What’s Missing from New Age Meditation?

With all the hype today about meditation, I couldn’t help but be drawn in. It’s no surprise why millions around America are incorporating it into their daily lifestyle. The benefits are broad and backed by a ton of strong science.

• Meditation Improves Your Ability to Be Introspective (see here)
• Meditation Decreases Depression (see here)
• Meditation Decreases Anxiety (see here, here, and here)
• Meditation Decreases Stress (see here and here)
• Meditation Increases Compassion (see here and here)
• Meditation Increases Immune System Function (see here and here)
• Meditation Improves Your Ability to Regulate Your Emotions (see here)
• Meditation Increases Grey Matter (see here)
• Meditation Increases Brain Size In Areas Related to Emotional Regulation (see here and here)
• Meditation Increases Positive Emotions (see here and here)
• Meditation Increases Cortical Thickness In Areas Related to Paying Attention (see here)
• Meditation Increases Your Ability to Focus & Multitask (see here and here)

(Data from http://www.scienceofsuccess.co/show-notes)

So how is a practice so great still eluding a huge portion of the American public? Well, probably because it’s confusing.

I spent some time experimenting with mindfulness meditation, heartmath/coherance training, breath meditation, visualisation, etc. There are hundreds of other ways to meditate as well. After a while, all the information can get pretty overwhelming.

Don’t get me wrong, these techniques helped me become more aware of my own feelings and desires, cope with stress and the fight or flight response, stay in the present moment, increase my happiness, gratefulness, and productivity and the whole nine miles. Over time, however, I wanted more. I couldn’t help but feel like something was missing.

Throughout my exploration of predominantly Eastern, unfamiliar meditation practices, my prayer life certainly suffered. Wondering how the two might meet, I looked into the history of the church and ran into Richard Rohr’s fascinating novel, The Naked Now. This book helped me discover some of the early church mystics and the concept of contemplative prayer and Christian Meditation. Today’s fast paced world turned centuries old prayer and meditation practices into something almost unrecognizable- a one-sided relationship where we treat God like a self-help guru and only pray when we need something fixed.

Today’s fast paced world turned centuries old prayer and meditation practices into something almost unrecognizable- a one-sided relationship where we treat God like a self-help guru and only pray when we need something fixed.

When we slow down and really start to listen and contemplate the meaning behind those prayers most of us learned as kids, you’d be surprised how close they come to some New Age meditations. The other day I noticed how remarkably similar the “Our Father” is to Tony Robbin’s “Priming” process or common practices like Vishen Lakhiani’s 5 phase meditation. All are introspective and involve quiet time reprogramming the brain to think differently. The “5 Phase meditation” involves spending time pondering the following:

1. Compassion (Positive feelings towards others)
2. Gratitude (For things, people, etc.)
3. Forgiveness (For those who have wronged you, namely to free yourself from resentment)
4. Visualization (Thinking about what your ideal future would be)
5. Blessing (Breathing in positive energy)

I’ve spent a lot of time using methods like these and they work remarkably! However, I don’t think we can pretend that we are reinventing the wheel. Here’s how this process parallels an age old prayer practice:

Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be your name

• God is Love. To be a Christian means leaning into what it means to honor God’s name and become more like Him. In this time, I think about all the words we use to describe God, reflect on what it means to be in His image, and channel that towards others in my life. (Compassion)

Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven.

• What would it look like for God’s Kingdom to be here on earth as it IS in heaven? This is time to reflect on a vision of the future not only for myself, but for the whole planet and everyone on it. (Visualization) What I like more about this prayer is that “Your will be done” helps me move beyond just “What would my perfect day look like?… Well, there would definitely be cheesecake” to “How am I called to build God’s Kingdom?” (Hopefully there’s room for cheesecake)

Give us this day, our daily bread.

• Lets get past the idea that this is just about food. (For Pete’s sake, I’m trying to cut carbs anyway!) Our “Daily Bread” can be anything we are grateful for. I thank God for the people He’s put in my life, the blessings He’s given me, and yea… for Filet Mignon too. (Gratitude)

And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us

• Science has it right. Forgiveness frees us from the damaging effects of lasting resentment (High blood pressure, weak immune system, anxiety, etc.) That’s why I spend a ton of time here reflecting on the days actions. I think about what I’ve done and said that could have been dealt with better, repent and resolve to do better next time. When I don’t make time for prayer, I’m not holding myself accountable and I miss out on this important opportunity for improvement. What’s great about this prayer is that it focuses on forgiving ourselves as well, freeing us from crippling guilt and shame that extra donut may have caused. (Forgiveness)

And lead us not, into temptation, but deliver us from evil

• I don’t think this one fits in any of those categories (That just means this prayer gives you more bang for your buck!) Let me know what you think in the comments below. This is the time I reflect on how putting myself in certain situations places me at higher risk for evil. (Like talking politics with my clueless roomate!) … Okay maybe (Forgiveness)

For yours is the Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory forever. Amen

• I usually begin and end my prayer recognizing that God not only created everything, but is also the force or power that sustains it. I let this wash over me and breathe it all in to put myself in a posture of prayer. (Blessing)

 

Packs a pretty neat punch huh? Not bad for a prayer dating back to the first century. Whoever wrote that must have been pretty clever.

 

Post comments below and maybe share your favorite prayer practices!

 

(Cover photocred Bulletproofexec.com)