11 Celebrities Who Say Meditation Has Changed Their Lives

Find out what these stars said about meditation…

Hugh Jackman has been meditating for over three decades, beginning as a young acting student because he felt that it would help him improve his craft. While practicing transcendental meditation did change him as an actor, it ended up also changing every aspect of his life -- making him a better person. 

“I thought it would really help me with my acting. That's why I sort of went and it did. It helps you be more present, more creative, more energized, more able to connect to people,” he told People. “What I realized very quickly is it changed everything in my life into better: My relationships, my sense of who I am, my accountability with who I am -- and literally, every aspect of my life changed.”

He continued, “For me, having that reset at lunchtime, I’ll go back in the afternoon, and I can watch people on set, sometimes flagging a little bit, and I’m like, ‘Let’s get ready to go.’ It’s not just energy. It’s the quality of the energy that makes you feel grounded, feel present, more creative, more able to be spontaneous.”

Kate Hudson is all about taking care of her mental health and in her book Pretty Happy: Healthy Ways to Love Your Body, she opened up about how her mom Goldie Hawn helped her begin her meditation journey. Since then, it’s become a big part of how she calms her mind and how she’s gotten through tough times.

“Meditation has saved my sanity. Not that I was crazy, but in this world of hyperspeed, overstimulation, no escape from technology, and constant emotional stress, it’s very hard to stay centered and grounded,” Kate wrote in her book. “And yet, since I’ve integrated meditation into my daily life -- which doesn’t mean I do it every day -- I feel so much more at ease, knowing that I can re-center myself when life feels out of control.”

Alicia Keys took up meditation after she became a mom for the second time. In 2021, Alicia explained that her “consistent spiritual practice began about six years ago” following the birth of her youngest son. At the time, she says she was “exhausted” and her “spirit was shot.” She turned to meditation to help her be a “good mother to [her] children, partner to [her]  husband, and friend to [herself].” 

“Between the chanting and the singing and the rhythm and the meaning of these ancient words, I discovered a sense of peace and comfort. I started to notice a richer connection with myself, an ability to go deeper,” she shared with USA Today. “After years of silence I could hear myself, trust my instincts, know what I wanted, know what I needed and not feel so insecure.”

She continued, “Once you make that kind of deep connection with yourself, your relationship with everything and everyone around you changes. As I'd hoped, I became a better mother because I was more confident in myself.”

Vanessa Hudgens is a big fan of meditation -- and she even met her husband, Cole Tucker, on a Zoom meditation group several years ago. She’s particularly a fan of meditation in motion, which includes practices like yoga.

“I’m a big fan of an active meditation,” she told People. “I feel like doing yoga is such an amazing form of an active meditation because there's nothing better when you're in your flow, your mind is clear. You’re getting a sweat on. You just are super, super present. I feel like that's the point. Whatever can take you out of your mind, and put you into the present is an active meditation.”

Tom Hanks loves mediation -- and has Jerry Seinfeld to thank for getting him involved in the practice. Tom explained that when he told Jerry that he was taking a year off from work to center himself, Jerry suggested he try meditation during his downtime. 

“He goes, ‘No, you’ve got to. I’ve been doing it since college,’” he shared on the Today show. “He put me together with his teacher, and it’s an odd, easy, life-changing thing. And should everybody [meditate]? Sure, why not?”

Dakota Johnson is all about taking care of her mental health, and for her that means lots of sleep, working out often, and meditating twice a day. The actress, who has dealt with depression since she was a teenager, says that meditation has helped her while she’s going through a tough time. 

“I do transcendental meditation,” she shared with the Wall Street Journal. “I’ve been really into breathwork recently and that’s been helping me a lot with anxiety.”

Lady Gaga is a big fan of meditation, sharing that it has helped her with her mental health struggles and makes her feel safe in her body. She even once hosted an online meditation session for her fans, opening up about how the practice has changed her life. 

“I think a lot of healing can come from us all just spending some time quieting our minds and calming down our bodies. I’m learning a lot about that. It really helps me with my mental health, and you know, the brain is the second most important organ in the body next to the heart so you should really take care of it,” Gaga shared.

Camila Cabello has used meditation to help her through tough times and personal struggles, especially during the pandemic. While opening up about her mental health in 2020, Camila explained that meditation is the biggest part of what helped her overcome her “severe anxiety.”

“Meditation has changed my life in the last few months…It was meditation - it was practicing every single day multiple times a day that has been healing me, and, more than just helping me manage strong emotions like anxiety and stress, it’s making me a better human,” Camila wrote on social media.

She continued, “Not only does it help in times like this with stress and anxiety, meditation is the practice of strengthening habits like empathy, love, and compassion—making you feel more connected to not only everybody around you, but living beings in general like animals, plants, and the earth, which is a living being, itself.”

Demi Lovato has dealt with mental health struggles for years, and through it all, she’s turned to meditation to help clear her mind. Demi once shared that it had become a part of her morning routine to start her day off right. 

“I meditate in the morning and take ten minutes out of my day to read inspirational quotes that I’ve come up with on my own. I wanted to put them out there so that my fans would know how I’ve managed to stay strong,” she told Closer back in 2013.

Beyoncé Knowles uses meditation as a way to take care of her mental health, explaining that while taking time off after welcoming one of her children, she turned to homeopathic practices like meditation to help improve her health. 

“After having a difficult pregnancy, I took a year to focus on my health. I have researched information on homeopathic medicines,” Beyoncé told Elle. “I don’t just put any prescription in my body. My diet is important, and I use tools like acupuncture, meditation, visualization, and breathing exercises.”

For Chloë Grace Moretz, coping with anxiety means making sure she’s always taking time for self-care. That includes meditation, among other practices like therapy, working out and turning to the healing properties of crystals.  

“Meditation is really wonderful. Therapy is really wonderful. Working out is great,” she told Us Weekly. “I think it’s always important to check in with yourself and keep an open dialogue with your heart and mind.”