There is an ancient meditation technique from India that identifies “primordial” sounds with energy centers in the body. You sit quietly. Regulate breathing. Then inhale deeply. While exhaling slowly say one of these sounds. The A sound is like ahh; the O sound is like Ohh.
From base of spine upward to top of head:
- Lam
- Vam
- Ram
- Yam
- Ham
- Sham
- Om
Within Christianity there is a simple prayer, called the Jesus Prayer, that Christian monks, nuns, and recluses have repeated since at least the second century.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
You sit in meditation just as above. I would say the first phrase on inhale and the second one on exhale. I used the word “say” in both instances. Actually, you can repeat aloud or silently.
Over much time, I shortened the prayer to just the word “God” which focuses me on the entire sentence.
The apostle Paul said once that we should pray without ceasing. That was it. One sentence of a suggestion or command or something.
A marvelous little book called The Way of the Pilgrim tells the story of a 19th century Russian peasant who met with tragedy where his house burned to the ground and his family was lost. His only possession was a Bible. Recovering, he could only think of the command to pray without ceasing. He decided to wander the land of western Russia repeating the Jesus Prayer. The story tells of his adventures meeting various people who helped him on his way.
The power of a mind focused on prayer. The power of prayer itself.
Try it. First thing in the morning. When I exercised at a Y, I sat cross-legged in the sauna after exercise and prayed it for 15 minutes almost every day. When you’re standing in the queue to check out at a store. When you are stopped by a traffic light.
Many opportunities present themselves for us to pause and say this little prayer. It helps us remember who we are.
Gary Mintchell
Faith Venture 