5 ways meditation may improve your heart health (and how to try it)
Clinically reviewed by Dr. Chris Mosunic, PhD, RD, MBA
We know meditation can cut down on your stress and anxiety, but can it also... boost your heart health? Explore the benefits and 5 ways to meditate for your heart.
Trying to take care of your heart can feel overwhelming. We hear so much about eating well, exercising, and avoiding stress. But sometimes actually practicing those (especially that last one) isn’t so easy. If you’ve ever felt like you need a way to slow down and unwind, meditation might be a simple yet powerful tool to add to your routine.
And meditating isn’t just for relaxation. More and more research is showing that it can play a big role in protecting your heart, too. Whether you’re managing high blood pressure, dealing with daily stress, or simply looking for ways to boost your overall heart health, meditation can offer you real benefits.
And you can do it for free! (Who doesn’t love that?) Here’s what you need to know to de-stress and boost your heart health.
How meditation may improve heart health
Meditation is known to help calm both your mind and your body. And when you practice these soothing techniques consistently, it can lead to noticeable improvements in your heart health.
It’s important to note that meditation alone can’t give you perfect health. Exercising, eating right, and sometimes medication also are important factors in maintaining a healthy heart.
To break it down even further, here are five ways meditation can improve your heart (according to some recent studies):
1. Reduced stress: When you’re stressed, your body releases hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. These can raise your heart rate and blood pressure. Over time, this can really take a toll on your heart and increase your risk of heart disease.
Meditation can help calm your nervous system and bring your hormone levels into balance, which can allow your body (and heart) to relax.
2. Lower blood pressure: High blood pressure, or hypertension, is one of the biggest risk factors for heart disease. Some studies have found that people who meditate regularly experience small but consistent drops in their blood pressure, reducing strain on their heart.
Meditation has been known to help relax your blood vessels and give you better circulation. This can lead to you having lower blood pressure.
3. Improved heart rate variability (HRV): Heart rate variability (HRV) is a measure of how well your heart adjusts to different situations. A higher HRV means that your heart is responding well to stress and relaxation. If you have a high HRV, it’s a sign that you have good heart health.
Studies have shown that when you meditate, you can improve your HRV. This can make your heart more resilient and adaptable. Also, it’s a sign that your heart and nervous system are working well together.
4. Healthier habits: A lot of times when you make unhealthy choices in your life, it’s in part because you’re doing it mindlessly, or without thinking about it too hard.
Meditation can help you become more aware of your thoughts and actions, helping you make healthier choices, like eating better and exercising more. This mindfulness can lead to long-term changes that improve your overall wellbeing and protect your heart.
5. Reduced inflammation: When your body experiences too much stress, it can cause you to have increased inflammation. This can damage your blood vessels and raise your risk of heart problems.
Meditation has been shown to lower the markers of inflammation in your body. Over time, this can help protect your heart.
5 ways to use meditation for heart health
Too often the things that help us take care of our bodies, minds, and hearts come with a high price tag. But the beauty of meditation is that it's free. And you can pretty much do it anywhere you want. All you need is a few extra minutes a day, and you’re good to go.
Here are five meditation techniques to try out that can help lower your stress, improve your circulation, and give your heart a little extra care.
1. Try a simple mindfulness meditation
Mindfulness meditation involves sitting quietly and paying attention to your breath, thoughts, and the sensations in your body. The aim isn’t to stop your thoughts but to simply notice them without judgment and to gently bring your focus back to the present moment.
This practice may help lower your stress hormones, which might strain your heart. It can also help to calm your nervous system.
Top tip: Start small with just five minutes a day. Sit comfortably, close your eyes, and focus on each breath as it flows in and out. And if your mind drifts — that’s okay. Just bring your attention back and start again. (If you want more guidance, here’s how to practice a basic mindfulness meditation in seven steps. )
💙 Tamara Levitt’s Mindfulness session will help you practice this simple form of meditation.
2. Explore Loving-kindness meditation
Loving-kindness meditation is all about creating feelings of love, compassion, and goodwill. During this practice, you silently repeat phrases like, “May I be happy. May I be healthy. May I be safe.” Then after focusing on yourself, you extend these well-wishes to loved ones, acquaintances, and even people you may find difficult.
This technique can help you feel less anger and resentment. And studies show that cultivating positive emotions may help lower your inflammation and promote emotional balance.
Top tip: When you’re brushing your teeth every morning, look in the mirror and say one kind thing about yourself. It might feel silly, but focusing on kindness can make you feel lighter and more relaxed.
