What are the benefits of Christian meditation?

The benefits of meditation are well established. From the reduction of stress, emotion management, to the calming of body and mind, the physical and mental benefits of meditation as a wellness and relaxation  practice are numerous. But meditation is first and foremost a spiritual practice. In Christianity, meditation is prayer. It is an intimate relationship with God, present within us. And this Christian approach to meditation is profoundly rich. Do you know the benefits? Here are 4 graces you can experience with Christian meditation.

1- Reduce stress and anxiety ... and even find peace!

Numerous studies have shown that psychosensory approaches such as mindfulness meditation or the method, help to reduce stress symptoms, relax and combat anxious projections in regular practitioners. Anchoring ourselves in the present moment, returning to our senses and sensations... all of this gives us effective tools for surrender and more serene apprehension of our day and a return to quality sleep.

However, this is not necessarily enough to get rid of those deep-seated anxieties we may carry within us. In the face of our most intimate fears, in the face of wounds from the past, in the face of life's unforeseen events that turn our lives upside down, we need to find a solid, reliable rock. As the psalmist says: "When I stand under the shelter of the Most High and rest in the shadow of the Mighty One, I say to the Lord: 'My refuge, my bulwark, my God, of whom I am sure! "( Psalm 90 (91), 1-2)

God offers us his peace, an inner peace that nothing can shake, no matter what we go through during the day, so we can confidently surrender to  it each evening as we fall asleep. Christian meditation helps us to experience this. (Discover how prayer can bring you greater serenity; as well as guided Christian meditations for better sleep)

2 - Find yourself ... and even find God!

Meditation practices enable us to listen to ourselves, to our emotions and to our bodies, and thus offer the possibility of getting to know and understand ourselves better. Self-knowledge is an important element in living more consciously and improving our relationships with others.

However, it is only partial if it stops at this first stage. Human beings have a deep longing that only God can fulfill. It is his light that can illuminate everything in us and around us: it is by seeking him that we find ourselves, and it is by loving him that we can truly love others. Seeking God, listening to him: that's what Christian meditation is all about.
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. (Matthew 7, 7-8

(Discover how lectio divina: developed by a Christian physician, this body-psychological approach helps to build receptivity and deep relaxation, providing patients suffering from chronic pain with the tools to live better with their ailments.

God, in becoming man through Jesus, knew our pain and suffering. And to an extreme degree, by being crucified. He is therefore not insensitive to what we go through, and can offer us graces of consolation, comfort, strength, patience and even healing. When we suffer, it seems difficult, even impossible, to experience joy. Christian meditation opens the way for us to rediscover hope, to lay down our sufferings in prayer and welcome the profound joy with which God wants to fill us.

4- Being in the here and now... and even tasting eternity!

Meditative practices invite the meditator to anchor oneself in the present, to stop dwelling on the past, and not to harbor anxious projections or flee into a future that doesn't yet exist. Living in the present is the only way to live.

But why? Christian meditation enables us not to stand at the door, but to truly enter into the present  that is given to us. This is where God patiently waits for us. Jesus came to save mankind and offer them eternal Life. This eternity begins now, every time we live and act in God, we can experience it. Meditating, entering into the presence of God, helps us to enter into this full life to which we are all invited.