High blood pressure runs in my family. From my grandmother to my mother, taking medication became part of their daily routine. I always knew it was a ticking time bomb in my genes, but I still hoped I could escape it. That hope faded in my early thirties when my mother told me that my brother—just two years older—had already started medication. In Taiwan, once you start taking hypertension medication, you’re on it for life. It felt like a lifelong sentence.

At around 37, I discovered my own blood pressure was high. I’d been having occasional headaches, and when a friend urged me to check, the numbers were alarmingly high. In the Netherlands, doctors are cautious about prescribing medication, so I decided to try lifestyle changes first—especially cutting out my love for salty foods.

Thanks to years of meditation practice, my emotions stayed balanced, which helped keep my blood pressure stable. For over a decade, I coexisted peacefully with hypertension—no major issues, as long as I didn’t overindulge in salty treats.

---

An Unexpected Hypertension Episode

A few days ago, I spotted a jar of pickled vegetables I hadn’t eaten in years—one of my favorite flavors. I forgot it had been the culprit behind a previous spike in my blood pressure. After three days of indulgence, I felt dizzy on the third evening, followed by waves of familiar headaches. I knew instantly: my blood pressure was up again.

The pain was so intense I didn’t want to do anything. I went to bed early, allowing my body’s self-healing ability to work. Even in my sleep, I could feel the blood pressure pulsing through my head like ocean waves before gradually calming down. By morning, I felt a little better, though still lightheaded, with stiffness running from the back of my head down to my neck.

---

Putting Self-Healing to the Test

In the past, an episode like this would leave me dizzy for two or three weeks. This time, I asked myself: If one of my students were in this situation, what would I tell them?

I sat down to meditate—not entering my usual deep, slow-breathing state, but simply focusing on relaxation. Step by step, I released tension from every inch of muscle, starting from my head down to my neck, guiding the process with mindful breathing. I stayed there for 45 minutes without realizing it.

When I opened my eyes, the dizziness was gone. The stiffness in my head and neck had completely disappeared. It was as if nothing had happened the night before.

---

My Takeaway: Self-Healing Is an Accelerator

Because I’m generally healthy, I rarely have the chance to “experiment” on myself. Most of the time, it’s my students who share how effective my guidance has been for them—often telling me how quickly they recover through the meditation healing process. I’ve used meditation before to help my own body recover from minor issues, but this was my first time applying it during an uncontrollable hypertension episode. The results were so remarkable that I couldn’t help but wonder why I had ever endured two or three weeks of symptoms in the past.

I also apologized to my body—for neglecting it and eating something I shouldn’t have.

It’s important to note: Meditation’s self-healing power is not a magic cure. If you continually damage your body, you can’t expect self-healing alone to restore your health. Think of self-healing as an accelerator—when you’re already taking proper medical and lifestyle measures, it helps you recover faster.

---

Key Takeaways

• Self-healing works best when paired with a healthy lifestyle.
• Meditation can help stabilize blood pressure by reducing stress and anxiety that strain the cardiovascular system.
• Relaxing the muscles and focusing on the breath promotes circulation, easing headaches and dizziness.