Zen for Conservative Christians
April 9, 2010 4:55 PM Subscribe
Help me find a meditation/relaxation CD that won't freak out my conservative Christian grandmother.
I'd like to introduce my grandmother to meditation/relaxation techniques to help her relieve stress, but I don't want to freak her out. She's a wonderful woman, but is a die-hard conservative Christian who harbors many deeply-held suspicions of anything outside her traditional comfort zone. She would not even touch something that looked even remotely Buddhist or "foreign," and is only agreeing to try something because i've convinced her that anxiety is a real problem and doing some relaxation techniques could really help her.
I'm looking for a CD that I can send her (hopefully from Amazon.com as i live outside the country) that will teach her the basics of meditation (focusing on breath, maybe doing the thing where you slowly focus on each part of your body, etc.) without any overly esoteric background music or messages. Any idea of chanting wouldn't work either.
Does anyone have any recommendations? Bonus points to anyone who can recommend a book about meditation and generally managing anxiety that will also fulfil the same no-freak-out criteria. I've seen a few things online that might work but was hoping that someone here had first-hand experience.
Thank you!
I'd like to introduce my grandmother to meditation/relaxation techniques to help her relieve stress, but I don't want to freak her out. She's a wonderful woman, but is a die-hard conservative Christian who harbors many deeply-held suspicions of anything outside her traditional comfort zone. She would not even touch something that looked even remotely Buddhist or "foreign," and is only agreeing to try something because i've convinced her that anxiety is a real problem and doing some relaxation techniques could really help her.
I'm looking for a CD that I can send her (hopefully from Amazon.com as i live outside the country) that will teach her the basics of meditation (focusing on breath, maybe doing the thing where you slowly focus on each part of your body, etc.) without any overly esoteric background music or messages. Any idea of chanting wouldn't work either.
Does anyone have any recommendations? Bonus points to anyone who can recommend a book about meditation and generally managing anxiety that will also fulfil the same no-freak-out criteria. I've seen a few things online that might work but was hoping that someone here had first-hand experience.
Thank you!
Maybe you can investigate something along the lines of Lamaze or Bradley techniques (yes, I know these are for childbirth but I found them helpful years ago while pregnant and needing to relax. And I'm a conservative Christian and didn't have a problem with it from that angle.)
posted by St. Alia of the Bunnies at 4:59 PM on April 9, 2010
posted by St. Alia of the Bunnies at 4:59 PM on April 9, 2010
The guy you want is Jon Kabat-Zinn. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nwwKbM_vJc
He's on iTunes as well.
posted by quadog at 5:19 PM on April 9, 2010
He's on iTunes as well.
posted by quadog at 5:19 PM on April 9, 2010
Here's what I do:
1. Find a few meditation scripts (online or from a meditation book)
2. Practice reading the scripts, slowly. Should take about 5-10 minutes each.
3. Once you've got the script voice down, offer to visit Grandma and read through a few while she chills out. Bonus points if you can just memorize the general bits and slowly ad-lib.
4. Give this "system" your own name, like "Daily Heaven Meditations for Christians" or something case-appropriate. At the beginning of a session, announce "This is the Daily Heaven Meditations for Christians series. I have developed this routine for the Serious Christian in my live, my beloved Grandma."
5. She will Get a Kick out of that. Ice broken. If you like, offer to bring her a recording later. You can create one on something like an iPhone or iTouch if you have one of those, or on any computer.
4. Introduce commercial, third-party CDs and MP3s later. These do really freak people out, though you can probably find some good ones linked above.
posted by circular at 5:42 PM on April 9, 2010
1. Find a few meditation scripts (online or from a meditation book)
2. Practice reading the scripts, slowly. Should take about 5-10 minutes each.
3. Once you've got the script voice down, offer to visit Grandma and read through a few while she chills out. Bonus points if you can just memorize the general bits and slowly ad-lib.
4. Give this "system" your own name, like "Daily Heaven Meditations for Christians" or something case-appropriate. At the beginning of a session, announce "This is the Daily Heaven Meditations for Christians series. I have developed this routine for the Serious Christian in my live, my beloved Grandma."
5. She will Get a Kick out of that. Ice broken. If you like, offer to bring her a recording later. You can create one on something like an iPhone or iTouch if you have one of those, or on any computer.
4. Introduce commercial, third-party CDs and MP3s later. These do really freak people out, though you can probably find some good ones linked above.
posted by circular at 5:42 PM on April 9, 2010
I coincidentally just read about Fr. Pat Hawk and the Redemptorist Renewal Center via Andrew Sullivan. In that Sullivan post there is also a video from Fr. Thomas Keating summarizing his method of Centering Prayer.
posted by ob1quixote at 5:43 PM on April 9, 2010
posted by ob1quixote at 5:43 PM on April 9, 2010
Here's another great one, the UCSD Center for Mindfulness has a lot of great material. Specifically, I'd recommend this series of free podcasts. I've listened and practiced to them and there's nothing religious or new-agey about the content.
posted by quadog at 5:52 PM on April 9, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by quadog at 5:52 PM on April 9, 2010 [1 favorite]
yeah I would definitely get her a Christian one. You can probably even find a meditation CD that is in line with her very denomination.
posted by parmanparman at 5:54 PM on April 9, 2010
posted by parmanparman at 5:54 PM on April 9, 2010
Personally I find this rosary site to be very calming, and the prayers and background music help me to center, but I happen to be a Catholic. I mention it on the off chance that your grandmother is either a Catholic or some Christian denomination that is not averse to the rosary. If neither, never mind.
posted by forthright at 6:01 PM on April 9, 2010
posted by forthright at 6:01 PM on April 9, 2010
Yes, there are many types of Christian meditation that may suit her better. "Taize" services often involve meditation and that may be a fruitful googling term.
