Genetic Stress is Proven – You Can Reverse It

Science has proven through epigenetics that we inherit stress from our ancestors and absorb our mother's stress in the womb. The concept that genetic stress is proven is further highlighted by how our actions today significantly impact our genetic expression, shaping outcomes of well-being or disease.

Both stress and relaxation are frequently misunderstood. It is often thought that stress is a minor problem, similar to a light cold and that relaxation is simply an escape from work through recreation. They are much more than this.

Stress is deeply embedded in the body and mind from birth. We carry the cellular memory of our deep past, the trials and traumas of our ancestors, and the worries and tensions that our mother experienced while we were in her womb.

True relaxation is a skill that inhibits negative genetic expression and triggers positive genetic expression. It short-circuits our predisposition towards disease.

Understanding and practicing relaxation can significantly influence and even control your biological and psychological processes. You disrupt the everyday stresses and deep tensions you've carried since birth, which have formed who you are. This enables the regeneration of the body-mind on a cellular level.

Choosing how your genetics express

We had no choice or control over our ancestral inheritance, nor did we have a say in what happened to us in the womb. We inherited strengths and weaknesses from our ancestors and, therefore, developed strengths and weaknesses while we were growing in the womb.

Our weaknesses cause us daily stress and, if not managed well, prevent us from dealing with accumulating pressures. We are all obligated to address these if we want a healthy, disease-free life. We have to learn how to use our strengths to manage our weaknesses, and if we become skilled enough, we can actually transform our weaknesses into strengths.

From a young age, we have made lifestyle choices that have positively or negatively impacted our lives. How well we feel today is a result of how successful we have been in reducing our accumulated daily stresses and combating the stress of our genetic inheritance. Fortunately, we can still make choices today that will positively impact the rest of our lives and alter our genetic vulnerabilities.

You are more powerful than you think

It is crucial to appreciate the immense power you have over your own genetic expression.

The lifestyle you create today, the amount of exercise you get, your eating habits, and the quality of your relationships play a big part in this. Relaxation is a critical part of this.

Research shows that yoga and meditation rapidly and positively affect genes. Our ability to relax and accumulate relaxation in our body rather than stress is the foundation of a healthy lifestyle.

Relaxation exerts a tremendously positive influence over all aspects of your life. It is a skill that can literally save your life.

Our Relaxation Meditation Course teaches you how to relax and become aware of your stress levels and triggers as they occur so that you stop accumulating stress.

As you practice the techniques of this course and engage in the integration exercises, you become sensitized to the damage that stress is causing you so that you tolerate it less and can quickly implement changes that promote relaxation and well-being. You learn to accumulate positive feelings of relaxation and resilience rather than stress and weakness. This accumulation gives you great reserves of stabilized, healthy energy.

Epigenetic research into stress during pregnancy

Science has long known about the adverse effects of stress on pregnant animals through research on monkeys.

An opportunity to conduct this human research occurred in January 1998 when a group of Canadian researchers took advantage of a natural disaster, a devastating ice storm in Québec. 

One of the country’s worst natural disasters, the ice storm, resulted in power outages across eastern Canada, forcing residents to brave the severe cold without electricity for up to six weeks.

Suzanne King, an associate professor of psychiatry at McGill University, created Project Ice Storm, which, over the last 15 years, has followed 150 children who were exposed to this natural disaster while in the womb.

The research revealed that the longer women were exposed to stress, the more severe the impact on their children’s genetic expression.

It showed that stress during pregnancy resulted in impaired general cognitive, intellectual, and language development of their children. Stress had a negative effect on a host of measures, including lower IQ, impaired language ability, a greater likelihood of obesity, a weakened immune system, and an increased chance of food allergies.

From the point of view of epigenetics, if a mother's stress impairs our genetics in the womb, we can confidently assume that any form of relaxation and meditation that reduces stress positively impacts gene expression.

Reversing Genetic Stress with Meditation

Given the wealth of evidence, it's clear that genetic stress is proven to affect our well-being, but the story doesn't end there. While we may carry the weight of ancestral stress and the imprints of maternal tension, we also possess a powerful tool for reversing these effects—meditation.

Regular meditation practices not only interrupt the accumulation of daily stress but also actively engage in reshaping how our genes express themselves.

Meditation works on a cellular level to foster resilience and initiate positive genetic expression. By cultivating deep relaxation, meditation helps reverse the adverse effects of inherited stress patterns, creating an environment in the body where health can flourish. This process not only mitigates our predisposition to certain diseases but also supports cognitive, emotional, and immune system functions.

The consistent practice of meditation can recalibrate the body’s stress responses and improve genetic resilience. Research has demonstrated that meditation influences the very building blocks of our biological makeup by reducing stress-related genes and activating genes associated with health and longevity.

While we may have inherited genetic vulnerabilities, we have the capacity to shift how these genes are expressed through mindful choices and stress-reducing practices. Meditation is a proven, powerful ally in this pursuit, enabling us to break the cycle of inherited stress and lead healthier, more balanced lives.

To learn deep relaxation and meditation techniques to support your well-being, we invite you to take our Relaxation Meditation Course.