Centring Prayer is drawn from the ancient practices of the Christian contemplative heritage, notably the traditional monastic practice of Lectio Divina and the practices described in the anonymous fourteenth century classic The Cloud of Unknowing and in the writings of Christian mystics such as John Cassian, Francis de Sales, Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross, Therese of Lisieux, and Thomas Merton. Most importantly, Centring Prayer is based on the wisdom saying of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount:

“…when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will repay you.”

Matthew 6.6 (New American Bible)

From contemplativeoutreach.org/history-of-centering-prayer/

I have a daily practice of Centring prayer that I would love to share with you. So on Tuesday mornings there is the option to gather together before our morning movement session and have a 20 minute sit. Each session with open and close with a quote of a scripture to centre us. These gatherings will be live only, but there is a single 20 minute practice available in the members area for you to do anytime, especially if 6am isn’t your thing!

The Guidelines

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

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.

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

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

The fruit of centring prayer, in most people’s experience (including mine) is not found in the practice itself, but what comes from the practice.

For me that has looked like:

A feeling of deeper union with God.

An increased (and imperfect) ability to respond to my life instead of react to it.

A sense that I’m slowly uncovering my true self as my false self is gradually exposed and broken down.

It’s a lifelong process and 5 years into some fairly inconsistent practice I am only a beginner. I believe that as we sit surrendered in the presence of God, open to whatever our creator might want to do, literally anything is possible.

So although carving out the time to sit in silence isn’t always thrilling or convenient, I believe the fruit of the practice is worth our time.