💙 Follow along with Tamara Levitt’s Loving Kindness meditation to give this style a chance.
3. Try a body scan meditation
Body scan meditation is about slowly bringing your attention to different parts of your body. You usually start with your head and make your way down to your toes. As you do this, you slowly notice any tightness or discomfort and then you consciously relax each area.
Scanning your body can reduce your muscle tension, lower your blood pressure, and help your body release the stress that may be weighing on your heart. Check out this step-by-step guide to practicing a body scan. .
Top Tip: Find a comfortable place like your bed or your favorite chair and (yes, you can lie down!) and start your body scan. Wherever’s going to make you feel the most relaxed is a great place to practice.
💙 Listen to Gratitude Body Scan for Sleep with Jay Shetty to help you unwind and get ready for bed.
4. Explore guided meditation
If meditating on your own sounds intimidating, try giving guided meditation a try. In this method, a teacher, either in person or through an app or video, leads you through the process. The teacher usually focuses on relaxation, visualization, or breathing exercises to help you calm your mind and body.
Having someone there to guide you can make it easier to stay focused. And you can choose a mediation specifically for reducing your stress or calming your heart.
Top Tip: If having someone there would make you more likely to meditate, consider asking a friend to go to a park and do a guided meditation. You can even listen to one together on our Calm app!
5. Combine yoga and meditation
Yoga can be a great practice for your heart as it combines physical movement, breathwork, and meditation. Its gentle movements help improve circulation, flexibility, and strength, while the breathing exercises can help calm your nervous system. This combo can improve your HRV and reduce your stress levels.
Top Tip: Start slowly, especially if you’re new to the practice. If you’re wanting to try yoga at home and not sure where to start, here are five yoga poses you can try.
💙 The Daily Move with Mel Mah is a great introduction to different short yoga moves and practices.
Meditation for heart health FAQs
Does mindfulness improve heart health?
Mindfulness isn’t a guarantee that you’ll have a healthy heart, but it can help to significantly improve your overall heart health.
When you focus on being mindful, it helps you to stay more present. This can help you manage your stress better, and over time, balance out your levels of cortisol and adrenaline.
And if you practice it regularly, it may help you to have lower blood pressure and better heart rate variability. When you’re more aware of your body and emotions, it’s also easier to make positive choices like eating better and exercising more.
What types of meditation are good for the heart?
Most kinds of meditation can positively affect your heart because they help relax you and also help give you emotional balance.
If you’re interested in getting your meditation on, here are five options that are good for your heart:
Mindfulness meditation: This style helps reduce your stress and improve your heart by focusing on your breath and staying present.
Loving-kindness meditation: This type helps promote positive emotions, which over time, can lower your inflammation and ease your tension.
Body scan meditation: This kind helps release physical stress by scanning your body and slowly tensing and releasing different body parts. And if you’re curious to try it out, here are five tips that can get you started.)
Guided meditation: This style helps provide structured relaxation and makes it easier to stay on track as you meditate. (And if this floats your boat, check out this guided meditation for happiness.)
Yoga with meditation: This method combines movement and breathing with meditation. It can support your heart health by improving your circulation and reducing your cortisol levels. (Here are five stress-relieving poses you can try out.)
Are there any risks associated with meditation for people with heart disease?
In general, meditation is considered to be safe for people with heart disease. To be safe though, try to approach it gently. Also as a rule of thumb if you do have heart disease or a heart condition, meditation should be done as a compliment to your medical treatments and not as a replacement to it.
And if you do have a heart condition, always talk to your doctor ahead of time before starting any new practices. Some forms of meditation like deep breathing or yoga, can be a little more challenging and may require you to make adjustments, especially if you have a severe heart condition or frequently feel dizzy.
It’s also common to feel emotional discomfort when you first start meditation. If you experience this, remind yourself that this is very normal and this usually improves with practice. (And if you’re currently feeling this way, here are nine tips that might be able to help you out.)
How does meditation compare to other stress-reduction techniques in improving heart health?
If meditation isn’t your thing but you’re still wanting to improve your heart health, don’t worry! There are still plenty of other options you can try that can also give you similar benefits.
Tai chi, yoga, and even walking also can lower your stress and promote your heart health. Usually what makes meditation stand out is that you can pretty much do it from wherever and it doesn’t require any equipment.
But really when it comes down to it, the best stress-reduction technique is just the one you enjoy the most because if it makes you happy, you’re more likely to stick with it.
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