More recently, biomarkers of ‘Cellular Aging’ are identified. They are telomeres and telomerase enzyme. Telomeres are the caps at the ends of chromosomes. With every cell division, the length of telomeres is reduced. The enzyme telomerase helps rebuild telomeres but its level naturally declines with advancing age.

Hans Selye (1950), the father of stress physiology, explained that stress is cumulative and it affects aging. He demonstrated that with every exposure to a stressor (a demand for adjustment), the individual’s adaptability – stress coping ability is reduced if it happens to be a distress (unhealthy stress wherein the person fails to cope up with the demand), as shown in the following diagram. But if it happens to be a eustress (healthy stress wherein the person is successfully able to cope up with the demand, i.e., s/he is able to make the necessary psychological and biological adjustment), the adaptability increases.

Whenever a person is exposed to a stressor, some of the reserve of adaptability is utilized. When the stress period is over, the system will come almost back to the baseline, but not exactly to the baseline. Certain amount of adaptability is exhausted. Upon exposure to a stressor next time, the person will utilize his/her adaptability from the new baseline. At the end of the stress period s/he will again come almost back to the base line. Like this, over a period of time the person’s adaptability is reduced. This is called aging by Selye. (Along with the base line, the threshold line is also raised. If it happens to be a eustress, the threshold line rises more than the base line and ultimately adaptability is increased).

Elissa Epel and her colleagues (2004) have demonstrated that chronic stress – and especially, how a person perceives stress – reduces telomerase activity with a significant impact on the length of telomeres in immune system cells indicating cellular aging.

Mental Health and Aging Women

The aging women face increasing obstacles to their mental health due to a number of factors like, their life course medical history and present physical health, lifestyle, work, social protection, care-giving responsibilities, socio-economic status, marital status, access to health services, dependence on other family members and their long-term exposure to gender-based violence, unremunerated labor and discrimination. In turn the mental health and perceived stress will influence their aging process.

The Concepts of “I”, “I-ness” and “Reality”

The impression of or the perception of ourselves in our mind is called ego or “I-ness”. The sense of “I-ness” is generally associated with (identified with) our mind or intellect or body or relationship/social status. The sense that “I am stressed” or “I am aging” is actually the result of identification of “I-ness” with the mind or with the body respectively. Sigmund Freud explains that the psychological aspect of our personality which helps us in thinking rationally on the basis of reality is ego.

According to the teachings of Vedanta, there are three types of realities or satta:

(1) The perceptual reality (Aanubhavik satta) is based on the individual’s perception of the object, person or situation, e.g. “the sun is rising in the east and setting in the west” or “He is good or bad” or “I am fortunate or unfortunate”.

(2) The empirical reality (Vyavaharik satta) is based on the objective fact about the object, person or situation, e.g. “the earth is moving around its axis and whichever part of the earth is coming in front of the sun there a person will sense that as though the sun is rising” or “He is a tall man” or “I am aging”.

(3) The absolute reality (Parmarthik satta) is “I am (and also the whole universe is) a pure, absolute, eternal and blissful consciousness”. So acceptance of absolute reality means realizing that the consciousness is manifested in the form of the sun over there, it is the same consciousness manifested in the form of this earth and also I (the witness of the sun and this earth), am the same consciousness.

The Concept of Pancha-kosha (Five Sheaths)

The sense of I-ness (the Ego) always remains identified with (or operates from) one of the five koshas (sheaths). Or one can say, the “ego energy” (Federn, 1952) is invested in one of the five sheaths at any given point of time.

Annamaya kosha (Food sheath): This includes the external physical body. When a person thinks (says or believes), “I am tall” or “I am beautiful or handsome”, s/he is operating from her/his Annamaya kosha. S/he assumes that s/he is the body which actually is tall or beautiful or handsome. [Ego energy is invested in the physical body].

Pranamaya kosha (Vital sheath): This includes biological processes and their consequences (instincts or diseases). When a person senses that “I am thirsty” or “I am hungry” or “I am weak” or “I am suffering from diabetes”, s/he is operating from her/his Pranamaya kosha. (Actually reduction in fluid volume or increase in electrolyte concentration in the body is causing activation of ‘thirst center’, situated in the hypothalamus of brain, and it is sensed by the individual as thirst.) [Ego energy is invested in a biological process]

Manomaya kosha (Mind sheath): This refers to the mind or thoughts and feelings. When a person says or perceives that “I am angry” or “I am sad” or “I am frightened”, s/he is said to be operating from her/his Manomaya kosha. The anger or sadness or fear is a feeling created in her/his mind. And the person (ego) identifies with this emotion and gets totally engrossed into the particular feeling. [Ego energy is invested in the emotion]

Vigyanamaya kosha (Intellect sheath): This is the knowledge. When a person says that “I know” or “I don’t know” or when a person is using intellect or knowledge in performing any task, s/he is operating from the Vigyanamaya kosha. [Ego energy is invested in the knowledge]

Anandmaya kosha (Bliss sheath): This is the presence of pleasure, joy or ecstasy in the mind. Generally an individual will identify with this kosha when s/he gets the object, person or situation which s/he desired to have or when s/he is able to get rid of an object, person or situation which s/he wanted to get rid of. [Ego energy is invested in the feeling of happiness]

[There are two koshas related with feelings: Manomaya kosha related with all negative feelings, like anger, fear, anxiety, depression etc. and Anandmaya kosha related with all healthy feelings, like happiness, joy, contentment, peace, love etc.]

Originally the concept of Pancha-kosha was utilized by the Guru for indicating to the disciple the real nature of the ‘self’, the consciousness, the absolute reality by negation of each of the five koshas.

Purification of Koshas

When the ego of a woman is identified with her Annamaya kosha, she is “the physical I”. If there is any issue with the external physical look of her body (or her body image) she will suffer / she will be agonized. She wants to have a beautiful good looking body (according to her own concept of beauty). Similarly, when the ego is identified with biological processes or instincts (Pranmaya kosha) and if there is something wrong there (thirst, hunger or some biological ailment), she will have agony/suffering. She wants a comfortable, active, alert and healthy body.

Any procedures/techniques which help in maintaining good looking, comfortable and healthy body (or healthy body image) will help her in overcoming the suffering. Consumption of shuddha, satvik and vegetarian diet, observing the five Niyamas, practicing Yogasana, Pranayama and Satkarma are the recommendations by the scriptures for purification of Annamaya and Pranmaya koshas. Ultimately understanding (by being in the Vigyanmaya kosha) the illusion (maya) and thereby thinking that “it is the body which is growing old and as I love my body, it is the tool by which I am living my life in this world, I wish to take loving care of my body” will make her proactive (for better care of her body) but prevent her from going into depression.