How to Meditate with the Bible

One of the most important topics we cover in our Christian Yoga Teacher Training is Scripture meditation. We believe that having a methodology can help Christians grow in their knowledge of God’s word.

There are two formal approaches to Scripture meditation commonly used among Christians. We will introduce you to both of these.

Formational Scripture Reading

In formational reading you primarily change your perspective of God’s Word from being a text to master to instead being a text that masters you and works on your spirit and soul, forming Christ within you. When we come to Scripture with this attitude we are believing that God’s Word is “living and active” in us and transforming us.

Lectio Divina

Another approach which is very similar to the formational method is Lectio Divina. This is is an approach to Scripture that originated with the desert fathers and mothers in the 4th century. It has four steps or elements, described in Latin as

1) lectio (reading)
2) meditatio (meditation)
3) oratio (prayer)
4) contemplatio (contemplation)

These four steps are fairly self-explanatory. You start by slowly and carefully reading a portion of Scripture. You then spend some time reflecting on the passage. After internalizing the Scripture you return it to the Lord in prayer. The final stage is resting and silence in the presence of God, in communion with Him.

Want to read more?

We highly recommend an excellent article on Lectio Divina written by Father Luke Dysinger for Beliefnet.com. This tutorial gives you step-by-step instructions on how to achieve greater communion with God through His Word.

Share your stories

Do you use a formal method of Scripture reading and meditation? Please share your thoughts in our comments section, below.

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This blog post contains excerpts from our guide to self-care, Christian Yoga: Restoration for Body and Soul.

Search Me, Lead Me

Let us examine our ways and test them and let us return to the Lord.
Lamentations 3:40

I have considered my ways and have turned my steps to your statutes.
Psalm 119:59

Test me, O Lord, and try me, examine my heart and my mind.
Psalm 26:2

October is one of my favorite times of year. Not because of the harvest festivals, brilliant orange pumpkins and the promise of Thanksgiving turkey coming soon. No, I love October because I can finally open my windows. The punishing heat of the Arizona summer has lifted and fresh, desert breezes blow through the rooms of my home. October is like springtime for desert dwellers. We emerge from our dark caves where we have hidden from the sun all summer long and greet our neighbors whom we haven’t seen in six months. We get excited about cleaning closets and sweeping out the nooks and crannies of our homes in anticipation of the holiday season around the corner.

Housekeeping for our souls

Similarly, we need to do a little housekeeping and sweep the cobwebs out of the corners of our soul, throw open the windows and let the Light shine in, bringing in fresh air and fresh perspectives. The yoga principles of self-awareness and self-examination echo the biblical commands to examine our ways, to test ourselves, to search our hearts and to confess our sin and be forgiven. In Christian yoga we not only examine ourselves but we also lay ourselves open before the Lord for his examination of our hearts. Our prayer is that of David in Psalm 139:23-24:

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Through our meditation on the Bible, we have already opened our hearts and minds for examination by it. When we fill our mind with God’s word it works to probe and search our thoughts.

“For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).

Allow time for soul-searching

After we have filled ourselves with God’s word, we need to allow time for this soul-searching. Self-examination is not something that we can hurry through. It takes time to carefully consider our ways. It helps to be still and listen.

We listen for God to speak to us in the inner promptings of our heart and conscience. Then we check these promptings against God’s word to discern his voice over our own.

“Let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything“(1 John 3:18-20, emphasis added).

Are you caught in a debilitating cycle?

Sometimes we are caught in debilitating cycles of guilt and self-recrimination or self-doubt. Have I really loved God? Am I really sorry for my sin? Am I really forgiven? Objective examination of our actions against truth allows us to determine if these feelings or doubts are false or genuine. If they are false, even though we feel them deeply, we find confidence in the fact that God knows us more intimately than ourselves, that He knows everything, yet He freely forgives us anyway.

This is why self-examination must be conducted in the context of Scripture and of listening to God, and asking him to search our hearts. If we do it merely on our own, we are in danger of getting lost in our own navels and mired in the muck of self-loathing, or being deluded in the delight of self-congratulation.

