Centering prayer is a form of meditation. There are many varieties of meditation practices and they all carry benefits. Ultimately your contemplative journey is yours to own and explore and figure out what helps you the most. Cynthia Bourgeault, the woman I learned this practice from, would claim, “Among the various worldwide meditation traditions, Centering Prayer is somewhat innovative. You might think that all meditation is about achieving ‘still mind’ or ‘single-pointed concentration’ or ‘pristine awareness.’ In fact, most meditation practices do have these as their goals. But Centering Prayer doesn’t work with the mind at all; it goes straight for the heart. It’s a surrender method, pure and simple, a practice based entirely on the prompt letting go of thoughts once they arise” (Bourgeault, The Wisdom Jesus 142).

In the Christian tradition, Centering Prayer is a daily practice in surrender or letting go, an embodiment of the Greek work kenosis found in Philippians 2:5-8 which states, “Have this attitude in yourselves, which also was in Messiah Yeshua, Who, though existing in the form of God, did not consider being equal to God a thing to be grasped [or clung to, the opposite of kenosis]. But he emptied [kenosis, let go of] Himself…”

Through emptying, Centering Prayer helps one detached from the egoic consciousness, from your false self, and connect to a deeper sense of being, a connection to the Divine and the streams of abundance that flow within. It is a daily practice that strengthens the muscle of letting go, so hopefully after time in practice, one can find it easier to let go of things that arise outside of the meditation period, allowing one to encounter the world with its chaos and inconsistencies with more grounding and grace.

How to Begin

I originally put off attempting Centering Prayer for years, exploring other contemplative practices first, because it felt daunting. It can be difficult, but it’s also simple to start. Here are beginning steps as presented by seasoned practitioners of Centering Prayer and compiled in Contemplative Outreach’s brochure. Also a few of my own tips and approaches to how I use the practice, so you feel permission to experiment and make it your own. The point is not to do the practice “perfectly,” as if such a thing were possible, but to engage in the process and use it as a tool to help you deepen your own journey and sense of being.

Step One:

Choose a sacred word as a symbol of your intention to consent to God’s presence and action within.

Don’t get caught up and distracted with the idea of a word being “sacred.” The sacredness comes from your intent to be present and meet with the Divine, not from the word itself. It should be a simple word or phrase, no more than a couple words in length, easy to grasp. It can represent your intention, but it should not be so complicated or distracting as to engage your mind thinking about it. Examples of words might be: God, Jesus, or another word for the Divine. Or a word of action or intent such as Peace, Presence, Trust, Be still, Let go, Silence, Open, Here, etc.

Don’t overthink it. Just choose something and try it. You can change your word in the beginning as you are new to the practice to see how different words resonate for you, but it is not recommended to change your word mid-practice, mostly because this engages your thinking brain and does not help in the practice of letting go. Once you’ve established a word in your practice over time, it is also not recommended that you change past that point, since it becomes a form of muscle memory in your being. Some even find after enough practice that the need for the word falls away altogether.

In my own practice I have been drawn to the word open because it symbolizes both a posture of letting of go and receiving from the Divine. For me it is a word of vulnerability as I come to the practice. However, lately I have been struggling so much with the practice, my thoughts continually racing, that I have turned to the word here because it seems to bring more focus and intention to stay present rather than let my mind wander.

Step Two:

Sitting comfortably and with eyes closed, settle briefly and silently introduce the sacred word as the symbol of your consent to God’s presence and action within.

Choose a position you can hold for some time. The goal is to be comfortable enough that you won’t be distracted by holding the position or the sensations in your body, but also not so comfortable that you might fall asleep. The traditional position is to sit straight in a chair with both feet planted so you can sense them on the floor, palms upturned. But you’ll need to find what works for you. There are times I’ve moved from yoga straight into Centering Prayer, and have used the savasana position (or corpse pose), lying on my back with my feet and arms outstretched, my palms upturned. I feel the ground rise up to support me in this position and don’t have to worry about holding my body. It also feels like a position of surrender and receptivity to me. However, currently I am pregnant and cannot lie on my back, so I have turned to the more traditional sitting posture with a pillow behind my back for support.

I like to use the Contemplative Outreach Centering Prayer app which helps me settle in with a brief reading at the beginning and quiet sounds to signal the start of the practice before the timer starts. The main thing is to position your body and pick up your intention to be present and let go, holding your sacred word in your mind as a symbol of this.

