Four months ago, I posted about some of the scientifically-proven, health benefits of meditation, via Healthline.
Mindfulness meditation can reduce stress, depression, can help ward off dementia, help with insomnia, improve diabetes control. Basically, you name it.
Mayo Clinic describes it thusly: “Mindfulness is a type of meditation in which you focus on being intensely aware of what you’re sensing and feeling in the moment, without interpretation or judgment. Practicing mindfulness involves breathing methods, guided imagery, and other practices to relax the body and mind and help reduce stress. Spending too much time planning, problem-solving, daydreaming, or thinking negative or random thoughts can be draining. It can also make you more likely to experience stress, anxiety and symptoms of depression. Practicing mindfulness exercises can help you direct your attention away from this kind of thinking and engage with the world around you.”
End quote.
It is just an unbelievable source of physical and mental health, in much the same way exercise is.
Christians are often really hesitant about any kind of meditation that isn’t “Christian meditation,” but that’s odd to me.
Do Christians scold, “You have to do Christian exercise!”
No.
So it’s strange we will only tolerate “Christian meditation,” but not demand “Christian bike riding.”
Or what about diet?
A lot of the same Christians will say, “Fight depression, naturally, with a good diet.”
They don’t say, “Eat a Christian diet.”
So this resistance to breathing techniques, clearing the mind, taking a moment of silence etc is just sad.
I could go on, but put it this way — I downloaded a popular meditation app four months ago, and decided to really commit to it.
I also promised to report back on the results, in case you were curious.
Two observations.
First, there is absolutely nothing incompatible with being a Jesus-follower and mindfulness meditation.
In fact, that leads me to my second point.
It has, in many ways, improved my relationship with Christ and my love towards others by reducing stress, anxiety, and overall, making me feel much emotionally healthier. (My heart rate has dipped too).
In fact, my wife will often say, “You haven’t meditated today, have you?” And yup, she’s on the money. I’m a much more calm, kinder person when I’ve meditated.
So for me, mindfulness meditation has been the biggest game-changer for my mental health since I started taking antidepressants.
I’d say it’s a lot like physical exercise, except there’s a more useful component, because you can practice it just about anywhere.
I was at the dentist last month and a bit squeamish about some of the hygienic measures, but as I sat there, I remembered mindfulness exercises and just shut my eyes and thought about the sounds I was hearing, the sensations etc.,
It was enormously useful.
Some more personal benefits:
-my breathing has improved. That has profound effects on my entire body.
-I’m learning to stop overthinking.
And this is where Christians miss the boat on “Christian meditation.”
To them, any kind of meditation has to be on our spirituality or a verse or something, but in people with OCD or anxiety, that can promote overthinking.
One of the most blessed, deepest wonders has been learning how to just stop thinking for a bit. It’s incredibly important for our health. After all, sleep. Right?
-My “internal monologue” OCD has improved.
Primarily, through something called “noting.”
It’s a process where we simply think, “I’m getting up from the chair” when we get up or “I’m walking on this pavement” when we walk.
It’s difficult to do, but if we’re stuck in internal, distracting monologues all day, it’s a profound relief to just think “Look at that tree” and nothing more.
Now the Christian skeptic would say, “Why can’t you say, ‘Look at God’s beautiful tree’.”
Sure, you could and sometimes I do.
But people with OCD or anxiety need to think less sometimes, and just observe without thinking. At least for me.
So, to sum up, I still read my Bible, I still pray, but I also practice mindfulness meditation, and it’s been a powerfully useful thing for me.
[Painting: Philosopher in Meditation, Rembrandt]
