The Mechanics of Sitting
INSTRUCTION:
The Mechanics of Sitting
I offer the following paraphrase from the Rev. Cynthia Bourgeault's The Heart of Centering Prayer: Nondual Christianity in Theory and Practice. Her first chapter offers a short course in centering prayer, and what follows is drawn exclusively from her work.
Lesson 4, The Mechanics of Sitting
Everything that happens to you in meditation actually happens in and through your body rather than outside of your body. You are not escaping from your physicality—you are settling deeply into it.
In Centering Prayer the goal is to keep the body relaxed but alert. Keep as neutral as possible so that the body doesn’t get in the way, either by calling attention to itself (in discomfort) or by falling asleep (which is a sign you need more rest or to sit at a different time).
As in all meditation, it is good to have your back as naturally straight as possible and your head balanced on your shoulders, neither drooping or scrunched to this or that side.
If you need to prop yourself up to support your back or sit in a soft chair, by all means do so. If you can sit on a meditation cushion, do so. Some people with significant back problems practice Centering Prayer lying flat on their back.
There’s not a right way to do this but to find a posture that is “relaxed but alert.”
Typically, your EYES are closed. This is understood as part of the “consent to the presence and action of God” by letting go of what is going on around and within you. Common sense rules thought; if you find yourself falling asleep, open your eyes and bring them to a soft focus.
4.1 “AH, Brother ASS!”
“Brother Ass” is how St. Francis humorously referred to his body. During prayer, it’s not uncommon for Brother Ass to kick back at you via an itch or throat tickle, a sleeping leg or foot, an ache or cramp (drink more water).
Part of this is simply how Centering Prayer does its work. During our busy outer lives we often hold ourselves in constriction and tension over long periods without realizing it… and to not do that is a realignment of the pattern. In the deep relaxation of Centering Prayer, the overly tensed parts have a chance to unkink.
The point of the prayer is to be open to God, not to fight with physical sensations such as an itch. Scratch or cough, shift as needed, then return through your sacred word. As Centering becomes a pattern of practice, your body will settle differently. Sitting in person in a group can impose some expectations of silence. Sitting on a phone call or video call is a place where one can mute and perhaps toggle off your video camera. That’s something to negotiate when forming a sitting group and commit to review with honesty should adjustments be needed.