02/07/2024 0 Comments
The Thing about Centering Prayer - From Associate Meditator Stephanie Peirolo
The Thing about Centering Prayer - From Associate Meditator Stephanie Peirolo
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The Thing about Centering Prayer - From Associate Meditator Stephanie Peirolo
For most of us, the prayer practices and worship we thought we would be doing when Lent started are quite different than what we are doing now. I wanted to write a bit about my experience with Centering Prayer for anyone who is interested in adding something different to their current practice.
Centering Prayer is a meditation practice that is ancient but was reintroduced by a Cistercian monk named Thomas Keating in the 70s. Keating, who died in 2018, wrote many excellent books with in depth guides to Centering Prayer. But here’s my quick how to for anyone who wants to try it.
1. Find a word or phrase that resonates with you. Keating calls it a “sacred” word, and suggest we ask the Holy Spirit for guidance to find one. It could be “Jesus” or “Love”. Don’t worry too much about it – you can change it the next time you meditate if you want.
2. Sit comfortably with your eyes closed. No lotus position, just try to have your back straight. I sit in a recliner. Set a timer for 20 minutes.
3. When you have a thought or sensation, turn your attention to the word. Keating says that every time we say our word, we are turning back to God. When someone said to him that she had a thousand thoughts in 20 minutes, Keating congratulated her on having a thousand opportunities to turn back to God.
4. When you are done sit quietly for a moment or two.
That’s it. That’s Centering Prayer, courtesy of Keating. He suggests doing it 20 minutes in the morning and 20 minutes in the afternoon or evening.
I have been doing this practice for 10 years. I am very bad at it. I had to let go of my perfectionism and realize that all I have to do is sit down and make some time for God. Sometimes I fall asleep, sometimes I think about work, or worry. I am a lousy meditator. It doesn’t matter. The fruits of this meditation happen outside of the meditation. I thought that I was supposed to be suffused with peace while I was mediating, or feel super spiritual, and when I wasn’t, I was doing it wrong. That’s not how it works. The energy shows up in other ways in my life – in a moment of quiet that stops an unkind comment before I say it, an intuitive thought, a moment of appreciation.
I only do this once a day, for 20 minutes. If I’m busy, I do it for 10. It’s better to do a little than none.
Sometimes, things come up. Old memories, physical sensations. We are allowing God to work in us, which means letting go of things to God. This can have a physical manifestation. Keating calls it “untying of emotional knots in the body.” I don’t try to understand it, but when an unexpected sensation or emotion comes up in meditation, I just pass it to God in a game I call “spiritual hot potato” which is basically, here God, you take it.
It’s nice if you can do this with another person. It’s a great solo practice, but it is nice to share. I’ve done this with friends, partners, children. I had a dog once who climbed on my lap every time I meditated. He was a Labrador, so it was a bit inconvenient, but this is a great practice to share. Thank you for letting me share it with you.
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