A Landmark Moment for Transcendental Meditation and Health
This month brought a quiet but historic shift in medicine. For the first time, the official U.S. Guideline for High Blood Pressure, created by the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology, has recognized Transcendental Meditation®️ (TM) as a reasonable option to help prevent and manage high blood pressure.
The guideline states: “In adults with or without hypertension, stress reduction through transcendental meditation may be reasonable to prevent or treat elevated blood pressure and hypertension, as an adjunct to lifestyle or medication interventions.”
This acknowledgment matters. High blood pressure is one of the biggest health risks we face today — and yet it’s also one of the most preventable. Alongside diet, exercise, and lifestyle choices, for the first time stillness itself has been placed alongside these pillars of health.
So what sets TM apart?
The guideline looked carefully at many stress-reduction approaches. Here’s what it found:
Transcendental Meditation: consistent, moderate- to high-level evidence from clinical trials, with average reductions of about 5 mmHg systolic and 2 mmHg diastolic.
Breathing techniques: moderate-grade evidence, with average reductions of about 5/3 mmHg — though these studies varied widely in method and approach.
Yoga: low- to moderate-grade evidence.
Mindfulness and other interventions: described as less robust and of lower quality — mostly small, short-term trials with mixed results.
The effect size looks similar for TM and some breathing methods. But the real difference is consistency, quality, and standardization. TM, a technique from ancient Vedic tradition brought to the world by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, is a single, well-defined technique taught uniformly around the world. That’s what has allowed researchers to build a stronger, more reproducible evidence base — and it’s why TM is the only meditation practice singled out by name in the guideline.
For those of us who practice, this is not surprising. We know that when the mind settles, the body follows. Stress dissolves, blood pressure softens, the heart finds balance.
Still, it’s heartening to see modern medicine affirm what meditators have long experienced: stillness heals.
✨ If you’re searching for the right wellbeing program for your organization, give us a call — we’d be happy to share what TM can do for your team.
✨ If you’ve already learned TM but found yourself a little “lazy” with practice lately, reach out about our community programs. They’re a gentle way to reconnect, refresh, and enjoy meditating together again.
✨ And if you’re simply curious and would like to learn TM for yourself, we’d love to welcome you to an introductory session.
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Sometimes the most powerful change begins simply — by closing the eyes and turning inward.