Step Three:

When engaged with your thoughts, return ever-so-gently to the sacred word.

The goal of the Centering Prayer session is to let go of all of your thoughts. The term thought includes anything that grabs your attention—sounds, body sensations, feelings, images, etc. If anything distracting arises and steals your attention, once you notice, return gently to your sacred word and begin again. This includes negative thoughts, but also positive ones. This is not a time to “hear a word from God” or come to conclusions or receive answers. This is a time to empty of everything. It is a practice designed to engage your subconscious. For this reason it is also a practice of trust. Often you will not be able to tell whether or not the practice is working or what good it is doing you. Often, I find the practice feels frustrating. My thoughts constantly wander and then I have to resist feeling frustrated that my thoughts wander, another kind of engagement I am designed to let go of. You can observe and notice what is happening and then work to let it go. Don’t focus on it. Don’t feed it. Let it be.

Bourgeault describes the practice at times like being at the bottom of a stream. You are designed to stay immersed down below. Your thoughts will float by up at the surface. Just let them pass. When you find you have engaged with a thought it is as though you have left your lower position and swum up to grab hold of that thought. When you notice you have, let it go and attempt to sink back down.

Being distracted is normal! Your monkey mind will attempt to take over. This is a practice which means you have to exercise a muscle that will likely be very weak at the beginning. Resist shaming yourself.

“In one of the very earliest training workshops, led by Thomas Keating, a nun tried out her first twenty minute taste of Centering Prayer and then lamented, ‘Oh Father Thomas, I’m such a failure at this prayer. In twenty minutes I’ve had ten thousand thoughts.’

‘How lovely!’ responded Thomas Keating without missing a beat. ‘Ten thousand opportunities to return to God!’” (qtd. in The Wisdom Jesus by Bourgeault 23-24).

In many ways the point of the exercise is the return. How many times will you return and renew your intent? It’s not about performing right or even feeling good about it.

Step Four:

At the end of the prayer period, remain in silence with eyes closed for a couple of minutes.

Don’t rush out. When I use the Contemplative Outreach app, it signals the end of my timer with some soft music. When I am ready to open my eyes, I finish by reading the ending meditation I’ve selected to have show up. You’ll find your own way of savoring the end.

A word on timing:

One of the mental and practical hurdles that kept me from trying Centering Prayer sooner was the length of time. The recommended sit length is 20 minutes, twice a day. I’m a mom of littles, and I’m lucky if I can get in five daily sits a week. And that’s a good week! So my advice is not to resent your life situation, but find what you can do and try that. I may not reap the long-term benefits as quickly as someone doing two twenty-minute sits a day, but what I am doing is better than nothing. Two sits a week is two more than zero.

Also, twenty minutes can feel like a daunting amount of time when you first start. So pick a lower number to begin. Then, as you stretch that muscle, increase the time by a minute or two gradually until you can tolerate or fit in the full twenty minutes.

I fully believe that the Divine will meet you where you are at. Being a mom is currently part of my spiritual journey, not something divided from it. So I do what I can as I have opportunity and work to find ways and practices that fit into the rhythms of being a mom and trust that God will meet me in those rhythms. You will have to customize your own practices to your own life situation. And if Centering Prayer isn’t the practice for you right now, that’s okay. There were years of my life where that was true as well. Pick up another kind of practice instead (see my Contemplative Practices page for more ideas). The point is to engage with the journey and find what opens your heart to a deeper way of being and communion with the Divine.

If what I’ve shared has peaked your interest, here are further resources available to explore by those much wiser and further along the journey than I.

Readings:

• Chapter 12 from The Wisdom Jesus by Cynthia Bourgeault offers a brief and practical overview of the practice.
• Centering Prayer and Inner Awakening by Cynthia Bourgeault offers a more in-depth exploration of the practice, its methods, theology, and psychology.
• Open Heart, Open Mind by Thomas Keating. This is a classic work on the subject since Keating was the first to formalize the contemplative practice.

Other Resources:

• Closer Than Breath: https://closerthanbreath.com/roundup-the-best-advice-for-your-centering-prayer-practice-part-two/
• Center for Action and Contemplation: https://cac.org/daily-meditations/centering-prayer/