Yesterday I appeared in an item for Dutch television (EenVandaag) on a recent scientific study by the All Indian Institute of Medical Science in New Delhi. This is one of the first studies to demonstrate that yoga positively influences cell renewal and may even slow down the ageing process in healthy individuals. Ninety-six apparently healthy people were enrolled in the 12 week yoga intervention. They practiced yoga daily for approximately 1,5 hours. Their practice included asanas (physical postures), pranayama (breathing exercises), and dhayna (meditation). All participants in the study showed significant changes in cardinal and metabotrophic biomarkers, which suggests that yoga may improve cellular longevity.

This is the first study to demonstrate the impact of yoga, breath work and meditation on cellular ageing and longevity in apparently healthy participants. Making yoga and meditation an integral part of our lifestyle may hold the key to slowing down the ageing process or ageing gracefully, prevent onset of complex lifestyle diseases, promote mental, physical, and reproductive health, and prolong youthful healthy life.

More research needs to be done to demonstrate the long-term effects of yoga on cellular ageing and longevity, but this is great start to raise awareness of the positive impact of yoga. I truly hope more people will integrate yoga and meditation into their everyday lives. I ‘know’ from my own experience that yoga works, on many levels. I’ve seen the amazing health benefits on my own body and mind, but also in my yoga students and the patients I’ve worked in the hospital living with chronic pain due to diseases such as MS and rheumatoid arthritis. If more people realize the wide-ranging benefits of yoga, more people will be able to reap its benefits, creating a better world for everyone.

You can watch the video below.