The Practice of Meditation: How to Meditate the “Christian Way”
Posted on 02. Jan, 2011 by Krista Abbott in Health and Wellness, Personal Development, Spiritual
The “Christian” Practice of Meditation
This is a completely impromptu post. In fact, I am supposed to be working on some other projects right now, but I felt divinely inspired (from a facebook comment thread about me embarking on a 21 day spiritual focus…thanks David) to get this out to you tonight. I will likely come back around and elaborate on this over the next several weeks, but tonight I am going to introduce you to the practice of meditation and explain how Christians can meditate and not feel “spooked out” by it.
Meditation is growing in popularity across cultural and religious circles. Some of this may be the result of individuals trying to decrease stress levels due to the condition of the world right now. Meditation is a great tool for stress reduction, no doubt about that. But for me, it is much more – it is really a requirement and a necessary practice of my faith – Christianity.
Should Christians Meditate?
I know I may get some push back here from Christians who read this, because most Christians are misinformed about the origins of meditation and get visuals of people sitting in some trance like state with incense burning around them humming some mantra or something. And…all of that is cool if that’s how you choose to meditate – but for me, it is a point of personal deep spiritual connection to God.
I’ve had those awkward moments of silence with Christians when I bring up meditation – and honestly sometimes I do it just for the sheer entertainment of seeing or hearing their reaction to it. It’s enjoyable to say the least!!!
Most of you who have been following me for any amount of time, know that I am of the Christian faith, and whole heartedly love and serve God. I make no apologies for that – it is who I am – period. That doesn’t mean I don’t have many friends, family, and even business partners who are of other faiths. I love everyone – because Jesus loves everyone! Now – before you tune me out – hang tight for a minute because there is something in this for you regardless of your personal faith – trust me.
Every year for the past several years, I have started the year off with a 21 day spiritual focus to gain direction for my personal life, my business, and my spiritual life. This year is no exception, only this year I am doing it with a large group of people, as a “corporate effort”. A key part of this practice for me personally is meditation.
Now realize, there is no way for me to lay out every aspect of meditation, why it is important, what the health benefits are, what the spiritual benefits are and why everyone, including Christians, should do it in one blog post. But I can show you in Scripture where meditation is encouraged and at the end I will provide you with some simple steps to get started with a solid silent meditation practice.
Meditation in the Bible?
While there are TONS of references to meditation in the Bible, I am only going to focus on two of them today.
Psalm 46:10 says “Be still and know that I am God…”. But hold on – that’s not all!!! The Book of Psalms is filled with references to a Hebrew word “Selah”. This word is positioned throughout many Psalms and is an implied pause. The meaning of “Selah” is to “stop and listen” or “pause and think of that”.
See meditation is simply a combination of those two things – being still and knowing that He is God and pausing to listen – to listen not only to God, but to your own thoughts, your own emotions.
See as you meditate, you are simply “being” – you are listening to your heart, listening to your thoughts, letting them go where ever they want to go, feeling the emotions, being one with yourself and one with God. There is no right or wrong response, no right or wrong way to think or behave in a meditative state – you just simply are “you” for that amount of time – and are simply “with God”, acknowledging His infinite influence in your life.
How to Meditate
There are lots of ways to meditate. I have some meditation tracks that I use regularly, they are scientifically formulated to connect both hemispheres of the brain for enhanced creativity, and the combination of sounds move the brain through all the different levels of brain wave activity – alpha, beta, theta, and delta. The benefits of this are HUGE…but way to much to talk about today. So we’ll save that…
I also practice silent meditation, which is really the prayer focus state of “being” that I referenced earlier. That’s the best place to start and what I will be sharing with you here today.
So, a few simple steps to get you started are:
- Find a nice comfortable place to sit, either in a chair or on the floor. I prefer sitting in the sunlight so I can feel the warmth of God while I meditate. You find what is comfortable for you.
- Make sure you are sitting upright, back straight and feet flat (if in a chair) or legs crossed (if on the floor).
- Relax your arms in your lap, hands upright. I sit with my hands palm up as if I am ready to receive from God, you can choose your own position of comfort. If you are looking to release some negative energy then you may want to sit with hands dangling down and imagine all the negative energy flowing out of your body through your fingertips…just find what feels right for you at the time of meditation.
- Close your eyes and take three deep breaths – long and deep in and slow on release.
- Every 1-2 minutes make sure you take at least one deep breath.
- Spend 15-30 minutes just sitting there in that position “being”. (remember to set a timer before you start)
As you are meditating Let your thoughts go where they want to go, let your emotions go where they want to go, and listen to what is happening inside of you. Listen to what God is speaking to you. Just “be still and know”…Selah (pause and listen). There is no right or wrong thing to think, no right or wrong thing to feel. You are simply being and feeling.
Now, what happens here is this – as you meditate, your self awareness increases and things you did not even realize were clogging up your spirit man will begin to surface. This is not anything to be afraid of, but something to be happy about – because you can now free yourself and clear your spirit of the “junk” life sometimes throws your way.
