50 Famous People Who Meditate | MeditationWise
The daily schedules of the world’s elite—seven-figure athletes and platinum recording artists, media moguls and red-carpet regulars—have one thing in common: meditation. here, in their own words, fifty stars explain why dedicated daily practice is the key to their success.
lady gaga
singer, songwriter
“meditation helps me calm down,” he told teens at new york’s ali forney center, a shelter for homeless lgbt youth, before leading a short meditation. “I don’t have the same kind of problems that you do, but I have mental illness [ptsd] and I struggle with it every day, so I need my mantra to keep me relaxed.”
ellen degeneres
talk show host
“feels good. like when you have to turn off your computer, sometimes when it goes crazy, you just turn it off and when you turn it on, it’s fine again. that’s what meditation is to me.”
kobe bryant
nba player
“I meditate every day. it’s like having an anchor. if I don’t, I feel like I’m constantly chasing the day instead of being in control and dictating my day. I have calm about anything that comes my way, a poise, and that comes from starting my morning with meditation.”
gisele bündchen
supermodel
“The mind is more powerful than anything. So during [my son’s] birth I wasn’t thinking about the pain. he was in a meditative state. I was focused the whole time, thinking, ‘My God, it’s time. I’m going to meet my baby.’”
lena dunham
actress, writer, director, producer
“Meditation brings me back to zero and reminds me of my most natural state. During the first season of Girls, I was so busy and stressed that I didn’t meditate on set. During the second season, I meditated on set and everything changed for me.”
paul mccartney
singer, songwriter
“It is a gift for life. it’s something you can call at any time. now it’s actually breaking into the mainstream. I think it’s a great thing.”
ringo starr
drummer
“at the end of the day, I can end up completely nuts, because I have made mountains out of a grain of sand. with meditation, I can keep them like a grain of sand.”
russell simmons
music producer, entrepreneur
“[Demystifying] meditation is something that I have been passionate about for twenty years. I want children to do it, I want adults to do it. I want the world to become a better place, and if I get more people to do it, I can raise the vibration of the planet a little bit. then I would have really contributed something.”
graham heather
actress
“I love meditation. I’m a bit high-strung, so it’s easy to get anxious, but it really calms me down. it helps me find that place of peace within myself. whenever life gets a little crazy, it helps me stay really focused.”
sting
musician
“Yoga introduced me to the practice of meditation. The only meditation I did before was writing songs.”
oprah
talk show host, producer
“I give myself a healthy dose of quiet time at least once (and when I’m on point, twice) a day: twenty minutes in the morning, twenty at night. knowing that stillness is the space where all creative expressions, peace, light and love arise is a powerfully energizing yet calming experience. knowing for sure that even in the daily madness that bombards us from all directions, there is —still— the constancy of stillness. only from that space can you create your best work and your best life.”
hugh jackman
actor
“I meditate before presenting the Oscars, I meditate before I go on stage, I meditate in the morning, at lunchtime, when I’m on a film set. I became a different person once I started meditating. completely different.”
martin scorsese
director, producer, screenwriter
“The last few years I have been practicing meditation and it is difficult to describe the effect it has had on my life. if I can only mention a few words: calm down. clarity. balance. and sometimes an acknowledgment. It’s made a big difference.”
virgin
singer, songwriter
“Meditation showed me how much energy silence has.”
melinda doors
philanthropist
“The first thing I do in the morning is meditate. no matter where I am in the world, that’s my one non-negotiable. investing even a few minutes in meditation makes the whole day happier and more productive.”
emma watson
actress
“My interest in meditation grew out of an interest in Buddhism. I became interested in the literary path, but I realized that reading books was not enough, that I would have to practice to make it work. so I started it and I love it, it helps me a lot.”
orlando bloom
actor
“the philosophies behind meditation are very current nowadays: it is a way to find peace.”
ivanka trump
businesswoman, author
“Meditation is one of the most important things I do every day. I try to meditate for twenty minutes, twice a day. sometimes I miss the afternoon session, but I always do the morning one. it has been invaluable in terms of calming my mind and allowing me to think more clearly.”
olivia newton-john
singer, songwriter, actress
“I used homeopathy, acupuncture, yoga, and meditation along with my chemotherapy to help me bounce back stronger after cancer. I also sang with Buddhist friends and prayed with Christian friends. I covered all my bases.”
howard stern
dj, talk show host
“everyone in my life meditates; I am a big advocate of meditation. when I do it in the morning, it adds tremendous creativity to my radio show. after the show my head is pounding from the headphones and the loud noise; five hours of headphones and talking is exhausting. I meditate, I go out and I have all the rest of my day. I’m a new person I don’t think I can live without it.”
brand russell
actor
“Meditation changes consciousness. it’s really good if you’ve had addiction problems. it’s highly psychological, very beautiful, overwhelming, real and amazing.”
arianna huffington
author, businesswoman
“Even if you do it for like ten minutes, it’s just a reminder that underneath all our comings and goings, our successes and our failures, there is a deeper dimension to our lives. we can harness it and show ourselves from that place, which is wiser, more joyful, more compassionate, and all the things we want more of in our lives.”
susana sarandon
actress
“It helps me relax and concentrate.”
steve-jobs
entrepreneur, inventor
“if you just sit and watch, you will see how restless your mind is. if you try to calm him down, it only makes him worse, but over time he calms down, and when he does, there is room to listen to more subtle things; that’s when your intuition begins to flourish and you begin to see things more clearly. your mind just slows down and you see a tremendous expansion in the moment. you see much more than you could see before.”
liv tyler
actress
“Meditation is an amazing way to center and calm down; I feel much less terrified and anxious about things. I also feel deeply centered and rested.”
adam yauch
rapper
“Some friends and I meditate at the same time twice a day. we imagine destroying all the cancer cells in the world. we’re visualizing taking the energy out of the cancer and then sending it back like lightning bolts that will break down the cells’ dna and rna.”
