Meditation and stress: why your practice might be changing your body for the better

If you’ve ever rolled out your yoga mat after a stressful day or settled into meditation hoping to find a little peace, you’re not alone. Many people turn to yoga and meditation for that sense of calm, but it’s natural to wonder what’s actually happening inside the body when you meditate - especially if you stick with it for months or even years.

Recent scientific exploration has begun to unravel this mystery, especially by looking at how Transcendental Meditation (TM), a popular meditation technique, affects the body’s stress hormones. The focus has been on cortisol, often called the “stress hormone,” which tends to spike when we’re anxious, overwhelmed, or under pressure.

In one revealing study, three groups were observed: people who had never meditated, people who had just started TM, and those who had been practicing TM regularly for three to five years. All participants spent time in a quiet lab, either meditating (for the TM groups) or simply resting with their eyes closed (for the non-meditators). Throughout the session, researchers measured hormone levels and monitored whether anyone drifted off to sleep.

The results were striking. Long-term meditators experienced a dramatic drop in their cortisol levels - about 27% lower after just 30 minutes of meditation. This wasn’t just a fluke or the result of dozing off; brain and muscle activity showed that both meditators and non-meditators were equally awake during the session. The difference was that only those with a long-term meditation practice experienced this deep, physiological relaxation. For beginners, the effect was milder, and for non-meditators, simply sitting quietly didn’t change their stress hormones at all.

Interestingly, testosterone levels didn’t change in any group, which suggests that the calming effect of meditation is specific to stress hormones like cortisol - not a general suppression of all hormones.

For yoga and meditation enthusiasts, these findings are a powerful reminder that the benefits of meditation go far beyond just “feeling relaxed.” With regular, long-term practice, meditation can actually help the body recover from stress on a hormonal level. This could mean better sleep, improved mood, and even a stronger immune system over time. The unique state reached during meditation - something deeper than just resting with your eyes closed - has real, measurable effects on health.

For those new to meditation, it’s important not to be discouraged if a dramatic shift isn’t felt right away. The biggest benefits appear to come with consistency and time. Like yoga, meditation is a practice, and its effects build the more you do it.

What’s especially novel about these findings is the discovery that long-term meditation practice creates a unique physiological state that actively and acutely suppresses the body’s stress system - beyond what simple rest or sleep can achieve. Previously, it was often assumed that the relaxation experienced during meditation might just be a form of deep rest or light sleep. However, even when both meditators and non-meditators spent similar amounts of time awake or lightly dozing, only the long-term meditators experienced a sharp and significant drop in cortisol. This effect was not seen in people who were simply resting with their eyes closed, nor in those who had only recently started meditating.

What emerges is the understanding that meditation, when practiced regularly over the long term, trains the mind and body to enter a special state of relaxation that can “turn down” the body’s stress response on command. This is not just a subjective feeling - there is a measurable, hormone-level change happening in the body, unique to experienced meditators.

This elevates meditation from being “just another way to relax” to a powerful, trainable skill that can help manage stress in a way fundamentally different from simply taking a nap or sitting quietly. For yoga practitioners, this means that adding meditation to your practice isn’t just about calming the mind - it’s about teaching the body, over time, to recover from stress more efficiently and deeply.

A new direction for stress management is suggested here: by committing to a regular meditation practice, it becomes possible to actually rewire the body’s hormonal response to stress. This opens up exciting possibilities for preventing stress-related health problems and enhancing overall well-being through accessible, non-pharmaceutical means.

In summary, long-term meditation doesn’t just feel relaxing - it fundamentally changes how the body handles stress, creating a unique state of deep calm that becomes more accessible with practice. This is a game-changer for anyone interested in yoga and wellness, offering a scientifically backed reason to make meditation a regular part of your self-care routine. The next time you sit down to meditate or flow through your yoga sequence, remember: you’re not just calming your mind - you’re helping your body find balance, too. Science is catching up with what yogis and meditators have known all along: with patience and practice, you can truly change how you respond to stress, from the inside out.

Tips for yoga practitioners:

Commit to regular, long-term meditation Long-term Transcendental Meditation (TM) practice showed the biggest cortisol reduction. For full physiological benefits, make meditation daily - aim for two 20–40 minute sessions as in the study - and include it in your yoga routine.

Create a comfortable, dedicated space TM needs no special gear but does need comfort and quiet. Set up a distraction - free spot at home to help sustain your practice.

Be patient Major hormonal changes appear in long-term practitioners. Consistency over time reduces the stress response and improves well-being.

Practice daily, prepare a supportive space, and allow time for lasting stress reduction and calm.

Inspired by the research of R. Jevning & colleagues, Hormones and behavior, 1978

doi: 10.1016/0018-506x(78)90024-7