You probably know that meditation is a powerful tool for your health. A regular meditation practice has been linked to better sleep, improved self-confidence, and a renewed sense of calm, among many other benefits for your mind. And there’s evidence that taking a few minutes each day to relax, breathe, and quiet your mind can have a powerful effect on your body too. One possible physical benefit? Meditation may help lower your blood pressure.

“Caring for your mental health can nurture your physical wellbeing,” says Matt Glowiak, PhD, a licensed clinical professional counselor. 

Keep reading to learn how a meditation practice may help reduce blood pressure, including how long and how often you should ideally use mindfulness techniques for maximum benefit.

Does Meditation Lower Blood Pressure?

It’s no secret that in the moment, meditation makes you feel relaxed and calm. Combined with a healthy lifestyle, a regular meditation practice may support your physical health, too, including by possibly supporting lower blood pressure levels. (And that’s a good thing, since high blood pressure—also known as hypertension—is a serious condition that can increase your risk of heart attack and stroke.) 

More research on the effects meditation may have on blood pressure is needed, but some studies have identified a promising connection. In a 2025 review published in the journal Cogent Mental Health, for example, scientists noted that mindfulness could serve as “promising” complements to standard hypertension treatments. And in research presented at the American Heart Association (AHA)’s 2022 Scientific Sessions, adults with elevated blood pressure who followed an eight-week mindfulness behavior program (which involved meditation) were found to have significantly lower blood pressure six months later.

Experts believe meditation may help lower blood pressure because the soothing practice helps activate your parasympathetic nervous system (or the PSNS for short), a network of nerves in the autonomic nervous system that helps your body feel safe and relaxed after a stressful situation. On the flip side of things, when your body believes you’re in danger, you experience a fight-or-flight reaction—that’s your sympathetic nervous system (or SNS, another part of the autonomic nervous system) at work, putting your senses on high alert so you can respond to the source of that danger.

“Our minds often act like a ‘monkey mind,’ swinging between regrets about the past and worries about the future,” says Debra Kissen, PhD, a licensed clinical psychotherapist and founder of Light On Anxiety treatment centers. “When that happens, your brain can fuse thoughts with reality, and your body reacts as if those imagined calamities are actually happening, triggering the fight-or-flight response. This activation of the sympathetic nervous system can raise blood pressure.”

But the PSNS calms those senses—and remember, meditation can help kickstart that system. “Essentially, we experience a shift from the sympathetic to parasympathetic nervous system where everything slows down,” Glowiak explains.

In the process, stress hormones like cortisol dip too, points out Jayne Morgan, MD, a cardiologist and vice president of medical affairs at Hello Heart. And that’s a good thing for your blood pressure, as “chronic stress is a well-recognized contributor to hypertension,” she says. While experts aren’t exactly sure whether stress alone causes high blood pressure long-term, we do know that your heart beats faster and blood pressure spikes when you’re in a stressful situation. Meditation can help with this, too, as the practice involves slowed breathing, “which also lowers the heart rate, thereby naturally reducing the blood pressure,” Dr. Morgan adds.

It’s also possible that some people might react to stress by consuming more unhealthy foods or not getting enough exercise, habits that negatively impact their blood pressure and heart health, per the Mayo Clinic. Meditation may encourage people to make healthier food choices that in turn keep blood pressure levels in a healthy range. In a 2023 study published in JAMA Network Open, researchers found that participants who practiced a Mindfulness-Based Blood Pressure Reduction program were better able to follow a diet that prevents hypertension. (More on this program later.)

How Long Should You Meditate to Lower Blood Pressure?

Leading expert groups, such as the AHA and the National Institutes of Health, say a regular meditation practice can support your overall wellbeing. But most don’t share guidelines on how often to meditate to lower your blood pressure specifically. 

In studies, the amount of time participants practiced meditation techniques has varied: In the AHA’s research, for example, adults were told to follow a home mindfulness practice for at least 45 minutes a day, six days a week. Similarly, the International Society of Hypertension recommends that adults practice meditation (or yoga or tai chi) at least 45 minutes a day—but this time commitment may be challenging for some folks to fit into their routines. 

However, other research has identified benefits from far shorter sessions. “There are some studies showing as little as 10 minutes each day of meditation can lead to measurable reductions in both stress and blood pressure,” Dr. Morgan says.

If you have the time, around 20–30 minutes of meditation a day is a good goal, Dr. Morgan says. But if you’re a total meditation beginner and that sounds impossible, try not to feel overwhelmed. 

“Even five quiet minutes can start to make a difference by turning down the volume on the inner chatter and stress,” Glowiak says. “Over time, if you feel comfortable, you might naturally extend this practice to 10, 20 minutes or more. The goal is simply to find a rhythm that feels right.”

How Often Should You Meditate to Reduce Blood Pressure?

Again, as much meditation as you can fit into your schedule is great—but “the secret is in consistency,” Glowiak says. Ideally, you want meditation to be “close to a daily practice,” and “incorporated into your lifestyle and behavior,” according to Dr. Morgan. 

To make this happen, do your best to weave mindfulness into your regular routine. “Think of it like your daily cup of coffee or herbal tea: a comforting ritual that nurtures you, day after day,” Glowiak suggests. 

You might meditate during or right after stressful moments to calm down and keep those cortisol levels from spiking further, he says, as well as setting aside a few minutes each day to help make meditation a habit so it feels automatic. (For example, maybe you meditate while your morning coffee brews, every evening right before bedtime, or right after you finish a workout.)

Types of Meditation to Try for Lower Blood Pressure

There are so many types of meditation and mindfulness practices, and “there isn’t a one-size-fits-all prescription,” Glowiak says. The most important thing may be to simply find an approach that helps quiet your mind, connects you to the present moment, and leaves you in a more calm, restful state. Some techniques that may be worth trying include:

Remember: It may take a little trial and error to find a mindfulness technique or meditation style you really connect with, so don’t give up if your first attempt doesn’t click. “Some people find that focusing solely on the breath helps them anchor themselves in the present moment, while others thrive with a guided meditation that emphasizes whole-body relaxation,” Glowiak says. “Give yourself the freedom to experiment with various techniques until you discover what resonates most with you.”

Not sure where to get started? There are thousands of different meditation classes you can try on the Peloton App, from breathing-focused sessions to meditations specifically designed to bring you calm.

Other Things to Know About Meditation and Blood Pressure

Meditation can be a “powerful ally” in helping to manage your blood pressure, as Glowiak puts it, but it’s definitely not the only tool you should be using. Most importantly, if your doctor has prescribed you medication for elevated blood pressure, you should take it, experts stress. “High blood pressure is one of the primary drivers of heart attacks and strokes,” Dr. Morgan says, and skipping your medication could put you at risk.

Other strategies to keep your levels in a healthy range—plus benefit your overall wellbeing—include: 

The Takeaway

More research on meditation and blood pressure is needed, but the studies we do have suggest mindfulness techniques can be one worthwhile tool you can use to support healthy blood pressure levels. How? Meditation may help activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which calms the fight-or-flight response and lowers cortisol levels.

Just keep in mind that meditation won’t work alone to manage blood pressure levels; eating a healthy diet (such as the DASH diet), getting plenty of exercise and sleep, limiting alcohol and avoiding smoking, and taking any prescribed medication is also essential to keeping blood pressure levels in check.