50 cents
rapper
“Meditation helps me because it puts me in a conscious space.”
tim ferriss
author, entrepreneur
“I find that five to ten minutes of meditation is very helpful in avoiding anxiety. and it’s just a clean slate, it’s a reset button for the rest of the day.”
miranda kerr
supermodel
“What I discovered is that all the answers and everything you need are deep inside. sit with yourself, breathe a little and get closer to your spirit.”
jorge stephanopoulos
journalist, political commentator
“It’s the equivalent of a couple more hours of sleep. I feel more space in my life even when there isn’t.”
dr. ounces
cardiothoracic surgeon, television personality
“Imagine the ripples on top of an ocean. and I’m in a rowboat, reactively dealing with waves and water entering my boat. what I must do is sink into the deepest comfort, the calm below the surface.”
eva mendes
actress
“it helps creatively on a level I can’t describe. I can give you a list of things that I think [it does], but it’s tapping into something so deep that when I reap the rewards, I don’t even know I’m reaping them. it’s a more general kind of thing.”
elizabeth gilbert
author
“Meditation is a help and an aid, but where it matters is in every interaction you have with another human being. Years ago I realized that I had spent my life searching for the light and I finally realized that if you want light wherever you are, you will have to be the one to bring it.”
moby
dj
“meditation tm has given me a perspective on agitation… which is a temporary state of mind and I don’t necessarily need to take it that seriously. i used to think tm was for weird old hippies…but then i heard david lynch was involved and that piqued my curiosity.”
elle macpherson
supermodel
“I no longer run eight miles a day like I used to. I eat a lot of organic food and drink a lot of water, and I take time to meditate to prepare for my day. beauty comes from within.”
tina turner
singer
“Meditation and prayer transform your spirit into something positive. if it is already positive, it improves it.”
david letterman
talk show host
“I tell you, I enjoy doing it and it gives me a lot of energy.”
sheryl raven
singer, songwriter
“One of the things, and this is coming from someone who was very self-critical and with a type A personality, that has changed my life is meditation.”
jim carrey
actor
“years ago, I learned to meditate and it has been very valuable; it is teaching yourself how to enter a state of relaxation that affects your whole life. I do, I have for a while and I highly recommend it.”
cameron diaz
actress
“The benefits and restoration that come to me [through meditation] have changed everything. having that tool now, being able to go deep inside myself and recharge my battery internally, makes me feel so badass!”
richard gere
actor, humanitarian activist
“The only thing that will get us anywhere on the spiritual path, whether it be focus, loving-kindness, or wisdom, is dedicating ourselves to daily practice. We take it for granted that Olympic athletes and professional musicians train daily to achieve mastery of their sport or music. why shouldn’t the same discipline be applied to cultivate the most important qualities of our mind?”
amy schumer
comedian, writer, producer
“I had been so busy and every moment there were all these increments of things I had to do, and I had no energy. [meditation] totally changed the game for me.”
jerry seinfeld
comedian, writer, producer
“Three times a year, you wake up and say, ‘wow, did you sleep very well?’. imagine feeling like this every day. that’s meditation.”
katy perry
singer, songwriter
“For me, it’s the biggest break, the biggest nap you can have. this tool helps me find moments of peace (because I don’t have a lot of time) that prolong my day so I can live to the best of my ability.”
clint eastwood
actor, filmmaker
“I am a big supporter of Transcendental Meditation. I’ve been using it for almost forty years, and I think it’s a great tool for anyone to use as a stress tool.”
jennifer aniston
actress
“[Meditation] is like a kick start to your day, it centers you, your stress levels go down and you find yourself interacting in the world in a much easier and calmer way. there is only peaceful joy.”
arnold schwarzenegger
actor, politician
“I did twenty minutes in the morning and twenty minutes at night, and I would say that in fourteen days or three weeks, I got to the point where I could really turn my mind off… and learn to focus more and calm down.”
paula abdel
singer, television personality
“I incorporate meditation before or after exercising. even if it’s just sitting quietly with my eyes closed and listening to my own heartbeat, it revitalizes me.”
tom bergeron
TV personality
“I meditate. I have for over thirty years. the idea of being present, being in the moment, is crucial in live television, but it also has benefits in life in general. so when I go on stage, for example, to dance with the stars, I will only have meditated.”
julia roberts
actress
“Meditation has helped me cope with loss. It has been a great consolation for both me and my family.”
further reading
how to start meditating
how to establish a meditation practice that lasts
