What is Centering Prayer? | A Guide to the Practice
- The Contemplative Society
- 2 days ago
- 7 min read
Updated: 7 hours ago
In a world defined by noise, productivity, and the constant demand for our attention, silence can feel radical. Yet, it is in silence that the Christian wisdom tradition has always found its deepest connection to the Divine.
At The Contemplative Society, Centering Prayer is one of the core practices we support. It is a method of silent prayer that prepares us to receive the gift of contemplation, that "luminous seeing" where we experience God’s presence beyond words, thoughts, or emotions.
If you are looking to deepen your spiritual life or are curious about Christian meditation, this guide will introduce you to the history, method, and resources to begin your journey.
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What is Centering Prayer?
Centering Prayer is a method of silent prayer that facilitates the development of contemplative prayer by preparing our faculties to cooperate with this gift. It is an attempt to present the teaching of earlier times (like The Cloud of Unknowing) in a contemporary form.
It is important to distinguish Centering Prayer from other forms of meditation:
It is not a technique to "empty the mind" or achieve a relaxation response (though these may happen).
It is a relationship. The focus is on intention, not attention. We are not focusing on a mantra or the breath; we are consenting to God's presence and action within.
As Fr. Thomas Keating, one of the founders of the movement, famously said: "Silence is God’s first language; everything else is a poor translation." Centering Prayer is how we learn that language.
The Biblical Foundation: "Listen to Him!"
While Centering Prayer is a method developed in the 20th century, its spiritual mechanics are deeply biblical. This is not an isolated practice, but part of a consistent biblical theme where silence is the prerequisite for encounter.
One of the most powerful illustrations is found in the story of the Transfiguration. In the Gospels, Jesus takes Peter, James, and John up a high mountain where Christ is transfigured in light. Peter, overwhelmed, immediately tries to do something. He offers to build three shelters—to capture the experience, to manage it. Scripture tells us he spoke "not knowing what he was saying" (Luke 9:33).
But while Peter is still babbling, a cloud overshadows them and God speaks: "This is my Son, whom I love... Listen to him!" (Matthew 17:5).
This pattern repeats throughout Scripture. Elijah does not find God in the wind, earthquake, or fire, but in the "sound of sheer silence" (1 Kings 19:12). The Psalmist instructs us simply to "Be still, and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10). Jesus himself frequently withdrew to "lonely places" to pray (Luke 5:16), teaching his disciples to enter their "inner room" and close the door (Matthew 6:6).
Centering Prayer is the practice of obeying these invitations. Like Peter, our minds are constantly trying to "build shelters"—planning, analyzing, and talking at God. Centering Prayer is the gentle discipline of stopping our building so that we can finally, truly, listen to Him.
The Origins of Centering Prayer
While the method of Centering Prayer was packaged in the 20th century, its roots are ancient.
In the 1970s, three Trappist monks at St. Joseph’s Abbey in Spencer, Massachusetts—Fr. Thomas Keating, Fr. William Meninger, and Fr. Basil Pennington—observed that many young spiritual seekers were turning to Eastern traditions (like Zen and TM) to find a path to deep silence. They realized the Christian tradition had its own rich history of meditative prayer that had been largely forgotten by the modern church.
They looked back to the Desert Fathers and Mothers and specifically to the 14th-century anonymous English classic, The Cloud of Unknowing. This text taught a method of prayer that involved a "blind stirring of love" toward God, using a single syllable word to beat down thoughts.
Drawing on this ancient wisdom, the monks developed a structured method suitable for modern people living active lives. They named it "Centering Prayer," inspired by Thomas Merton’s description of prayer as being "centered entirely on the presence of God."
How to Practice Centering Prayer
The method of Centering Prayer is simple, but the practice is profound. It consists of four guidelines.
The Four Guidelines
Choose a Sacred Word as the symbol of your intention to consent to God’s presence and action within.
Examples: God, Jesus, Love, Peace, Mercy, Let Go, Silence.
Tip: The word is not sacred because of its meaning, but because of your intention. Pick one and stick with it during the sit.
Sitting comfortably and with eyes closed, settle briefly and silently introduce the Sacred Word as the symbol of your consent to God’s presence and action within.
When engaged with your thoughts, return ever-so-gently to the Sacred Word.
Note: "Thoughts" include body sensations, feelings, images, and reflections. You will have thoughts! The practice is not to stop thinking, but to release the thought when you notice you are engaged with it, using the Sacred Word as your anchor back to intention.
At the end of the prayer period, remain in silence with eyes closed for a couple of minutes.
