How to Practice Christian Meditations

My last post, Christian Meditation and Mindfulness, introduced and defined Christian meditation and mindfulness. Practicing this has helped me change from feeling stressed and anxious most of the time to feeling peace and joy most of the time. Meditation and mindfulness literally change your brain!

Christian Mindfulness

This is a traditional mindfulness meditation with the added element of awareness of the Lord.

Be aware of your posture. Straighten up, lift the rib cage, elongate the spine. Sit tall, but comfortably. (This is not traditional, but I always pull in my abdominal muscles as well.)
Be aware of your breathing. Now that you’ve made space for your lungs, breathe deeply and slowly, but naturally. With every breath, realize it is from the Lord— “the breath of life”. Thank Him for it.
Be aware of the Lord. Realize that God gives you every breath, life, food, shelter, and everything you have and are. Realize that He is in and through everything all around us. Think of Him being aware of you and all of His creations in that present moment.
Now add an awareness of how you are feeling. How do you feel physically? If you are in pain, accept it. Don’t fight it. How do you feel emotionally? If you feel anxious, ask yourself why. (It may help to stop and write about possible causes for negative feelings and possible solutions.) Are you feeling love, joy, peace, warmth, or calm? These feelings come from the Lord.
Be aware of your thoughts as they come and go. Many of the thoughts that come are inspirations and you can write them down when you are finished so you can act on them and remember them. Other thoughts are distractions and without resenting them, you can send them on their way.

Continue this kind of awareness practice for as long as you would like. Most meditations are 5-25 minutes long. There are so many mindfulness meditations available through apps and online that practicing them will help you get the hang of it and you can add awareness of the Savior.

Christian Prayer Meditation

Our human nature can tend to pray quickly and robotically, without much thought or mental effort. Mindfulness helps me be more focused as I pray. I involve my body and my senses. As in mindfulness meditation, I straighten my posture, breathe deeply, listen to the sounds around me, feel the sensations in my body, and especially — pay attention to the feelings in my heart.

Prayer meditation has helped me to truly learn to pray. I am not in a rush to finish. I want to just sit and be with God for at least 5, 10, 15 minutes. What does a person do praying for that long? You might-

Think of all the things you are grateful for, slowly and in great detail. Thank the Lord for all of them. You can think of experiences and people that have taught you. Thank God for activities that make you happy. I am always so thankful for the flowers, birds, sky, trees and other creations.
Think about God and thank Him for all of His attributes, for being a loving Father that is always aware of you,.
Commit yourself to the Lord and express your faith in Him. Tell Him you trust Him, want to do His will, believe in Him.
Express your righteous desires- tell Him you want to obey, have greater faith, and help others.
Talk to Him about your concerns- If anything is troubling you, describe it to Him and ask for guidance.
Pause throughout your prayer and be still, remembering to breathe, remembering your posture, allowing thoughts to come and sending them on their way if they are distracting. Some thoughts will be guidance from the Lord through His Spirit. Others will be your own due to your wandering mind.
Describe what you plan to do as a result of your prayer and inspiration received. This allows you to feel if your conclusions are right. Do you have peace when you think about it or do you feel anxious? Here are some scriptures about how we get answers from the Lord:
- “…you must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore, you shall feel that it is right. But if it be not right you shall have no such feelings…” (D&C 9:8-9)
- “I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart.” (D&C 8:2)
- “Did I not speak peace to your mind concerning the matter?” (D&C 6:23)
Thank Heavenly Father for any answers you have received, for any peace, joy, or hope you have felt and end in the name of Jesus Christ.

None of these things should be considered step-by-step rigid rules. Speak to God reverently, but naturally, as the words come to your mind. I usually write down the thoughts I had after I am finished praying.

Christian Scripture Study Meditation

Some synonyms with meditation are “contemplation, thinking, pondering, reflection, study.” Reading the word of God can become Christian meditation by paying particular attention to the words, actions, and descriptions of Christ in the scriptures. I was recently challenged to highlight every verse that referenced the Lord and I also highlighted anything He said. I had not realized how much of what I was reading were actually words from His mouth. I learned more about who He is. I felt I got to know Him better.

Christian Writing Meditation

Writing can be meditation as our thoughts are so focused on what we are doing that we don’t think about anything else and almost lose track of time. For Christian writing meditation you could try :

Writing questions that are triggered by Christ’s words in the scriptures and then writing answers to them.
Writing down insights and observations from the scriptures as you read.
Freewriting about Jesus Christ. Describe Him and what He does and says.
Writing about personal experiences when you have felt His love, presence, or help.

Christian Visualization Meditation

Sit or lay with your eyes closed. Relax your body. Be aware of your posture, your feet on the floor, your hands in your lap. Focus on your breath. (This is all part of traditional mindfulness meditation). Now think of the Savior.

You can visualize scenes like:

Him reaching out to you,
Christ hugging you,
Christ holding your hand and walking with you.
An act from his life mentioned in the scriptures. Picture it in great detail, like a movie. Add to the scene as if you were to recreate it in a film. Picture the scenery, the other characters, and the clothing.
Think of HIs light in and through all things. Ponder that His Spirit is everywhere in the universe and that the past, present, and future are one eternal now for Him. “…I am over all, and in all, and through all, and search all things, and the day cometh that all things shall be subject unto me.” (D&C 63:59)

To Sum it All Up

Practicing Christian meditation opens our mind to receive revelation from God. We can meditate on Christ through:

Christian Mindfulness Meditation
Prayer
Scripture Study
Writing
Visualization

“Yea, and cry unto God for all thy support; yea, let all thy doings be unto the Lord, and whithersoever thou goest let it be in the Lord; yea, let all thy thoughts be directed unto the Lord; yea, let the affections of thy heart be placed upon the Lord forever.” Alma 37:37