Media tycoon Rupert Murdoch is the latest in a line of celebrities to take up Transcendental Meditation, the practice of meditating while repeating a mantra to lower stress levels and induce a sense of calm. Murdoch follows in the footsteps of loyal celebrity TM devotees like David Lynch, Oprah and Candy Crowley.


Yesterday, Murdoch tweeted to his nearly 430,000 followers:


Although meditation may not make everything better, it has been demonstrated to have a number of mental and physical health benefits, including lower stress levels, greater success achieving weight-loss goals, improved focus and better grades, and a lower risk of depression among adolescents and pregnant women. Transcendental Meditation in particular has been linked to lower blood pressure, reduce risk of heart disease and enhanced longevity.


Hollywood director David Lynch is an outspoken advocate of Transcendental Meditation, and started the David Lynch Foundation for Consciousness-Based Education and World Peace to educate others on the transformational potential of TM.


“Things like traumatic stress and anxiety and tension and sorrow and depression and hate and bitter, selfish anger and fear start to lift away," Lynch said of his TM practice to the New York Times.


CNN anchor Candy Crowley, too, has said that TM helps her to handle stress and learn to cope with negative emotions.


LOOK: Celebrities who meditate:






  • Oprah Winfrey


    The media mogul spoke with Dr. Oz about her newfound practice and her visit to Fairfield, Iowa, a town of 9,500 people where an estimated third of the population has a regular meditation practice. <blockquote><strong>CORRECTION</strong>: <em>Due to a typing error, an early version of this article stated that Fairfield had a population of 95,000.</em></blockquote>




  • David Lynch


    The filmmaker and founder of the David Lynch Foundation, which brings meditation training and education to underserved communities, discusses the epiphany he had upon first discovering transcendental meditation.




  • Russell Brand


    Achieving fame and fortune wasn't satisfying, says Brand. Instead, he sought something more substantial than social values like commercialism and celebrity.

    Transcendental Meditation helped him feel a part of something greater, he reported at a recent press conference for the David Lynch foundation, adding that the practice helps him remain sober.




  • Moby


    Moby says that he is drawn to TM because it isn't dogmatic and requires very little formality.




  • Paul McCartney


    George Harrison's wife Patty introduced McCartney and the rest of the Beatles to Maharishi in the late 1960s. "He made it seem simple, he made it seem very attractive," says McCartney.




  • Sheryl Crow


    The singer discusses how meditation helped her recover and move past her breast cancer diagnosis.