There's also a little book called "The Quotidian Mysteries" by Kathleen Norris which is about using housework as a form of Christian meditation & service. It's very powerful and it may resonate with your grandmother, especially if she was ever a homemaker. A really beautiful discussion on how the routine tasks of everyday life can become not a chore but an act of service (for those we love) and a haven of meditation and peace.
(What sort of Christian is she? Protestant? Catholic? Nondenominational? Is there any type of Christianity she has a serious problem with?)
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 6:14 PM on April 9, 2010
There's also a little book called "The Quotidian Mysteries" by Kathleen Norris which is about using housework as a form of Christian meditation & service. It's very powerful and it may resonate with your grandmother, especially if she was ever a homemaker. A really beautiful discussion on how the routine tasks of everyday life can become not a chore but an act of service (for those we love) and a haven of meditation and peace.
(What sort of Christian is she? Protestant? Catholic? Nondenominational? Is there any type of Christianity she has a serious problem with?)
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 6:14 PM on April 9, 2010
You know, maybe you could be approaching this from the wrong angle. Are you wanting Grandma to be able to relax, or are you trying to get her to meditate?
For certain types of us Christians, the reason that many meditation techniques set off red flags is that we believe we shouldn't let our minds just "go"-because there are lots of "entities" out there that would like to fill them with things we'd be better off without.
Now, as far as Christian meditation goes, we are taught to meditate on Scripture. One that I use when I need to relax and quit worrying is this:
this is taken from Matthew chapter 6 :16-34:"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat (or drink), or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?
Look at the birds in the sky; they do not sow or reap, they gather nothing into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are not you more important than they?
Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life-span?
Why are you anxious about clothes? Learn from the way the wild flowers grow. They do not work or spin.
But I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was clothed like one of them.
If God so clothes the grass of the field, which grows today and is thrown into the oven tomorrow, will he not much more provide for you, O you of little faith?
So do not worry and say, 'What are we to eat?' or 'What are we to drink?' or 'What are we to wear?'
All these things the pagans seek. Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.
But seek first the kingdom (of God) and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides.
Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself. Sufficient for a day is its own evil.
posted by St. Alia of the Bunnies at 6:32 PM on April 9, 2010 [1 favorite]
For certain types of us Christians, the reason that many meditation techniques set off red flags is that we believe we shouldn't let our minds just "go"-because there are lots of "entities" out there that would like to fill them with things we'd be better off without.
Now, as far as Christian meditation goes, we are taught to meditate on Scripture. One that I use when I need to relax and quit worrying is this:
this is taken from Matthew chapter 6 :16-34:"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat (or drink), or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?
Look at the birds in the sky; they do not sow or reap, they gather nothing into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are not you more important than they?
Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life-span?
Why are you anxious about clothes? Learn from the way the wild flowers grow. They do not work or spin.
But I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was clothed like one of them.
If God so clothes the grass of the field, which grows today and is thrown into the oven tomorrow, will he not much more provide for you, O you of little faith?
So do not worry and say, 'What are we to eat?' or 'What are we to drink?' or 'What are we to wear?'
All these things the pagans seek. Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.
But seek first the kingdom (of God) and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides.
Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself. Sufficient for a day is its own evil.
posted by St. Alia of the Bunnies at 6:32 PM on April 9, 2010 [1 favorite]
What about Nature Sounds like rain, forest, ocean etc.? Add to it (yourself?) a brief conversation or bible references which allude to connection with nature = god (sorry, no I can't be more specific), so that she can feel comfortable with it.
posted by kch at 7:47 AM on April 10, 2010
posted by kch at 7:47 AM on April 10, 2010
Response by poster: Thanks everyone for your brilliant suggestions -- I'll have a look at everything you've recommended! St. Alia, I might also send her a copy of that verse as an alternative that she would likely be more comfortable with.
posted by ukdanae at 3:07 AM on April 11, 2010
posted by ukdanae at 3:07 AM on April 11, 2010
To echo & expand what St. AliaOTB and kch are alluding to:
The Psalms. You can't get more ecumenical yet deeply orthodox than that. There's a reason that this millennia-old collection of poetry is still sung, chanted, said, set to new arrangements today: anger, sorrow, joy, pain, fear, worry, love -- all in there.
I'm sure there are even some great audio-recordings floating around.
posted by tivalasvegas at 12:45 PM on April 11, 2010
The Psalms. You can't get more ecumenical yet deeply orthodox than that. There's a reason that this millennia-old collection of poetry is still sung, chanted, said, set to new arrangements today: anger, sorrow, joy, pain, fear, worry, love -- all in there.
I'm sure there are even some great audio-recordings floating around.
posted by tivalasvegas at 12:45 PM on April 11, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by nadawi at 4:58 PM on April 9, 2010 [1 favorite]