Simple Guidelines for Centring Prayer

SACRED WORD

I'm not an expert and neither am I a very experienced "Centring Pray-er", but this is how I do it.

Choose a short, preferably one, but if necessary, two, syllable word.

Suggestions are: Love, God, Yes, Peace, Joy, Jesus, Spirit, Holy, You, Thou, Yes, This, Here, Now. 

This is not a magic word, it is a simple reminder to ourselves that we are letting go of thoughts - even holy and spiritual ones (!) so that we are not getting in God’s way.
Use the word when you are conscious that you’re entertaining your thoughts instead of letting them go.

1 Sit comfortably, upright if possible.

Pray silently:

In God alone my soul, in silence, waits
In God alone my soul, in silence
In God alone my soul
In God alone
In God
God Ps 62

2 Offer these words silently: 

This is my "Yes to God ". This, here, now. 

and then repeat your sacred word, 

consenting to God’s presence with you.

Follow this  silent practice for 20 minutes. Let your thoughts go, when you engage with them, as you will many times (!) and you realise what you're doing, use your sacred word to release them and let  the quiet return.  Contemplative Outreach has a great app which explains more about Centring Prayer and also has a great feature that you can use to time your silence and offers various sounds to mark the start and end. In you mobile device app store look up Contemplative Outreach.

3 Don’t try to stop your thoughts, just let them pass and go. When you are aware of reacting to them use your sacred word to let the thoughts go and return, very, very, gently and without annoyance, frustration or anxiety, to letting God be God. 

Let your thoughts pass, neither react to them or repel them, just notice them and then let them go. 

Slowly, over time, you will find this easier. 

Through the space that this allows to form deep in you, God will be re-minding you with the mind of Christ!

You can replace the words at 1 and 2 with words you find more helpful.