Andrew Willson shares his journey into meditation

My own meditation and silent prayer journey began when I was an undergraduate student in the 1980s visiting a Christian monastic community of Taizé in France. Their services always had a time of silence and a deep meditative atmosphere. But what I also learned at Taizé was that meditation and silent prayer could be integral linked to making positive social change and reconciliation. This community was started in the 1940s by a small group of PhD students from Catholic and Protestant Churches involved with the network helping Jewish people escape from Nazi occupied France. Later, the community developed a work of national and international reconciliation and dialogue.

What I have learned from students and staff is that we all respond to different forms of spirituality because of our different personalities and our changing needs. Conversations about spirituality are often about finding a practice that works for individuals and their current life. The practice could be reviewing the day, using imagination or the body in prayer, meditative reading of Scripture, meditative walking, journaling, or a form of daily prayer. In our weekly Christian Meditation sessions, we draw on all these practices.

The practice I use most is Centering Prayer – a contemporary expression of traditional forms of Christian silent prayer.

For many years I have also been interested in Mindfulness meditation. A growing scientific evidence base now supports Mindfulness practice. The research affirms that meditative spirituality can support health and well-being.

One of the great things about Mindfulness is that it allows people from all world views – religious and secular – to practice meditation. This is not too far away from where my own journey began with the French community bringing people together.

I began learning Christian prayer from people from different Churches. I now feel very grateful to have learned Mindfulness directly from my very experienced Buddhist colleagues from Zen and Tibetan traditions.

For a one-to-one conversation about your journey of meditation, spirituality or prayer, please contact Andrew Willson.