Selah with Me
So with that said, my friends I invite you to “Selah” with me this month – the first month of a new year and “be one with yourself and one with God”. I firmly believe that as you take the time to “listen” in your moments of meditation, that he will speak and give you insight into your path for the coming year.
Yours in Spiritual Success,
PS. Do you meditate? Do you have any insight or experiences you would like to share? Drop down below and leave some comments to share with the community here. And as always – retweets and Facebook shares are appreciated.
22 Responses to “The Practice of Meditation: How to Meditate the “Christian Way””
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Wendy MacKay
02. Jan, 2011
Excellent post Krista explaining the simple concept of meditating. The daily practice of being quiet within and listening to your higher self and inner source brings clarity and peace which each and every one of us need in a world of chaos and clutter. It does not matter if you are even religious, it matters that you love yourself and you connect with source energy to keep grounded. Thank you for bringing this forward and feeling inspired to share your personal feelings.
Krista Abbott Reply:
January 5th, 2011 at 10:36 pm
@Wendy MacKay, Wendy, my pleasure! Thanks for taking the time to read and share your thoughts here, and kudos for being the first to comment!! You Rock!
Krista
Teresa Ivory
02. Jan, 2011
Thank you, Krista, for helping more people see that meditation is not a scary “other” religious practice. Kudos to you for opening the path for more people to listen to God. Sometimes prayer is such a one-sided conversation instead of…well, a conversation where we listen as much as speak.
“Be still and know that I am God…” is one of my favorite scriptures.
You are a powerfully inspiring woman!
Krista Abbott Reply:
January 5th, 2011 at 10:38 pm
@Teresa Ivory,
Thank you so much Teresa! I have been pondering this topic for a long time and intending to post about it. I guess this was just “the right time” for it. Glad to know you and mastermind with you my friend!
Krista
Marc Waller
02. Jan, 2011
Yes as matter of fact I do meditate. When I heard you speak of “spiritual yoga” on the retreat it really got my attention. I’ve been doing my own form of this for the past 3 -4 years. I never felt compelled to share it with anyone simple because I didn’t want people to freak out about it. What I do is actually different and more active then just meditating. It’s actually more of a spirit-filled stretch if you will. Many times my body is stressed out from doing physical labor and I have occurred back, neck and shoulder problems over the years. I have had several occasions where I might just be sitting reading the word or sometimes not even focusing on God at all and the Holy Spirit will rise up in me in such a way where I begin to contort my body into different positions. It may sound kind of freaky but it’s really not. I often pray in the spirit while this is going on.
There may be some muscles that are very sore and need to be stretched. Well I just relax and allow my body to move into whatever position it wants to go. I know it’s not me because there is no way I could come up with these positions to help relieve stress.
Also it’s not like the Holy Spirit takes over and forces me to go into strange positions. The best way I can describe it is that I believe God cares about me so much that He can’t stand to see me hurting and in pain. Through the spirit He can manipulate and contort my body in such a way that gives me the best stretch that I otherwise would not be able to achieve.
There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that this is in fact the Holy Spirit inside me doing this because nothing like this had ever happened to me before I received the Baptism in the Spirit.
I would love to here your input on this or anyone else who may have comments.
Krista Abbott Reply:
January 5th, 2011 at 10:42 pm
@Marc Waller, Yoga has been such a peaceful and spiritually connecting practice for me. I do caution people to practice with a Christian instructor though because of the way it opens you. The stretching and breathing techniques release the “negative energy” (for lack of a better way to describe it) and encourage the smooth and even flow. So many health benefits, it is unbelievable. As far as what Holy Spirit is doing with you – if it helps your body and releases the tension or soreness, then follow the flow of the Spirit. Can’t go wrong with that!
Blessings,
Krista
Chris McCargar
02. Jan, 2011
Hey Krista ,,, You’re soooo right about Meditation.
It can help you in so many way. It is as simple as the focus on an element that may be “within” or “without” you… your unbroken attention.
If we didn’t get so caught up in what’s right and what’s wrong and instead draw our focussed attention.
Krista Abbott Reply:
January 5th, 2011 at 10:44 pm
@Chris McCargar, Right on Chris! It’s all about following the heart – God is in the heart, so flowing with the heart is full proof. Glad to hear “Ya’ll” practice meditation up in Canada! LOL Let’s connect soon, would love to hear what’s been going on with you!
Krista
Arlan Murata
03. Jan, 2011
Hi Krista: You are right on with this message! Appreciate it. I believe that meditation is one of the keys to a persons wellness and healing. Thanks for sharing your views.
Krista Abbott Reply:
January 5th, 2011 at 10:45 pm
@Arlan Murata, Arlan,
My pleasure my friend! Hope you are taking some “Selah” moments these days! Keep Rockin’
Krista
Susan Redmon
04. Jan, 2011
Happy New Year Krista,
What a great way to start the new year! Because of the hustle, bustle and stress of the world we currently live in, mediation could be a useful tool for bring new insights into busy lives.
