Meditation is the practice of focusing the mind. Although many people associate meditation with Eastern religions, Christianity also has an important meditative tradition. The Bible mentions the word "meditate" or a variation at least 20 times. In Joshua 1, the writer tells us to meditate on God’s word. Many Christian saints were practitioners of meditation, and encouraged others to learn to meditate. St. Ignatius of Loyola wrote about meditation in his Spiritual Exercises. St. Teresa of Avila wrote about her daily meditative practice in a wonderful book titled The Interior Castle. More recently, Father John Main, a Benedictine monk, taught a type of meditation that makes use of a repeated phrase, or mantra. Centering prayer is another meditative method that has been taught by Father Thomas Keating and Father Basil Pennington. Richard Foster, who wrote the book Prayer, is one of many Protestants (including some on Willow’s staff) who utilizes meditative techniques.
For Christians, quieting the mind and clearing out extraneous thoughts is a way to prepare for God's inspiration. Like prayer, meditation is a form of worship. It can be considered a way of kenosis – the “self-emptying” that is modeled after Jesus’ life (Phil. 2: 6) – that allows God to enter in. In our busy lives, we can be easily distracted. Meditation is a way of intentionally moving our focus back on God.
There are all kinds of meditative techniques that can be used to develop a meditation practice. You may have heard of Transcendental Meditation, tai chi, zen meditation, or others. At Willow Wellness Center, we teach Mindfulness Meditation, which is a well-researched method that has been scientifically shown to reduce stress, anxiety, and depression, and is associated with a number of additional health benefits. It has been used to help individuals cope with chronic pain, and is taught to parents who are interested in developing new ways to relate to their children. Mindfulness meditation can be easily used by those of many faiths to clear their minds of distractions.
