Meditation and Judaism: Is Meditation Permitted According to Jewish Law?

Before I became observant, I used to practice a form of meditation that helped me both in life and on my journey toward Judaism. This meditation involves no names, mantras, or spiritual invocations of any kind; it’s based purely on observing the natural breath and bodily sensations. It helps me achieve deep calm, focus, and peace of mind, which also enhances my Torah learning. Is there any halachic (Jewish law) problem with continuing this practice?

There is no halachic issue with continuing your practice. Our Sages teach that while “there is no Torah among the nations,” there is wisdom among the nations — and it is permissible to benefit from that wisdom, including Eastern practices like meditation, when used for health, calm, and mental clarity within a framework of serving God.

Certainly, one who grew up observant and cultivated refinement of character (tikkun hamiddot) might achieve the same serenity through Torah and ethical study. However, if meditation helps you, there is no reason to stop.

In general, the baal teshuvah (newly observant Jew) journey is complex. The idea that one must entirely erase one’s past is usually counterproductive. Some things indeed must be left behind, but many aspects of one’s prior life can be integrated positively into divine service. In your case, meditation belongs to that second group. (Beit HaHora’ah HaMerkazi LeDayanut – Din)

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I’m about to begin a process designed to heal anxiety and obsessive thoughts, which I believe stem from emotional wounds. It’s a kind of meditation based on love and self-acceptance — I sit quietly, listen to a guided recording that helps me access painful emotions, and respond with compassion and understanding to my “inner child.”

I’ve heard that meditation can be forbidden because of avodah zarah (idolatry). That surprises me because, in my experience, connecting with the subconscious and processing old emotions has been purely therapeutic — not spiritual worship.
I don’t see the subconscious as a mystical force, only as a psychological reality — like the brain’s background system, influencing our automatic thoughts and feelings. I simply engage with it gently, with empathy.

Is this halachically permissible?

As long as your practice involves no belief in hidden mystical or spiritual energies, and you see it only as a natural psychological process, there is no halachic problem at all. Bringing up subconscious material and working with emotions for healing purposes is permitted. (Rabbi Yehuda Sturtz, Beit HaHora’ah Naot Simcha, under Rabbi Yitzchak Luksberg shlit”a)

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Is it permissible to attend a meditation course, or could that pose a halachic issue?

Rabbi Dr. Avraham Steinberg, in The Encyclopedia of Jewish Medical Ethics (Vol. 7, p. 228), summarizes the halachic discussion as follows: “Meditation is a method of physical and mental relaxation. Its origins lie in Far Eastern religions, where it was originally a spiritual practice. In recent decades, it has been adapted for medical purposes to reduce blood pressure, relieve anxiety, and ease chronic pain. 

From a halachic perspective, if one performs meditation in its traditional ritual form, it contains clear elements of avodah zarah and is strictly forbidden. However, if the practice excludes all religious or ritual components, it is permitted. Even so, many Torah-observant Jews find no need for it, as inner peace and focus can be achieved through Torah-based mindfulness, such as ‘Shiviti Hashem lenegdi tamid’ (placing God before oneself always).

Others note that self-reflection and solitude (hitbodedut) are valuable in themselves, and the core techniques of meditation — when stripped of idolatrous rituals, can be used in a positive, kosher way.”

(Beit HaHora’ah HaMerkazi LeDayanut – Din; Rabbi Nachum, “Ask the Rabbi,” Hidabroot)

(Photo: shutterstock)

A friend told me about his experiences meditating in India, and that he felt a “special connection.” I’ve also seen workshops advertising breathing techniques and meditation for relaxation and focus. I have several questions:

1. What exactly is meditation?

2. Does it originate from idolatry, or is idolatry incorporated into it?

3. Is meditation permitted in Judaism?

4. If the idolatrous elements are removed, is it still forbidden?

5. Does Judaism have its own equivalent form of meditation, such as Jewish contemplation, prayer, or hitbodedut?

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1. Meditation is a breathing technique that induces relaxation and is essentially sitting quietly, closing your eyes, and focusing on your breath. While it can create calm, those who turn it into a “way of life” often lose touch with reality. Excessive meditation can lead to passivity and emotional detachment. It does not bring true wisdom or reveal life’s purpose. The Torah teaches that our mission is to live within the body, choose good over evil, and serve God through action, creativity, and moral choice — not detachment.

2. Some forms of meditation include mantras — repeated names of deities, or idolatrous symbols. One must therefore be cautious and avoid any form connected to idol worship.

3. Practicing simple, secular meditation for a few minutes of focused breathing to calm the mind is not prohibited. However, turning it into a belief system or “spiritual path” detached from God is foreign and harmful.

4. Once those elements are stripped away, simple relaxation or concentration techniques are allowed.
   Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan’s book Jewish Meditation presents authentic, halachically sound forms of meditation within Judaism.

5. Judaism has its own meditative traditions including prayer, hitbodedut (personal dialogue with God), and mindful awareness of the Divine presence.
   As the Mishnah teaches: “The early pious ones would meditate for an hour before prayer to direct their hearts to Heaven” (Berachot 5:1).

The Chassidic movement, especially Breslov, emphasized hitbodedut — speaking openly with God in your own words, expressing emotions and thoughts, as one speaks to a dear friend, yet with reverence for a loving Father.

The Jewish Alternative — The Sacred Stillness of Shabbat

Shabbat itself is the deepest form of spiritual meditation. By disengaging from the weekday rush and refraining from labor, we enter sacred rest — “And you shall keep the Sabbath to sanctify it.”
This day fills the soul with divine peace and renews one’s spiritual energy for the entire week.

Those drawn to Eastern meditation are often Jews seeking meaning and tranquility — unaware that Judaism already holds profound spiritual paths: Shabbat joy, heartfelt prayer, Torah study, and direct connection to the Creator.

As the verse says: “For what great nation has God so near to it as the Lord our God is whenever we call upon Him?”(Devarim 4:7)
“The Lord is near to all who call upon Him — to all who call upon Him in truth.” (Tehillim 145:18)