FIGURE 5.

Regular mindfulness practice has consequences on physiological and psychological functioning with performance outcomes in sports, improving sleep quality and work stress. Data on regular yoga users (transcendental meditation) faced modest average reductions in blood pressure. Depression or anxiety have also been alternatively treated with non-conventional interventions, including exercise, yoga, and meditation. In addition, patients with mild-to-moderate Parkinson’s disease, mindfulness yoga has been shown to be effective in improving motor dysfunction and mobility. An experimental study conducted on adults before and after the 4-day Isha Yoga Bhava Spandana Program evaluated AEA, 2-AG, 1-arachidonoylglycerol (1-AG), DEA, oleoylethanolamide (OLA), and BDNF on anxiety and depression through psychological scales. Authors reported changes in major eCBs levels, with increase in AEA, 2-AG, 1-AG, DEA, and BDNF after meditation, suggesting a participation for these biomarkers in the underlying mechanism of meditation (Sadhasivam et al., 2020). Indeed, increased BDNF levels has been linked in meditative practices and brain health in a 3-month yoga and meditation retreat assessed with psychometric measures, circadian salivary cortisol levels, and pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines (Cahn et al., 2017). In addition, a 3-month meditation retreat has been evaluated on telomerase activity and the experience of stress, with participants controlled in concentrative meditation techniques and collection of peripheral blood mononuclear cell samples for telomerase activity. Authors reported a clear link between meditation and positive psychological change with telomerase activity (Jacobs et al., 2011).