Let’s be honest: most people still think of mindfulness as a cute little breathing exercise or some trendy self-care hack. A moment of zen between meetings. A breathing app. A yoga pose with lavender essential oil in their diffuser. But with burnout, chronic stress, and mental overload becoming the new norm, the world is desperately looking for something deeper. And that’s where May—National Meditation Month—comes in.
Now, before you roll your eyes and assume this is just another plug for secular spirituality wrapped in yoga pants and essential oils, hear me out…
I got pitched by a publicist (because, yes, that’s my life) who was repping Jaya Jaya Myra—a former immunologist turned best-selling wellness author—and I’ll admit, I was intrigued. According to her, meditation is “one of the most powerful tools we have to cultivate inner resilience, good physical health, and emotional balance.” She breaks down the science behind it and gives people practical tools to build real mental resilience.
And honestly? She’s not wrong.
The science backs it up:
- Reduced stress
- Improved memory
- Lower blood pressure
- Reduced cortisol levels
- Balanced hormones
- Better emotional health
- And improved overall physical health
All that from sitting still for 10 minutes? Wild.
But here’s my hot take: If we’re going to talk about meditation in May, let’s get serious about what real meditation looks like. I’m not talking about emptying your mind and chanting “om” while visualizing your aura or aligning your chakras. I’m talking about filling your mind with truth. Eternal truth.
For Christians, meditation isn’t about emptying ourselves—it’s about filling ourselves with Christ.
Catholicism has a rich, beautiful, ancient tradition of meditation that most people don’t even realize exists. We’ve been doing this WAY before it was trendy on TikTok. And our meditations don’t just make us feel good—they lead us to salvation.
Ever heard of the Rosary?
It’s one of the most profound ways to meditate. Each decade invites us to ponder a mystery in the life of Christ—from the Annunciation to the Crucifixion and beyond. We don’t empty our minds—we engage them fully. We don’t look inward for healing—we look upward.
It’s meditation with a purpose.
So, should Christians meditate?
Absolutely. But not in the way the world tells us to. Our meditation should lead us closer to God, not away from Him.
That’s why I was excited to interview Jaya Jaya Myra for this post. While her path may look a little different, her perspective on the science of meditation can help us better understand why it works so it will be easier to integrate it into our faith life!
Our Interview with Jaya Jaya Myra
How to lower cortisol levels with meditation?
Meditation is a powerful tool people can use to improve overall health, mental, emotional and physical, but it cannot specifically be targeted to treat a particular problem. Meditation has the tendency to lower cortisol levels because of its ability to help balance the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system in the body. Oftentimes when cortisol is high, we are in a fight or flight mode, and this causes an imbalance in the two aspects of the nervous system. Meditation can restore a balance between the two, allowing the parasympathetic nervous system to do the healing and regeneration it is known for.
Another powerful contributing factor to cortisol production is the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) Axis. It sends signals when the body is stressed causing the adrenal glands to secrete more cortisol. Regular and consistent meditation in addition to stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system, or as a part of that overall activity, also has been shown to downregulate HPA axis activity, reducing the frequency and intensity of cortisol release.
How can it lower blood pressure?
This again comes back to balancing the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system in the body. When the parasympathetic nervous system is working properly, less stress hormones are created, heart rate slows down and blood vessels dilate, lowering blood pressure.
Not only does meditation restore balance to the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system, it promotes parasympathetic dominance, helping the body to stay healthy and regulated so that when the sympathetic nervous system does have to kick in, it can do its work more effectively, without going into overdrive.
A sample meditation activity that people can try to see if meditation is right for them
It’s not about if meditation is right for people, it’s about what type of meditation is right for a specific person. We all likely know someone who says meditation hasn’t worked for them. The number 1 reason why is oftentimes because they were taught a technique that didn’t jive with their unique type. We all have a unique psychological and emotional temperament, any corresponding physical body type. In the work I do, I help people to understand these differences through an elemental approach to understanding themselves. I use the 5 elements that are part of the structure of Ayurveda, not Traditional Chinese Medicine, and I’ve found it to be a very powerful teaching tool to help people understand what will work for them any why, and also what is not likely to work for them.
For example, a person with a predominance of fire element in their constitution will definitely do well with a meditation technique that utilizes visualization (fire’s corresponding sensory perception is sight). Conversely, a person with a dominant air element, will probably prefer a breathing focused technique. The “why” is because your unique elemental constitution also governs your temperament, psychological disposition, the things you like, dislike, feel comforted by, and the things that repel you. When you do something out of alignment with your type, it just won’t work for you, but if you align with your fundamental constitution type, you’re promoting harmony and feeding into your strengths, meaning you’ll be more successful, and more quickly, then people who struggle with techniques not in alignment with their temperament.
Check out more about Jaya Jaya Myra on her website.
Let’s Go Deeper…
In a world that’s constantly pulling us in a thousand directions, a daily practice of stillness—rooted in prayer and the Word of God—isn’t optional anymore. It’s vital.
So, this May, don’t just jump on the latest mindfulness trend. Go deeper.
Grab your rosary.
Crack open your Bible.
Light a candle.
Release the anxiety.
Close the door.
And meditate—not on your breath, or your body, or some vague “higher self”—but on the mysteries of rosary and Jesus Christ our Lord.
Because the peace the world offers will never compare to the peace of knowing Him.
