“I like to walk alone on country paths, rice plants and wild grasses on both sides, putting each foot down on the earth in mindfulness, knowing that I walk on the wondrous earth. In such moments, existence is a miraculous and mysterious reality. People usually consider walking on water or in thin air a miracle. But I think the real miracle is not to walk either on water or in thin air, but to walk on the earth. Every day we are engaged in a miracle which we don’t even recognize: a blue sky, white clouds, green leaves, the black, curious eyes of a child – our own two eyes. All is a miracle.” – Thich Nhat Hanh, The Miracle of Mindfulness
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The health benefits of meditation have been well documented. This article, Meditation: A simple, fast way to reduce stress, posted on the Mayo Clinic’s website, recommends mediation as an effective way to reduce stress and anxiety. We teach meditative practices to many of our clients in an effort to help them find greater wholeness, positive energy, integration, balance, and creativity in in their lives.
An unfortunate misconception prevents many individuals from realizing the benefits of meditative practices. Many people believe that meditation is somehow contrary to the Christian faith tradition. This is simply not true. In fact, Christian meditation, sometimes called centering prayer or contemplative prayer, has long and well-documented history.
The video below offers a simple introduction to this type of prayer from the perspective of Thomas Keating, OCSO.
“In a real prayer, you ask only for the things you really need, things that are necessary for your well-being, such as peace, solidity, and freedom — freedom from anger, fear, and craving. Happiness and well-being are not possible without peace, solidity, and freedom. Most of our desires are not for our peace, solidity, and freedom. While you pray, you are deeply aware of what you really need and what is just the object of your desire. This kind of prayer is the light of God that shines upon you, telling you which way to go in order to obtain peace, solidity, and freedom. In a real prayer, you also touch the wholesome seeds in your consciousness and water them. These are seeds of compassion, love, understanding, forgiveness, and joy. If while praying you can recognize these seeds in you and help them grow, your prayer is already a deep practice.” – Contemplative Prayer
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We serve all of Northwest Arkansas, including Bella Vista, Bentonville, Rogers, Springdale, Fayetteville and outlying communities, – with client-centered marriage counseling, individual counseling services.
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