Mindfulness and God

Murray Hidary, the creator of MindTravel

 Now about eight days after these sayings Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray.

 And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. 

Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. 

They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem...

Luke 9:2-31 (NRSV)

What comes to mind when you see or hear the word "prayer"? For many of a particular age it might be the sort of communal prayer which happens in a worship service, or a simple "now I lay me down to sleep..." from childhood. There are also more contemplative forms of prayer which have existed for centuries in different religious traditions, including Christianity. They may not involve words at all, or specific petitions. Instead these forms of prayer are an invitation into the stillness, and the divine presence.

There is a growing trend toward contemplation which has no religious content or purpose under the umbrella of "mindfulness." The purpose is to dial down the chatter of daily life, to enter into silence and awareness, perhaps in the natural world. When yoga first became popular there was a strong mindfulness element, although it moved into a general form of exercise over time, and even became competitive in some streams. Mindfulness has even become a part of the school day for some children. 



More than 400 people signed up for the first MindTravel hike in Toronto, 
which was free to attend. (Talia Ricci/CBC)

I've heard a couple of times lately about a new opportunity in Toronto called MindTravel which involves these contemplative elements, plus music. The blurb for MindTravel events claims that "while traditional forms of meditation are an isolated experience, and constitute a sort of retreat, this one is an exercise in exploring and being present in the evolving world around us." I would suggest that this isn't really accurate, but shouldn't detract from the purpose. According to a CBC report the creator, Murray Hidary, composes all of the music that's played during their events and verbally guides the participants through the walks. He says the events are a combination of his passions; music, movement and nature. 

The initial events in Toronto have attracted hundreds of people to SilentHikes, which makes them sort of a congregation, doesn't it? So, we have music, and prayerfulness, and...well, there is obviously a yearning that these gatherings is addressing. Apparently leaving out spaces between words makes the opportunity even more attractive! Hey, why not?

There is an opportunity here, it seems to me, for traditional religious institutions to both reconnect with ancient practices and offer something which may address those yearnings in people who associate church with what they perceive as their grandparents social club. And when was the last time any United Church worship service attracted 400 people? 

We know from scripture that Moses and Elijah and Jesus and Paul all spent time in the stillness of nature to commune with God and prepare themselves for ministry. So why wouldn't we? 



Transfiguration by Lewis Bowman, USA