Studies like this one.
Among the reasons I got interested in mind-body medicine in the 1980’s. Published this month, this small study advances the ball way forward.
Demonstrates that measurable impact on aging, immune function, etc all the way down to the level of our genes, happen immediately…….

“….evaluated the impact of a day of intensive meditation practice (8 hours) on the methylome of peripheral blood mononuclear cells in experienced meditators (n = 17). In parallel, we assessed the influence of a day of leisure activities in the same environment on the methylome of matched control subjects with no meditation experience (n = 17).”

“In the meditation group, we identified 61 differentially methylated sites after the intervention. These differentially methylated sites were enriched in genes mostly associated with immune cell metabolism and ageing and in binding sites for several transcription factors involved in immune response and inflammation, among other functions. In the control group, no significant change in methylation level was observed after the day of leisure activities.”
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“These results suggest that a short meditation intervention in trained subjects may rapidly influence the epigenome at sites of potential relevance for immune function and provide a better understanding of the dynamics of the human methylome over short time windows. “
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R.Chaix, et al
Differential DNA methylation in experienced meditators after an intensive day of mindfulness-based practice: Implications for immune-related pathways
Brain, Behavior, & Immunity — Volume 84 — February 2020 — page 36