15. Biology

On our inside way, we influence and change our biology, namely our body as well as through changes in the brain our mind. Two processes are mainly responsible for this: gene expression and neuroplasticity.

Until recently, scientists rigidly claimed that genetic activity is a process that occurs independently of the environment. All information and instructions always flow in one direction only, starting from the DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) via the messenger RNA (ribonucleic acid) for protein production. We are guided and controlled by our genes. "There's nothing I can do about it, it's my genes," is a frequently used excuse when we are too comfortable taking necessary measures to change our biology ourselves. The science of epigenetics has shown that it is not genes that cause disease, but our environment, both external and internal, that program genes to cause disease. A gene does not change physically, only the gene expression changes, i.e. which genes are switched on, switched off or modified. The only task of the genes is protein production. Protein production is controlled by changing the information coming from the outer cell environment. For example, meditation downregulates or suppresses inflammation-promoting genes and upregulates anti-inflammatory genes. As studies show, the changes in gene activities through meditation take place surprisingly quickly, sometimes within an hour. The altered gene expression can be passed on to the next cell generation. This causes real physical changes over time.

Our brain is a learning organ. Our thinking, feeling and acting, our experiences, shape the circuits in our brain. New synapses form within minutes. Not only in our childhood but all our lives. Scientists also call this neuroplasticity. Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital have found that with regular mindfulness meditation, more gray cells actually form in the brain regions of the neocortex associated with awareness, attention and memory, stress management and emotional integration, that this area is actually enlarged and condensed. In contrast, the density of cells in the areas associated with stress and anxiety, primarily the amygdala, decreased. Using imaging techniques, scientists now have measurable evidence that through regular meditation the brain grows and changes in a way that is consistent with the subjective reports of the meditators. Meditation is a way to change structures in the brain and thus its way of working. Man can "update" his mind and thus reach higher levels of consciousness. Those who do not take advantage of this opportunity leave it to other forces, such as the media, the entertainment industry, intrusive people, unpleasant experiences of the past and thus make themselves dependent on random events in their outside world.