Lets start here: mindfulness itself isnt religious. According to Paul Williams, referring to Erich Frauwallner, mindfulness provided the way in early Buddhism to liberation, "constantly watching sensory experience in order to prevent the arising of cravings which would power future experience into rebirths. Christians who practice mindfulness can find passages in the Bible to support their practice. The way of the world, and particularly with the enemy of the gospel, is to use things that are good in appearance, that can appear helpful in practice, that seem to have positive results, and then gradually move them into something that can be used for evil. Meditation and mindfulness apps have boomed in the last decade, part of the trend of the year that Apple's App Store noted in 2018: self-care apps, particularly those focused on mental health . I started Mindfulness Box because thinking about what makes humans happy, calm, and peaceful is endlessly fascinating to me. Mindfulness can be thought of as a part of meditation. TRY IT The core of mindfulness is to observe your thoughts and feelings without judgment. We're being turned into 'hyper-attentive' people. Mindfulness Box's content is for informational and educational purposes only. Christian Mindfulness, Healing and Chronic Illness; Reconnecting your inner life with God; Christian's shouldn't get depressed? Mindfulness is having a positive attitude about the phenomenon, feelings, and environments your body encounters.It is a form of "treatment" with origins in the Buddhist religion, and it has made its way to places like the West in the context of handling and treating stress - thus also the term MBSR (Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction). Specific connections between mindfulness and Christian theology are explored within the sub-pages of this section (found by clicking on the Christian Virtue & Mindfulness tab). The Bible mentions 23 occurrences of some translation of meditate: 19 of them appear in the Psalms, and of the 23, 20 refer specifically to meditating on the Lord in some way. The Background of Mindfulness in Christianity The church has used reflective Christianity and mindfulness since the very early days. October 31, 2022 Mindfulness exists as a concept within all major world religions, including Christianity. The answer is yes. Your email address will not be published. So, the concept of Christian mindfulness has emerged as a way of squaring mindfulness practice with a Christian worldview. Calling to God as light is one of the ways how we can connect to God through meditation. Jesus says, "I am the way" (John 14:6). Coronavirus, Christian Mindfulness, and Meditation; The Dark Night of the Soul; Depression and my Arnold Schwarzenegger moment; The Weight of Grief; Broken yet beautiful : A poem; An Evening with Alan Ross (Recording) Mental Health, Mindfulness and Christianity; Why I'm a mental health advocate on World Mental Health Day ; Meditation and the Joy of God; Reflections on Anticipatory Grief . These two events are being organised in partnership with the Mind & Soul Foundation, CWR, Meadows Community Church and the Forward Foundation. Firstly, Christians are frail human beings just like everyone else, and are as susceptible to psychological vulnerability as the next person - we live in the same stressful world. I realised there was a lot of overlap between what secular mindfulness was saying in terms of working with your afflictive thoughts and what the early Christian contemplatives were saying. In addition to using secular mindful awareness practices for health and to turn down the noise in our heads (also good for our prayer lives), we can use ancient Christian meditative practices like lectio divina, a slow meditative reading of Scripture inherited from the Jewish tradition, and the Jesus Prayer which also helps us to still our minds, as well as be watchful and mindful of God. He also reflects on how it can impact what and how we believe and seeks to find how mindfulness enables our Christian faith to work for us. Please click here to learn how. However, it is clear in the structure of these therapies that the mind is the primary catalyst for change and not a specific deity. However, even with these benefits how should Christians approach the practice of mindfulness? Part 2: From Believing to Knowing. While chakras arent mentioned specifically in the Bible, we can see that it is possible that just as God created our bodies with pathways for energy to flow (nerves, blood, lymph, meridians). This issue was disconcerting to some of Wesleys parishioners in that they were unsuccessful in controlling their thoughts. Christian mindfulness embraces living in the present moment, contemplative prayer, silent reflection, meditating on Biblical passages, avoiding worry about the future, and noticing and letting go of negative thoughts. It insists on concentration on one's own breathing and thoughts, in a non-judgmental and non-reflective way. There is no reason for it not to be part of Christian practice, although one should "view it with a. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Subscribe now to receive email notifications whenever a new update is posted to the Soul Care Community! An approach to answering this question is to ask the question, Can a Christian have an effective relationship with the Holy Spirit if they struggle with wandering thoughts? It has been my experience as a psychotherapist that my clients are more self-focused when they are struggling with wandering or intrusive thoughts. In Mindfulnessand Christian Spirituality, Tim Stead explores how practicing mindfulness can help Christians better live out their faith. [1] Mental Health Foundation (2010) Mindfulness Report, London, 9-10. Contrary to what media and society are saying, Christianity and mindfulness have entirely different objectives. What are the 5 types of coping strategies. