A Landmark in Women’s Health: 2025 National High Blood Pressure Guidelines Include Transcendental Meditation
As we announced in our September mini-magazine, we have some exciting news that we’ll elaborate below: The Transcendental Meditation technique is now officially included in the U.S. national guidelines for preventing and treating high blood pressure.
Blood pressure measures the force against the walls of your blood vessels as the heart pumps blood through the body. Sustained high blood pressure (hypertension) damages the vessels, strains the heart, and is one of the most serious risks for cardiovascular disease.
Persistent high blood pressure can damage blood vessels in the brain, increasing the risk of dementia. It can also harm vision, strain the kidneys, and fuel the rise of metabolic disorders such as obesity and diabetes. The leading cause of fatality in women across all races and ages is heart disease—with almost half of all deaths from coronary heart disease attributed to hypertension.
These guidelines, just released by the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology, are the gold standard for America’s physicians.
The 2025 guidelines indicate that the TM technique is a safe and effective way to lower blood pressure—alongside healthy eating, exercise, and medication when needed.
This marks the first time a meditation technique has been formally recommended in the nation’s leading high blood pressure treatment guideline. The committee rated the evidence for TM as moderate to high quality, noting consistent clinical trial data showing average reductions of 5–7 mm Hg in systolic blood pressure among people with hypertension and about 5 mm Hg among those without. Even a small reduction in blood pressure can translate into a significant reduction in the risk for heart attack or stroke.
TM, with the strongest most consistent body of scientific evidence among stress-reducing methods, was the only meditation program singled out; other stress-reduction methods such as breathing techniques and yoga were mentioned but supported by lower levels of evidence.
“This is a landmark acknowledgement of the evidence-base supporting the blood pressure-lowering benefits of Transcendental Meditation,” said Robert D. Brook, MD, Chair of the American Heart Association’s scientific committee on alternative approaches to lowering blood pressure and Professor of Medicine at Wayne State University.
The TM technique is easy to learn and effortless to practice. It’s deeply relaxing and enjoyable, with both immediate and long term benefits. This recent release of the 2025 national guidelines recognizes formally that TM is a safe, non-drug option that everyone can incorporate along with healthy lifestyle changes and necessary medical care.
