Centering prayer is a wisdom practice based in the Christian faith that allows us to bypass the mind to go straight to the heart.
Where many meditation practices focus on attention,
Centering prayer is based on the energy of intention.
It's a practice of surrender where you return again and again as many times as necessary to an intention of inner receptivity to the here and now.
This is a 20-minute meditation most of which will be held in silence.
I will occasionally interject to guide you back to the present moment.
We begin with our intention to bring consciousness into the heart,
Creating an inner silence and spaciousness where we can open up to the invisible but ever-present origin of all that exists.
Next,
We make an inner agreement with ourselves.
If our mind starts to wander,
That's okay,
But we choose to return to our intention.
If we need to drift back a hundred times during one sitting,
That's perfectly acceptable.
It's a gentle practice of surrendering again and again and again.
And finally,
We select a sacred word.
It can be a classic prayer word or something that represents a state of inner receptivity and openness like yes,
Here,
Still.
This word is a sacred reminder to gently arrive again and again to a place of inner stillness.
Settle into a comfortable position,
Either sitting up or lying down with your head,
Neck,
And spine in alignment.
Uncross your legs and arms and place your hands in an easy and relaxed position,
Either by your side or in your lap.
Gently close your eyes and begin by taking three intentional breaths at whatever pace and rhythm best supports you.
And when you're ready,
Silently introduce the sacred word.
This is the symbol of your consent to surrender to the silence and stillness within.
Any time over the course of the next 20 minutes,
You notice the mind wandering.
Gently and silently repeat your sacred word.
You you you you you you you you the mind is started to wander gently surrender silently repeating your sake with your word returning to the present moment you you you you you gently repeating your sacred word to return to the interior stillness and silence that rests within you you you you you you gently returning to our sacred word yes here still you you you remembering our intention to return again and again to that inner stillness your silence you you you you as any thoughts arise ever so gently you turn to your sacred world you you you and when it feels supportive you can gently start to bring back some movement into the body perhaps wiggling the fingers the toes you when you're ready slowly gently opening the eyes thank you for sitting with me today I wish you a blessed day
