When the American cardiologist Dr. Herbert Benson, along with colleagues, described the "Relaxation Response" in the 1970s, it opened the door for a shift in perspective: not only medications, but also mental practices can have measurable effects on the heart and circulatory system. At the same time, women as pioneers in nursing, public health, and mind-body medicine kept the evidence alive – from clinical programs to community workshops. Today, we build on that: mindfulness-based meditation is taken seriously in scientific research and shows potential for blood pressure, stress regulation, and cardiovascular resilience ^[1].

Meditation is a state of attention training: it cultivates focused presence and calm perception. Mindfulness meditation directs attention to the breath, bodily sensations, and thoughts without judgment. Crucial for heart health is the balance of the autonomous nervous systemunconscious stress regulation system consisting of the sympathetic (activation) and parasympathetic (recovery) systems. Prolonged psychological pressure increases stress hormones, drives up blood pressure, and enhances inflammatory processes. Here, meditation acts like a "regulator": it reduces cognitive load, stabilizes the stress response, and promotes a dominance of recovery. Terms such as heart rate variability (HRV)fluctuations between heartbeats as markers for the flexibility of the nervous system and endothelial functionperformance of the vascular inner wall to dilate/regulate are practically relevant: they reflect how well your system responds to demands and whether your heart is protected in the long term.

Meditation has been shown to reduce stress perception and can positively influence blood pressure – two levers that contribute to heart diseases ^[1]. Studies also show that Tai Chi, a meditative form of movement, improves blood pressure and vascular function while simultaneously reducing stress – a double benefit for cardiovascular fitness ^[2]. In older individuals at increased risk, a long meditation program showed no effect on the overall risk score, but a decrease in diastolic blood pressure in the risk group – a clinically relevant component for prevention and secondary prevention ^[3]. Mindfulness can also reduce cognitive stress and improve cognitive flexibility, which disrupts the stress spiral in daily life – indirectly relieving the heart through more stable self-regulation ^[4]. Conversely, a lack of relaxation complicates stress processing and can hinder heart-protective recovery ^[4].

A systematic examination of mindfulness and guided meditations shows they are promising as non-pharmacological complements, especially for blood pressure regulation and potentially for markers such as HRV, cortisol, and inflammation – important factors for heart health ^[1]. The relevance is high, as hypertension is widespread globally and correlates with mortality; meditation addresses the stress component that is often neglected in conventional programs. For movement plus mindfulness, Tai Chi provides robust evidence: gentle, flowing sequences with calm breathing improve cardiovascular fitness, lower blood pressure, and support vascular function, while mood and stress levels benefit in parallel. Research also emphasizes practicality in rehabilitation programs and community offerings, although standardized instruction still needs to be expanded ^[2]. Long-term data are scarce, but an 18-month program with older adults showed a reduction in diastolic blood pressure among individuals with a higher baseline risk, while the overall Framingham score remained unchanged. This suggests meditation reveals its strongest benefits when risk factors are present or used as part of a multimodal program ^[3]. Additionally, a four-week intervention in young adults documented lower perceived stress and better cognitive flexibility – effects that improve stress management in daily life, even if not all physiological markers change in the short term ^[4].

- Start a 10-minute protocol: Sit down at the same time every day, focus your attention on your breath, count inhalations and exhalations up to ten, and start over when your thoughts drift. Increase weekly by 2–5 minutes until you reach 20 minutes. Goal: reduce stress levels and dampen blood pressure-related stress response ^[1].
- Combine movement and meditation: Practice Tai Chi or gentle yoga 2–3 times a week for 20–40 minutes. Focus on slow, controlled movements and deep breathing. This strengthens vascular function, lowers blood pressure, and improves cardiovascular fitness ^[2].
- Establish routines for long-term effects: Set fixed anchors (alarm clocks, calendars, breathing exercises before meetings). Use a quick breathing technique (e.g., 4 seconds in, 6 seconds out) before and after stress peaks. Continuity promotes antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects and can lower cardiovascular risk ^[3][1].
- Manage cognitive stress purposefully: In stressful moments, internally name the experience (“anger,” “time pressure”) and return to your breath. Add a 5-minute mindfulness exercise for cognitive flexibility once a day (e.g., conscious focus shifts: sounds – body – breath). This improves stress regulation in daily life and indirectly protects the heart ^[4].

The coming years will show how digital biofeedback tools, standardized training protocols, and personalized meditation can make heart prevention more precise. Studies linking combinations of breathing, movement, and mindfulness practices with cardiovascular endpoints are to be expected – a step towards practical high-performance prevention.