Contemplative Sit

“Be still and know that I am God.” - Psalm 46

Leading in with this scripture verse, practice a contemplative sit of your own.

Seat yourself in a quiet area.
Ground yourself and allow your breathing to settle.
Notice any tightness in your shoulders and neck and allow any tension in your muscles to relax.
Allow your back to rest in an aligned, neutral position.

Once you are settled, read the verse aloud—this is the opening text for your sit.
Continue in your sit in whatever way makes most sense to you—focusing on your breath, connecting with your body, or another method with which you are familiar from group contemplative sits or your own experience of contemplative practice.
You may wish to set a timer or a prayer bell so that you know when to finish. Start with 10 minutes. As you become more comfortable with this practice, increase to 15 or 20 minutes.

Remember, there is no goal; there is no right or wrong way—simply be present to what is in the moment.

Write in your journal your reflections of your experience of this sit.
 
Adapted by Pastor Clark from pages 23 and 24 of The Universal Christ Companion Guide.

Dealing with Distractions

Consider this advice from Mark Thibodeaux, S.J. and his book, Armchair Mystic: Easing into Contemplative Prayer, chapter 11, "When Things Go Haywire."

Dealing with Trivial Distractions
Trivial distractions are uninvited thoughts about inconsequential things: what's on TV, a minor but unfinished to-do list item, and the like.

"I don't fight these distractions; I negotiate with them by acknowledging their presence and then letting them leave on their own." I (Pastor Clark) imagine my interrupting thoughts as debris on the river. I simply watch them float on by.

"What if they still persist? I try using a mantra in my prayer." A mantra is a word or short phrase, like "Be still" or "Jesus." In response to a pesky but trivial distraction, I (Pastor Clark) simply slowly repeat the mantra as many times as I need to refocuse--"Be still. Be still. Be still." I often do this in rhythm with my breath, or I let my breath itself be the mantra.

"What if they still persist? I vary my prayer activities. I go back to reading the Bible or praying {the Lord's prayer} or other ready-made types of prayer. Like the mantra, they will give my restless mind something to focus on...but I take care not to become obsessed with them. Otherwise, I would be replacing one distraction with another."

"What if they yet still persist? Sometimes the only way out of a problem is by going straight through it. If the distractions do not go away, then I offer my crazy prayer up to the Lord and let him worry about it. ... I imagine myself quietly, reverently, placing each distraction on the altar of my soul. ... I smile and say to God, 'Well, Lord, this is the best I can do today. Please accept my meager gifts.'"

Dealing with Worthy Distractions
"But sometimes the most persistent of these turn out to be worthy distractions. That is, they are not really distractions at all but the very treasure (grace) that God wants to offer me today."

"Once I have decided this distraction is worth praying over, I change strategies and no focus on it. If the distraction involves some other person...I focus all of my attention on that person. I ask God to show me that person through his eyes. ... I ask God to show me his perception of my relationship with that person. ... I spend some time thanking God for the life of that person (even if my present feelings toward the person are very negative) and I ask God to help me to carry God's own perception of this person throughout my day."