This transition helps you bring the atmosphere of silence into your daily life.
*Recommended Time: 20 minutes, twice a day (morning and evening) is the recommended "dose" for transformation, but even 5–10 minutes is a beautiful start.
In Depth Instructions...
Find a quiet space. Choose a place where you are unlikely to be disturbed.
Sit comfortably and alert. Sit in a way that allows you to be relaxed in body and awake in mind. Use a chair, cushion, or prayer rug according to your physical needs and preferences.
Close your eyes. Gently let your attention shift inward.
Open your heart. As Cynthia Bourgeault writes: “Allow your heart to open toward that invisible but always present Origin of all that exists."
Let thoughts go. Whenever you become aware of a thought, no matter what kind, simply release it.
Introduce a sacred word.
A sacred word or short phrase helps you return to silence.
It is a symbol of your intention to remain open, not a mantra to be repeated constantly.
Sacred words often fall into two categories:
God words: Abba, Jesu, Mary, Reality, Come Lord
State words: love, peace, be still
As much as possible, let your word or phrase “find you.”
Stay with the practice. Continue resting in silence for about 20 minutes. At the end of the sit, simply get up and return to your day, leaving the practice behind just as you left behind your thoughts.
Close the practice with reverence. At the end of your sit, bow, say a brief prayer of thanks, or simply stretch before returning to your day.
Resources for the Journey
Centering Prayer is best learned in community and deepened through study. Below are the resources we recommend to support your practice.
Deepen Your Practice with TCS
We offer in-depth training on this practice, guided by Cynthia Bourgeault, one of the foremost teachers of Centering Prayer in the world.
An Introduction to the Practice of Centering Prayer: Cynthia Bourgeault (2009): A foundational course for those new to the practice.
Deepening the Practice of Centering Prayer: Cynthia Bourgeault (2003): An advanced exploration for deepening your consent.
Centering Prayer | Knowing without Knowing: Cynthia Bourgeault (2018): An updated comprehensive course.
Recommended Books
Centering Prayer and Inner Awakening by Cynthia Bourgeault – widely considered the best guide for bridging the gap between traditional theology and modern practice.
Open Mind, Open Heart by Thomas Keating – the classic text that launched the movement.
The Cloud of Unknowing (Anonymous) – the medieval root of the practice.
Apps & Tools
Centering Prayer App: Created by Contemplative Outreach, this free app (available on iOS and Android) includes a timer, opening/closing prayers, and adjustable silence settings.
Find a Community
Contemplation is a solitary practice that is sustained by community. We strongly encourage you to find a local "sit group." On a global scale, there are two main organizations involved in the development of this practice:
Contemplative Outreach: A global network founded by Thomas Keating. You can search their database for local chapters and Zoom groups.
The Center for Action and Contemplation (CAC): Founded by Richard Rohr, offering additional resources and daily meditations.
Ready to begin?
You don't need to be an expert to start. You simply need to sit down. As the Cloud of Unknowing reminds us, "God may well be loved, but not thought."
Some final tips as you deepen your practice...
Your sacred word: Many people experiment with a few sacred words before settling on one that feels natural. Once you begin a sit, continue with the same word for the duration. Ideally, let the word “find you” rather than forcing a choice.
Timing your sit: Use a gentle timer that won’t jar you at the end—vibration or soft chimes are best. If you use a smartphone, apps like Contemplative Outreach’s Centering Prayer App can help.
Beginning your sit: Sit as comfortably as possible, with an upright posture if you can, but adjust as needed. Close your eyes. Some practitioners begin with a brief invocation, chant, or prayer, while others take two or three deep breaths to settle. Remember: Centering Prayer is not about changing or controlling your body or mind, but about consenting to God’s presence.
Physical sensations: Treat sensations just as you would thoughts: notice them, let them go, and return to your sacred word. If a sensation becomes too uncomfortable, gently open your awareness, shift your posture, and then return to prayer.
Thoughts and feelings: Expect thoughts of all kinds: plans, memories, emotions, even spiritual insights. You may feel peaceful, distracted, irritated, or blissful. Whatever arises, respond in the same way: gently return to your sacred word, the symbol of your “intention to consent to the presence and action of God within”. Do not analyze or judge your experience; simply let it go, over and over again.
Ending your sit: Many end with a bow, a short prayer of thanks, or a gentle stretch. Then return to your daily life without clinging to or evaluating the experience of your sit.
*Curated by Nicholas Fournie, Communications Coordinator, The Contemplative Society
PO Box 23031, Cook St. RPO
Victoria, British Columbia
Canada, V8V 4Z8
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