Thanks for sharing your meditation strategy,
Susan
Krista Abbott Reply:
January 5th, 2011 at 10:46 pm
@Susan Redmon, Happy New Year to you too Susan!! Thank you for your kind comments! I wish you abundant blessings and clear direction in your “Selah” time!
Krista
David H. Paul
04. Jan, 2011
Hi Krista,
Bravo, and thank you. You have spelled it all out on Meditation, exactly as I was thinking it, and I am so grateful to have an opportunity to really learn and grow with you.
I’m so glad you listened to your “inspiration” and went with it, and I know that doing this will help you attract all of those people whom you want as life long friends and business partners right to you.
I love to ask people the question, “In the here and new, in this moment, is what you are stressing about really You?”
Take Care,
David H. Paul
the Follow Your Bliss guy
Krista Abbott Reply:
January 5th, 2011 at 10:48 pm
@David H. Paul, What a great question to ask people David. Oftentimes the demands of life pull people so far away from their core being that it is difficult to really determine what is “you” and what is “not you”. Taking the time to have quiet moments of reflection (meditation) really helps keep the self-awareness meter cranked and pumping!
Keep following your bliss my friend!
Krista
David Saunders
04. Jan, 2011
YES Krista!
It is so nice to see you create this post
You are truly sharing with the world the inner most benefits of using meditation to improve every area of their lives!
I also want to say I feel privileged to be part of this wonderful post! Thank you for acknowledging me my friend
Their is a plug-in that gives people the chance to share their previous post to their blogs. In case you didn’t know, I wanted to share it with you.
It’s called commentluv
Again, I am so thankful to have met you in this online world!
David
http://www.DavidSaundersBlog.com
Krista Abbott Reply:
January 5th, 2011 at 10:51 pm
@David Saunders, Sometimes all we need is a little spark to light a fire David. You were my spark for this post, so for that I thank you!
I actually do have the commentluv plug in, but apparently it has stopped working!! Thanks for the heads up, I’m off to go do some “techie mystery solving” on that plug in now!
Cheers!
Krista
Rhonda Jones
06. Jan, 2011
I really enjoyed the post and am glad that more Christians are practicing meditation as a way to strengthen their Christian faith and build greater intimacy with God. As the author of a series of Christ-centered meditation and affirmation Cds, I can attest that meditation is not only encouraged in the Bible, it is beneficial in helping believers to “cast down every thought and imagination that exalts itself against the knowledge of God.” The Bible tells us that we must renew our mind if we are to have a victorious walk in Christ. However, you’d be surprised how many Christians suffer from negative thinking and depression. When we learn to control our thoughts and bring them under the authority of Jesus Christ, we can reach a new level of maturity in our Christian walk. Meditation is just a tool that helps us to draw closer to God. We can meditate on the Word of God or even in the presence of God. The Bible says that in God’s presence in fullness of joy and that “In him we live and move and have our being.” For believers interested in exploring Christian meditation even further please visit The Christian Meditator at http://www.thechristianmeditator.com.
Angela K. Williams
07. Jan, 2011
Thanks for enlightening the Christion community to the benefits of meditation. I have recently been practicing centering prayer which has also been very helpful. You can see Father Thomas Keating talk about this on youtube. He demonstrates it on the video. I have found it to be very calming.
Take care,
Angela
Val Wilcox
09. Jan, 2011
Krista,
I agree, kudos on a well thought out post explaining the benefits of being still and listening to your inner self. This is a wonderful way to connect to your Source.
The benefits are there for any who care to find balance and peace. Thanks for sharing,
Val
Dream It…Live It! http://www.valwilcox.com/dream-it-live-it
Oliver Tausend
24. Feb, 2011
Hi Krista,
meditation is awesome. There are many ways of doing it, in complete silence, guided, alone in groups. There’s no wrong or right, we have to feel comfortable with it. I enjoy the meditative silence in the woods when only birds are chirping, for example.
Thanks for sharing your insights.
Take care
Oliver
Kathleen Goldson Clarke
10. Mar, 2011
Hi, Krista,
I have had that debate with myself and others about Christians and meditation. I am a Christian and I have done meditation. I read a bible verse or passage and use that as the focus of the mediation with very good effect. This is where you get silent and let God speak to you.Thank you for sharing
Kathy
Beverly Colby
06. Jun, 2011
Krista,
You have an attraction about you and for me to be connected with you was a God thing. Thank you for your transparency and in letting everyone know of your Christian faith.
Presently my thoughts on meditation are when I have my quiet time I meditate on God’s Word as well as thoughts that are brought to my mind. I know it is God,’s Word which can transform my life. When anyone talks about the inner self, I say “Yes” God the Holy Spirit is within me and is transforming me daily to be Christlike.
So this “yoga” type” Christian meditation is rather new to me. I know there is a lot of negative baggage that we carry around which definitely we need to get rid of.
Still pondering. Your sister in Christ, Beverly