# The Red Cross nurse knew meditation lowers blood pressure

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Story
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-monk-blood-pressure-red-cross
- Themes: meditation, health, blood donation
- Life situations: medical checkups, early meditation days

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

Years ago he takes a young monk to donate blood on Wellington Street; the nurse already knows meditation lowers blood pressure — inspiring when meditation was little known.

## The story, as told by Ajahn Brahm (verbatim captions)

I went with him to the Red Cross over in Wellington Street to to donate blood. And when he donated blood, first of all, they had to check your your your blood pressure

## Teaching point

Even medical staff noticed stillness in the body before it was fashionable.

## Reflection (in the spirit of Ajahn Brahm's talk)

Decades ago, Ajahn Brahm took a young monk to give blood. The nurse found his blood pressure lower than in his earlier visits and asked whether he'd been meditating. Even then, he says, nurses knew. Stillness shows up in the body. It isn't a cure, but it's a gift worth giving yourself daily.

## Source

- [Gratitude and Expectations | Ajahn Brahm | 9 July 2021](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzT3W1jjTYY) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 50:57 to 51:12: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzT3W1jjTYY&t=3057s

Other tellings of this story:

- [Guided Meditation | Ajahn Brahm | 10 July 2021](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Me3BoauUrfw) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 7:12 to 7:40: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Me3BoauUrfw&t=432s