Self-examination has two primary purposes: recognition, confession and repentance of sin, and developing an ordering awareness of our own soul that helps organize our lives around God, resulting in loving him with everything we’ve got.

Examination of Conscience and Confession

In the examination of conscience we search our hearts for sin and weakness for the purpose of confession and repentance. This is the practice encouraged in 1 Corinthians 11:27-29:

“A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup.”

The thought of shining a light into the dark recesses of our soul can be intimidating and not particularly inviting. It is scary to be vulnerable and open, even within the secrecy of our own hearts. We’d much rather not think about our sins or confront our fears and frailties.

But the exhortation to examination and confession is not for the purpose of punishment or naked exposure. It is an invitation to freedom. When Christ invites us to lay down our burdens in exchange for his yoke, one of those burdens is our sins and failures. When we hold on to sin or ignore it we add weight to the heavy load that is crippling our walk. Our souls groan under the heaviness of this baggage we cling too. When we acknowledge and confess our sins we undo the straps binding us to these deadweights and we experience lightness and freedom and joy.

The initial opening up and shining of the light can be painful like any physical examination of an ailing part of our body. I injured my shoulder recently (not practicing yoga!) and I needed a thorough examination to determine the nature of the injury. It was a very painful process of probing and testing the joint, but very necessary and now the healing can begin with appropriate therapy and care.

When we lay our sins before God and repent of them, the pain is temporary and the healing is promised. We do well to remember that we are not telling him anything he does not already know anyway!

“For a man’s ways are in full view of the Lord, and he examines all his paths”
(Proverbs 5:21).

When we open our hearts to His searching and confess our sin,

“he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:10-12).

Secure your own mask first before assisting others

Although we never anticipate a change in cabin pressure, should one occur, four oxygen masks will fall from the compartment above. Place the mask over your nose and mouth and breathe normally. If you are traveling with small children please secure yourself first and then assist the child. Finally sit back, relax, and enjoy your flight!

The flight attendant paused at my seat. We were traveling with our three children and she wanted to be sure that I understood that I must put on my own mask prior to helping the children.

I assured her that we were very familiar with the rules and turned to look into the injured and incredulous eyes of my son and daughter. “That’s not right,” my son said accusingly. “Parents are supposed to look after kids first.” My daughter was deeply perplexed and somewhat anxious, “Why should grownups get the oxygen before kids? Will there be enough for us?”

I reassured them that it was very important for me to make sure that I got the mask on quickly or I might pass out before I could help them and they would not be able to help me. They were relieved once they understood. As we settled into our flight it occurred to me that these instructions would serve us all well in life…

Although you never anticipate that you will crack under pressure, should this occur, there will not be an oxygen mask falling from above. Breathing normally will be impossible. If you are traveling with small children, or anyone else, you will be unable to assist them let alone yourself…

So often we look into the eyes of those depending on us, our families, the PTO, the church, the boss… and we can feel the pressure starting to squeeze the life out of us. We know we are starting to run out of air but somehow we muddle on, asthmatic and wheezing in our increasingly feeble efforts to meet everyone’s needs. Some of us secretly enjoy being martyrs. Some of us are just tyrannized by the urgent and the immediate. But we’re all desperate for someone to give us permission to look after ourselves, for instructions to secure our own mask first.

If there was ever someone relentlessly hounded by the needs of others it was Jesus. The crowds were always chasing Jesus, wanting him to teach them, to touch them, to heal them, to feed them. However, we read that Jesus made a regular habit of rising early and seeking time alone, meeting with his Father in prayer. He modeled the discipline of solitude for his disciples and in Mark 6:31-32 we see a beautiful picture of this:

The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place.

What do you need to do to make sure you have enough air to keep going? Are you looking after your body well? Are you eating well, sleeping enough? Exercising? But, most importantly, what about your soul? We all benefit from some solitude for the sake of soul care.

