Should Christians Meditate?

 By Meredith Brierly, owner of Clean Coaching Mama

YES…Christians can (and dare I say, even should) meditate!

 I was recently talking with another Christian friend about holistic ways to support anxiety. She asked me for all my strategies to share with a family friend. As a 12+ years sober recovered alcoholic and holistically-minded health coach, I have a LONG history with anxiety. While I’ve had an on-and-off-again relationship with SSRIs (like Zoloft) personally during busier seasons of life - and feel they have their place and time for many people - I have found meditation practices to be among the most beneficial tools for anxiety.

As I told my friend about a particular type of meditation that really helps me, she responded that her family friend is a pastor’s wife and would “probably be put off by anything around meditation.”

This got me thinking about why Christians would think they shouldn’t practice meditation. And how many think that? I suppose because it first conjures up Eastern religion images of Buddhism and non-Biblical routes to spirituality, obviously. Fair enough. But, broadly speaking, what if we just consider a different perspective? What if we view meditation to be finding stillness, watching our thoughts, and observing the INNER stories in our mind and bodies - especially those stories we may repress or avoid. I think of it as non-judgmentally accessing and observing my mental darkness and bringing it to light.

In 12 step recovery programs, we think of the spiritual acts of prayer and meditation as working together. Prayer is talking to God, and meditation is more the act of listening. Meditation is personally one of the ways I most hear God and how I uncover my own less honorable motives, hidden fears or lingering resentments. It shows me my less spiritual side, my frequent sin patterns and where God challenges me to grow. It reminds me of all the places in scripture where Jesus goes off and just listens and communes with His Father (Luke 5:15-16). I’m also reminded of scriptural references where we are commanded to meditate on God’s word (Joshua 1:8) and how fondly David wrote about the benefits of meditation (Ps 1:1-3, Ps 48:9, Ps 119:99, Ps 119:148).

In terms of the “how” of it, through the years I’ve done lots of different styles. Focusing on an image or word (I’ve used a cross or words like “acceptance”) while following my breath to quiet ambient space music and a timer on my phone is one example. Walking while focusing on the in and out of my breath and watching where my mind goes is another. My thoughts tend to be a pinball machine, but over the years, I’ve gotten better at finding moments of calm – largely thanks to meditation.

A few years ago, I also found EFT “tapping” meditations to be more helpful than anything else for ongoing neck and shoulder pain. I still use them for overall anxiety and other spot check issues that creep up. They are said to combine Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and the acupuncture meridian points of the body. By repeating prompts while tapping on these meridian points, you send a calming signal to your amygdala (which controls the fight or flight part of your brain). As crazy as this process may sound, don’t knock it until you’ve tried it. And, while not Biblical, per se, I always feel more connected with God in the stillness these tapping meditations provide. 

If, at this point, you’re still not convinced meditation can line up with good Christian living, consider this: God gives us so many tools to optimize our health in what’s otherwise a broken, spiritually sick world, right? The research behind the physical and mental benefits of meditation is astounding. Its benefits include decreased stress, lower blood pressure, less depression and anxiety as well as cognitive effects like lengthened attention span, increased self-awareness and possibly even reducing age-related memory loss.  

I’m not suggesting that meditation should replace your time in the Word, prayer, service to others and fellowship with other believers. I’m only making a case for its place among healthy spiritual practices for anyone – including Christians. And, if you’ve never considered it, maybe this helps you look at meditation in a new, broader light.