When Should You Practice Centering Prayer?

I suggest that your first centering prayer sit take place in the morning.  Soon it will become a habit.  I do not think you will regret it.  This is the best way to start your day.

On workdays I make it a habit to set my alarm twenty minutes earlier.  I retreat to the basement, light a candle and sit on my couch.  It’s a wonderful way to begin the day.  It wakes me up.  It fills me with interior peace.  I always feel ready for the day.

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I strongly suggest a second sit.  A second sit refills your reservoir.  It energizes you and helps you finish your day.

I work in an office building.  In the early afternoon I head to my car.  Here I take my second sit.  I am always amazed by how productive the rest of my day is after this sit.  A second sit refreshes me.  I need this sit!  My reservoir is empty.  It needs to be refilled.

If you are unable to take an afternoon sit, I suggest you sit before you leave work or in the evening after dinner.  This is a nice way to enter the relaxation of the evening.  If you have kids, you might need to be creative with this second sit.  You might need to sit after the kids go down for the night.  You might need to negotiate with your partner and ask permission to slip away.

My wife and I enjoy to drink coffee at night.  If I am not able to take an afternoon sit, I head to the kitchen and brew the coffee.  I retreat to the basement, light my candle and take my second sit on my couch.  When completed, I blow out the candle, head back to the kitchen, pour the coffee and enjoy my time with my wife.

I need both sits!  The first sit starts my day.  It prepares me for the day’s events.  The second sit refills my reservoir.

Feel free to use your sacred word even during the day to refresh and re-focus you. When you become stressed, pause.  Ever so gently return your inner gaze to your sacred word.  I have found that this sacred pause allows me to calmly return to the task at hand.

Take two sits per day.  Introduce your sacred word during the day when needed.  If you miss a sit, do not become upset.  God is very patient.  God infinitely loves you and looks forward to when you sit the next day.

Go Further:

Centering Prayer and Inner Awakening by Cynthia Bourgeault

The Path of Centering Prayer: Deepening Your Experience of God by David Frenette

Intimacy with God: An Introduction to Centering Prayer by Thomas Keating

Be Still and Listen: Experience the Presence of God in Your Life  by Amos Smith

Healing the Divide: Recovering Christianity’s Mystic Roots  by Amos Smith

 

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