In the frenzy, we need to find a quiet center where we can be still and know that God is God and ask Him to search our hearts and know our anxious thoughts. Our moments of solitude with God may be brief at times but they will sustain us - He will sustain us. The moment you step out of your quiet place, everyone will be clamoring for you, but you will be far better equipped to rise to the challenges before you, with compassion and grace.

So stop a moment. Grab that oxygen mask firmly and secure yourself, body and soul, before you attempt to assist others. Finally sit back, relax, and enjoy your flight!

Lori Stratton: Learning to Relax for God

Okay, by now we all know that God works in mysterious ways. But what if God called you to teach Christian Yoga so that you could learn how to hear Him better? This is precisely what happened to recent Yahweh Yoga teacher training graduate Lori Stratton.

God has Something to Say

Lori started down the path of Christian Yoga after participating in a church group designed to deepen the faith of the participants through introspection and listening to God. The result of this workshop was a desire in Lori’s heart to become a Christ-centered yoga teacher so that she could minister a healthy lifestyle to others.

You can imagine Lori’s surprise to learn that she wasn’t done honing her abilities to hear the Lord-she would be learning Christian Meditation skills to take quiet time daily and hear God as the Bible recommends.

Lori’s Challenge

The problem? Introspection doesn’t come naturally to Lori! She is an on-the-go mother of two who natures a wealth of interests from decorating to color theory. For her, it requires focus and work to slow down and hear God speak.

“The hardest part of the Yahweh Yoga program for me was to try to quiet my mind and listen,” Lori says. “It was the hardest thing I have ever done, but it was awesome.”

Daily Devotional

The biggest benefit slowing down and hearing God is that Lori has made room to speak with the Lord all day, not just during formal worship or meditation times. “I always knew God was there,” says Lori, “but now I walk with Christ and feel His presence all day. I talk to God continually and it gives me such peace.”

Making Plans, Moving Forward

Lori’s awareness of the need to relax and listen for God hasn’t changed her inner drive-it has helped focus her attentions on building her new Christ-centered yoga practice. “I am still me,” Lori says. “I have learned to stop and say ‘Where is Jesus in this situation?’”

To begin her new career as a yoga teacher, Lori has formed Sacred Yoga LLC in her home state of Nebraska, and has plans to open her own studio by October 1, 2009. In the meantime, she trains her body by practicing yoga four times a week and eating healthy, natural foods.

When asked what her hopes are for the future, Lori says simply: “I want to be a better person, so that people can see Christ shining through me.”

Christian Meditation: Focusing on God’s Word

Many questions come to us about the practice of meditation.

While the outward appearance and technique of Christian meditation and eastern meditation may be similar, there are profound differences in the object and purpose of our meditation.

Richard Foster explains the difference very clearly in his classic on spiritual disciplines, Celebration of Discipline:

“Eastern meditation is an attempt to empty the mind. Christian meditation is an attempt to fill the mind. The two ideas are quite different. Eastern forms of meditation stress the need to become detached from the world. There is an emphasis on losing personhood and individuality and merging with the Cosmic Mind. There is a longing to be freed from the burden and pains of this life and to be released into the impersonality of Nirvana. Personal identity is lost and, in fact, personality is seen as the ultimate illusion. There is no escaping from the miserable wheel of existence. There is no God to be attached to or to hear from. Detachment is the final goal of Eastern religion.

Christian meditation goes far beyond the notion of detachment…No, detachment is not enough; we must go on to attachment. The detachment from the confusion all around us is in order to have a richer attachment to God. Christian meditation leads us to the inner wholeness necessary to give ourselves to God freely.”

~Celebration of Discipline, Richard Foster

Meditation on God’s word is a practice commended to Christians through out scripture. Joshua 1:8 records God instructing Joshua to “study this Book of the Law continually. Meditate on it day and night so you may be sure to obey all that is written in it. Only then will you succeed.”

Meditation is a key part of our Christian yoga practice and the means through which our practice is given its spiritual dimension. Through Christian meditation and contemplation we quiet our hearts and minds and we come into God’s presence, ready to listen and receive, ready to be filled with Him.