Christian Mindfulness Meditation

The following step-by-step Christian mindfulness meditation incorporates Scripture, guided imagery, and other mindfulness practices to encourage awareness and integration in our minds and bodies. You’re also encouraged to embrace the experience of being known and loved by your Heavenly Father.

For a step-by-step PDF version of this practice, sign up for my monthly newsletter and receive a free copy in the welcome email. 🙂

Steps to my Christian mindfulness meditation:

1. Find a Place with Limited Distractions

Find a place with limited distractions, such as a quiet room, a parked car, or empty closet — any of these will do! Sit or lie down in a comfortable position

2. Tune into your 5 Senses

Tune into your five senses, spending a few moments on each. Pay attention to any sights, sounds, physical sensations, smells, or tastes.

When you find the mind starting to drift, gently bring your awareness back to your breathing and your senses.

3. Relax and Release

Focus in on your breath. Take a deep breath in though your nose, hold, and slowly exhale through your mouth.

Feel your abdomen rise and fall as you breathe in and out. Repeat 3-5 times or as many times as you need.

Each time you breath in and out, allow your body to release any physical tension. Repeat the phrase, “I release,” or “I let go” in your mind every time you exhale and breathe out any tightness or tension.

breathe in… breathe out…

4. Notice the body’s inner world

After grounding yourself into all five senses, shift your focus into the body’s interior, noticing any tension, feelings, or sensations it holds in any particular parts.

Start with a full body scan by imagining a halo forming at the top of your head, and moving downwards over your face, neck, shoulders, torso, stomach, hips, thighs, calves, and feet.

As the halo drifts over your body, notice any places of physical tension or unease. In places of tension, place your hand over the body part and speak a variation of Jesus’ words in John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.”

Continue to speak words of peace over any places of tension in your body.

Envision any colors that you associate with “peace” welling up and resonating through different parts of the body. As you speak words of peace, picture these colors reverberating outwards, touching any places of restlessness, unease, or pain

keep breathing… and bringing your awareness back to the breath and the sensations of the body

5. Observe mental activity

From here, transition your focus into any mental activity. Notice any persistent thoughts, preoccupations, or patterns of the mind.

Try to observe these thoughts without over-analyzing or over-identifying with them. Simply pay attention to what you’re paying attention to.

It may be helpful to picture yourself outside in an open, grassy field, watching clouds form and drift from above. Imagine your thoughts taking the shape of these clouds. Watch and observe your thought-clouds drifting through the sky. They are separate from you, and they cannot hurt you. They are just simply passing by.

6. Practice “being known”

After bringing an awareness into the thoughts and sensations of the body and mind, imagine yourself in a calm, safe place. This place may involve a scene in nature (beach, mountains, etc.), or somewhere from a pleasant memory. There’s no right or wrong place, as long as you feel safe and secure here.

Now, reflect on the fact that you are deeply loved and fully known by the Father. Often times, we focus so much on our faults and assume that God is displeased with us. But in reality, as Zephaniah 3 states, He delights in us, and rejoices over us.

Here, in this safe place, imagine God looking directly into your eyes and expressing deep, genuine love for you.

Envision Him calling you by name and saying, “You are my beloved, and with you I am well pleased.”

After all, these are similar words God used to express His love and acceptance of His son, Jesus, in Matthew 3:17. And we have been adopted into sonship through Jesus, as indicated in Ephesians 1:5:

“God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.”

Ephesians 1:5 (New Living Translation)

Therefore, we too are deeply loved and fully accepted by God as His own sons and daughters. Continue reflecting on Scriptures that indicate this love and delight:

“the Lord delights in those who fear him,
    who put their hope in his unfailing love“

Psalm 147:11

“The Lord your God is with you,
    the Mighty Warrior who saves.
He will take great delight in you;
    in his love he will no longer rebuke you,
    but will rejoice over you with singing”

Zephaniah 3:17

“This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins”

1 John 4:9-11

Consider also the Lord’s peace and gentleness:

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Matthew 11:28 – 30

Stay here and meditate on any other Scriptures for as long as you need.

Here is where we truly find rest for our souls. As Psalm 130:5 states, “[we] wait for the Lord, [our] whole being waits, and in his word [we] put [our] hope.”

7. Re-engage with the world

When you’re ready, slowly open your eyes and return your focus to the room (or empty closet). Reflect on your experience with this meditation, and write out any feelings, images, or truths that came up through this exercise.

Consider identifying a phrase, piece of Scripture, truth, or image from this meditation to carry with you through the rest of your day, such as:

“I am deeply loved and fully known by my creator, and nothing I do, or can’t do, will change that.”

Set a reminder on your phone, or place sticky notes around your home to remind you of this truth or reflection throughout the day.

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What is your experience using this christian mindfulness meditation? Do you have any other variations to share? We’d love to hear your feedback below.

Shalom, my friend.