7 biggest benefits of daily meditation practice

Meditation benefits count, don’t they? Otherwise, why would all these millions of people waste twenty minutes twice a day, sitting with their eyes closed and doing nothing useful? 

1. Stress relief

Overcoming stress could well be THE main Transcendental Meditation benefit.

After all, as scientists are finding out from so many angles — stress is the root cause of almost all the other mind-body ailments and dysfunctions!

Research conducted with students, with people suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, or with employees confirms beyond doubt that TM provides deep relaxation and rest for the body and mind. Its main effects in terms of stress relief are:

• balancing the nervous system activation,


• balancing hormonal levels,


• increasing brain coherence.

As a result, our body and mind no longer overreact to stressful situations.

2. Higher work efficiency

Research has been conducted both in smaller and in bigger companies.



Across the board, regular TM meditators improve significantly (3 months into practice) on such crucial measures as:

1. effectiveness,


2. leadership abilities,


3. job satisfaction,


4. professional relationships,


5. physiological settledness and stability during mental task performance (measured by skin conductance levels),


6. status of general health.

3. Better school performance

Numerous studies with students at all levels of their educational path (primary school, middle school, college, universities etc) demonstrate that someone practicing TM meditation benefits from:

• increases in general intellectual and cognitive performance,


• positive impact on academic test results,


• reduced negative school behaviour (absenteeism, infractions),


• reduced school-related stress, anxiety and depression.

4. Healthy blood pressure

Numerous studies confirm that Transcendental Meditation reduces blood pressure.



Controlled trials show that it leads to lower blood pressure in

• people with hypertension,


• people with heart disease,


• old and young,


• under stress and at rest.

For instance, one controlled study of individuals over 55 years of age with hypertension showed that people practicing TM lived longer. Their rate of mortality related to elevated blood pressure decreased by 30%

5. Lower risk of heart disease

As lowering blood pressure is often one of the main targets in heart disease prevention / treatment, then TM practice provides a vital advantage here.

Scientific research has shown that Transcendental Meditation benefits people with various cardiovascular conditions such as

• atherosclerosis,


• metabolic syndrome,


• congestive heart failure,


• myocardial ischemia,


• left ventricular hypertrophy.

A recent 5-year longitudinal study by the AHA demonstrated that patients meditating regularly were 48 per cent less likely to suffer a heart attack, stroke or die than men and women with similar physical conditions.

6. Hyperactivity (ADHD) treatment

Almost every tenth person in the population has been or will be suffering from hyperactivity. According to research, 3 months of Transcendental Meditation practice results in

• improvements in brain function measures associated with hyperactivity symptoms,


• improvements in five ADHD-symptoms:
  (1) ability to focus on schoolwork,
  (2) organizational abilities,
  (3) ability to work independently,
  (4) happiness,
  (5) quality of sleep.

7. Improved intelligence

Last but definitelty not least, meditation benefits our intelligence!

Scientific research has found that meditators’ test scores will improve in the following areas:

• ability to successfully reason in new situations,


• speed of information processing,


• ability to achieve and maintain success in work, love, social relationships,


• a cluster of traits including cognitive functioning, personality and social behaviour,


• balanced use of cognitive, affective and volitional domains (traits like comprehension, analysis, curiosity, unconventionality, synthesis, and risk calculation).

Research and scientific basis

In terms of these results described above, there is no need to rely on good guesses or on keeping your fingers crossed. It works, it works, and it works – as proven by the most cutting-edge, rigorous research the modern science can offer.

The TM technique relies on a subtle effect of sound in bringing your mind-body system to a physiological state of deep relaxation.

And as confirmed by science, this state of alert restfulness leads – through lower breathing rate, decreased stress hormone concentration and increased brain coherence – to an overall improvement in your physical and mental condition.