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The fact is that mindfulness is our universal (God-given) capacity for awareness and attention. Meditation is practiced in numerous religious traditions. The benefits of mindfulness in Christianity It's clear that there are many benefits to mindfulness, both in improving our spiritual life and our mental health. 6. Rather than a religion, mindfulness is a set of wellbeing techniques, with the goal of bettering the human condition. Mindfulness originates in a set of ancient Buddhist principles. The earliest records of meditation (dhyana) are found in the Upanishads, and meditation plays a salient role in the contemplative repertoire of Jainism, Buddhism and Hinduism. However, its not just Buddhists. Through integrating mindfulness into my practice I have been able to see my clients be more God-focused rather than self-focused. One of the questions I have been asked to talk about recently to a Christian counselling service is, what does mindfulness offer the Christian? It is an important question. When Christians think biblically, they see things defined through the lens of Scripture. Many Christians who practice mindfulness report that as they slow down to appreciate a sunset or even their breakfast, they are filled with gratitude to God for these blessings and what in Buddhism is a state of 'non judgement' becomes a relational act of thankfulness. Stead explains what mindfulness is and what is beneficial about it. So, the associations with new-age spirituality and a secular worldview, plus the worry that mindfulness is a slippery slope away from Christianity, bring us to the next step: Of course, there are some elements added, but Christian mindfulness is similar to regular mindfulness. There are now about trained 2,200 mindfulness teachers and an all-party group of MPs last week urged the government to fund the training of 1,200 more. This message explores what we find in Colossians 3:12-17 This message explores what we find in Colossians 3:12-17 Mindfulness is a state of mind that goes beyond meditation. It is me who is so often not here for God. A meditation for everyday life, all are welcome, regardless of experience. There are two main dimensions to mindfulness, mindfulness for health and mindfulness of God. But what exactly does this practice offer to Christians? That being said, some Christians are uncomfortable with the new-age spiritual or secular associations mindfulness has in some circles. He and his colleagues developed Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) in the early 1980s to address the problem of people suffering from present stress due to past trauma. Christian mindfulness meditation focuses on contemplation, gratitude, and being present, while keeping your focus on God According to Christian publication Focus on the Family, a Christian approach to mindfulness is possible and desirable. Non-Judgmentalism and Christian Mindfulness; Does God Cry? They also complain that it is difficult to pray or to hear God. These include improved health, happiness, social life, self-control . Cancel. But if you, like us, find that the yoga practice benefits you physically, mentally and draws you closer to God and your relationship with Jesus grows because of it, then YES you should keep practising! 1. Regardless of whether its called mindfulness or not, many religions encourage followers to do mindfulness-style activities, like sitting in quiet reflection, practicing gratitude, and participating in prayer or meditation. . Mindfulness, I want to suggest, is one of the ways of cultivating this waking up - this recognising that God is here and what will be involved in following God's way for me. Christian mindfulness offers an explanation of contemporary mindfulness combined with a guide to mindfulness as a way of Christian living. They believe mindfulness can be compatible with a biblical worldview as long as it's rooted in Scripture and focuses on connecting with God. Mindfulness and How It Differs from Christian Meditation. Studies indicate there are many benefits of mindfulness meditation. 1. Our website is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. But whereas Christians subjugate themselves to the regimen and discipline of God which they see as restorative ( James 4:7 ), Mindfulness sees personal constraint as an obstacle to well-being that needs to be eliminated. So it might help a teenager in an exam, for instance: the stress response triggers panic, but mindfulness can switch that back. When it comes to mindfulness of God I am reminded of a verse in Genesis, chapter 26 and verse 15, So all the wells that his fathers servants had dug in the time of his father Abraham, the Philistines stopped up, filling them with earth. Mindfulness is one of our ancient spiritual wells, but it is not anyone else that has filled it in, we have done it ourselves, by ignoring the biblical witness to awareness and attention, and the Christian contemplative tradition which is concerned with mindfulness of God. In terms of mindfulness for health The UK Mental Health Foundations 2010 Mindfulness Report lists a number of significant mental health conditions that mindfulness is being used for, through a number of different mindfulness-based or mindfulness-incorporating therapies, including depression, insomnia, anxiety disorders, stress, chronic pain, psoriasis, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, drug abuse, psychosis, eating disorders, self-harm, borderline personality disorder, as well as improving mood and reducing stress for those being treated for cancer. `` we can mindfulness and christianity God into each moment of our perceptive faculties neighbours, for example, extolls Gods.. 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