Vitae.coach

What’s that Rexy, you want to hear about telomeres? Namely, telomere lengthening and meditation? Well ok then....😜
Telomeres are protective nucleoprotein caps at the ends of chromosomes. They stop our DNA from fusing to a neighbouring chromosome and also prevents cellular senescence (cell ageing). They are integral for healthy cell division/replication and thereby overall health & longevity (Blackburn,2000). 👴🏼
DNA replication occurs throughout our entire lifetime. In this process, which starts in the centre of the chromosome, duplicating enzymes duplicate all the way to the end of a chromosome, but do not duplicate the telomere as DNA polymerase is unable to function properly at the end of a DNA strand, which leads to the telomere shortening during replication. Telomere shortening is representative of bodily ageing and a natural process, yet it can be influenced (Epel,2004). 😏
Telomerase is the enzyme our body produces to help prevent unnecessary/premature shortening and can supplement telomeric DNA, to thicken shortened telomeres and promote cell health and thereby increase longevity (Alda,2016). 💥
However as with all things related to epigenetics, our environmental factors greatly influence our bodily changes. Psychological stress significantly shortens telomere length and reduces telomerase levels. Meaning those little caps can become compromised in protecting our chromosomes and leave us vulnerable to disease with compromise immunity (Shalev et.al,2013). 🤒
However, we are not powerless in this situation. Dr Elissa Epel and colleagues (2011) found that Meditation, specifically loving kindness meditation has been shown to improve telomeres health, helping to lengthen them through an increase in telomerase.🧬
Meditation allowed for not only a reduction in psychological stress but also helped to counter some of the ‘natural’ ageing/shortening of telomeres that occurred in replication. 🤩
For more epic neuroscience on mediation, join us tonight 🧠 👉🏻 https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/neuroscience-of-meditation-for-bushfire-relief-tickets-89713321961

First teaser of our upcoming of Meditation for Bushfire Relief event - next week. To join us, see the link below. 👇🏻👇🏻

Default mode chill....✨✨
But.....not really because my default is anything but chill. However, we do all have a relative, sort of default chill mode in our brain, called the Default Mode Network (DMN) which has opened up some very promising clinical therapies for maintaining mental well-being and treating mental illness 🧠. .
The DMN is a link between anatomical regions, covering psychological processes like; envisioning the future, self-reflection, rumination, mind wandering, pondering others perspectives and autobiographical memory (Simon & Engstorm, 2015). 😌
The DMN’s main nodes of activity include the; medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), anterior and posterior cingulate cortex (ACC, PCC), precuneus (PCU), interior parietal cortex (IPC) and lateral temporary cortex. These primary connected areas showcase function connection and fluctuations during the above-mentioned states (Harrison et al., 2008). 🤔
Recently, the DMN has been used as a biomarker (identifier) for measuring neurological changes of meditative effects. As the DMN has anti-synchronic activity to task-positive networks (TPN) which are critical to executive functioning, the regulation of DMN can be employed as a neuroprotection measure to help reduce cognitive decline, more effectively manage mental states and reduce stress and anxiety (Ramirez-Barrantes et.,al 2019). ✌🏻
Meditation and mindfulness based practices really do significantly alter cognitive functions in overwhelming positive ways. These ancient Buddhist teachings, are increasingly gaining scientific and psychological traction. 📿
If you want to learn more about the neuroscience of meditation, and help raise $$ for bushfire relief, join us https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/neuroscience-of-meditation-for-bushfire-relief-tickets-89713321961 👌🏻

Festive Boundaries! 💪🏻🙅🏼‍♀️✋🏻
Today I really had to reinforce some boundaries some people who were seriously wanting to cross them. 🚫
They weren’t being mean, malicious or even meaning to cross my boundaries or encroach on my freedom but they were definitely getting close to that line! 😬 They were actually coming from what they believed was a good place but they were draining me of energy, consuming a lot of my time and pushing on my patience and thereby stress levels.😐
Boundaries, as the incredible says are fences for your freedom - and I love this. ❤️ When you put up boundaries you are protecting yourself, navigating your stress levels and ensuring you respect you (and ultimately) the other person. Boundaries are super loving spaces between you and others. There is nothing negative or cruel about them. 💁🏼‍♀️
With the holiday season approaching here are two quick steps to lay your boundaries and protect your freedom.
1️⃣ Protect your time - it’s precious -schedule in decompression time. 💎
Only allocate the time to people you have. If you don’t have the time see everyone in one day - don’t. Your time is precious and it’s better you spend it present with people than checked out thinking of the next thing you have to do. Try as much as you can to give yourself down time in-between social and family times. Use this time to reflect and process on that encounter. If there are triggers, unpack and resolve them. Don’t take them into the next event and conversation. This metacognition is a great neurohack to decompress and short circuit stress that can build up, often without us being aware of it. 🤔

2️⃣ Only say yes to activities of joy
You don’t have to say yes to everyone. Shock horror - I know! 😱Before you immediately respond to everyone’s invitations, actually think about what you want to do this holiday season and what brings you energy and joy. Say yes to only these things. And the events that don’t bring you joy, avoid or if you can’t schedule in an allocated time that you will perform these obligations, so you have clear end point. 👌🏻
We can’t control others - but we can control us and regulate our choices. 😜