I’m excited to be co-leading a silent meditation retreat, Landscapes of Silence, August 25-30 on MEA’s Rising Circle Ranch with Teddi, our cowboy yogi Lee (the Dalai Lama meets the Marlboro Man), our shaman Saul, and Amie who knows the Galisteo Basin well. Hope you can join us.
Science is finally catching up to what the wisdom traditions have known for centuries, that our experience of the present moment is not some fixed point of concentration, but rather a movement with the flux and flow with all phenomena emerging and falling away. Now, with the weight of research to back what many spiritual modalities have long understood, we know that mindfulness isn’t just a practice of awareness but it is actually a medicine that lays the foundation for longevity. A compassionate “felt sense” that can slow the aging process by tending to the body, the brain, and the spirit in ways that are both measurable and mysterious.
Slowing Aging at a Cellular Level
While I was an undergrad at UC Berkeley as a Biology student I learned of Dr. Elizabeth Blackburn’s fascinating research on chromosomes. Her research focused specifically on an area of the chromosome called telomeres. She discovered that telomeres help protect the chromosome from the effects of aging. It would be years later while I was just starting to explore mindfulness and the teaching of the Buddha that Dr. Blackburn’s name would reappear. I read that she had earned a Nobel Prize for her research on telomeres. Her research discovered that when measured, telomeres can act as a biological clock. She learned that when telomeres begin to shorten that it would prompt aging and a decline in overall health.
So how does this relate to mindfulness?
Co-researcher on telomeres with Dr. Blackburn, Dr Elissa Epel found that mindfulness and meditation can actually increase telomerase activity and help protect against premature cellular aging while also reducing inflammation, heart disease, diabetes, and cognitive decline.
Easing Stress
Stress is an invisible force that shapes our aging process, accelerating wear and tear on the body. The stress hormone cortisol, when elevated, can weaken the immune system, damage brain cells, and disrupt metabolic balance.
Pioneering mindfulness researcher Jon Kabat-Zinn developed Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) to address exactly this, using meditation as a tool to rewire the body’s response to stress. His research shows that mindfulness not only lowers cortisol levels but also reduces chronic pain, improves immune function, thus enhancing overall well-being.
Bright Mind to Clear Future
Not only can the body benefit from some stillness our minds can too. Neuroscientist and author of the Buddha’s Brain Rick Hanson describes how mental states shape neural traits, meaning that the simple act of cultivating peace and presence rewires the brain for greater resilience, happiness, and clarity over time. Hanson points out how our minds are wired to hold onto negative experiences while letting positive ones slip away. Mindfulness and meditation help reverse these cycles of negativity by simply being aware of these mind states and replacing these qualities of the heart such as loving kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity.
Mindfulness is a Lifelong Practice
Every week I sit on our beachfront platform and remind our guests that they are all capable of some stillness in their lives. I encourage them to be aware of their awe-inspiring body that has been so good to them, carrying them through this human experience. I remind them that by simply being aware of their body we learn that we can use the feeling tone and felt sense of our bodies to bring ourselves back to some natural rhythm. The research shows the reliability of mindfulness is something we all can truly count on. Mindfulness is much more than a passing trend, it is a timeless tool for well-being and longevity.
As Jon Kabat-Zinn teaches, “You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.” We are all just surfing our way through this life and the gift of mindfulness allows us to be carried with a sense of grace.
-Teddi
Teddi Dean is the Head of Mindfulness and Movement for both Baja and Santa Fe campuses.
He is a lifelong surfer, ex-professional skateboarder and in a constant state of becoming. Teddi’s down to earth teaching style has helped guide many in our MEA community back to their bodies, breath and to what it means to have a human experience.