weekly, 90-minute group sessions that provided instruction on mindfulness meditation and gentle Hatha yoga, with the goal of cultivating non-judgmental awareness of the present moment. Participants were also asked to practise meditation and yoga at home for 45 minutes daily.

In the Supportive Expressive Therapy group, participants met for 90 minutes weekly for 12 weeks and were encouraged to talk openly about their concerns and their feelings. The objectives were to build mutual support and to guide women in expressing a wide range of both difficult and positive emotions, rather than suppressing or repressing them.

The participants randomly placed in the control group attended one, six-hour stress management seminar.

See the article here:
Clear new evidence for mind-body connection demonstrated in study

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GneGjRIIadU

Mindfulness Meditation as Therapy, Featuring Deborah Norris, Ph.D., Part 1 of 3
Part 1: The Mind-Body Connection in Total Recovery: Stress In this video series Deborah Norris, Ph.D. discusses meditation as an effective clinical therapy for the treatment of numerous health...

By: KaplanCenter

Read the original:
Mindfulness Meditation as Therapy, Featuring Deborah Norris, Ph.D., Part 1 of 3 - Video

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcMGfTF4x1g

Fall Migration Meditation
Canada geese moving along the Potomac on a cold, grey fall morning. Soundtrack from "A Touch of Grace" by Jonathan Foust and Tod Norian. Please visit: http://www.jonathanfoust.com Teacher...

By: Jonathan Foust

Read the rest here:
Fall Migration Meditation - Video

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xAjNpIAGeE

ASMR Sushki Crisp Bread Rings Relaxation Meditation Binaural 3D
Here you can find many ASMR videos. If you experience and like relaxation watching this kind of videos see you channel and subscribe below. Click Here To Subscribe! http://www.youtub...

By: ASMR Fun Factory

Read more from the original source:
ASMR Sushki Crisp Bread Rings Relaxation Meditation Binaural 3D - Video

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7ISZg7tI2A

4 Hours of Deep Sleep Music: Delta Waves Meditation, Inner Peace. A Healing of Mind Body and Soul
4 Hours of Deep Sleep Music to produce calming Delta Waves. ,Excellent for Meditation, Inner Peace. and the Healing of Mind, Body and Soul. Finally a music video that works. When it comes...

By: Arthur Ned Maxwell

Read this article:
4 Hours of Deep Sleep Music: Delta Waves Meditation, Inner Peace. A Healing of Mind Body and Soul - Video

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOK_NdjWI7M

Rain Meditation for relaxation
A meditation involving rain for those who are stressed or anxious, to be used to ready the body for sleep. Best used as audio only.

By: spirit4purpose

Go here to see the original:
Rain Meditation for relaxation - Video

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

3-Nov-2014

Contact: Gregory Harris gregory.harris@albertahealthservices.ca 403-619-3108 Alberta Health Services @ahs_innovates

For the first time, researchers have shown that practising mindfulness meditation or being involved in a support group has a positive physical impact at the cellular level in breast cancer survivors.

A group working out of Alberta Health Services' Tom Baker Cancer Centre and the University of Calgary Department of Oncology has demonstrated that telomeres protein complexes at the end of chromosomes maintain their length in breast cancer survivors who practise meditation or are involved in support groups, while they shorten in a comparison group without any intervention.

Although the disease-regulating properties of telomeres aren't fully understood, shortened telomeres are associated with several disease states, as well as cell aging, while longer telomeres are thought to be protective against disease.

"We already know that psychosocial interventions like mindfulness meditation will help you feel better mentally, but now for the first time we have evidence that they can also influence key aspects of your biology," says Dr. Linda E. Carlson, PhD, principal investigator and director of research in the Psychosocial Resources Department at the Tom Baker Cancer Centre.

"It was surprising that we could see any difference in telomere length at all over the three-month period studied," says Dr. Carlson, who is also a U of C professor in the Faculty of Arts and the Cumming School of Medicine, and a member of the Southern Alberta Cancer Institute. "Further research is needed to better quantify these potential health benefits, but this is an exciting discovery that provides encouraging news."

The study was published online today in the journal Cancer. It can be found at: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/cncr.29063/full

A total of 88 breast cancer survivors who had completed their treatments for at least three months were involved for the duration of the study. The average age was 55 and most participants had ended treatment two years prior. To be eligible, they also had to be experiencing significant levels of emotional distress.

Read the original post:
Study shows clear new evidence for mind-body connection

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tj64YTkGkAk

Meditation 101 Class 04

By: Kadampa Center Media

Continued here:
Meditation 101 Class 04 - Video

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hg9iOCwL2lI

Six Bardos Phowa Meditation [11]
Khenpo Sherab Sangpo offers teachings on the Six Bardos (life, meditation, sleeping / dreaming, death, after-death, and rebirth) and how to practice Phowa (transference of consciousness) according...

By: Khenpo Sherab Sangpo

Read more:
Six Bardos & Phowa Meditation [11] - Video

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACsShoADUSE

: - ( Mahashunya : Meditation-Spiritual Union )
A Discourse on Meditation-"Spiritual Union"

By: Sadguru Mahashunya

View post:
: - ( Mahashunya : Meditation-Spiritual Union ) - Video