Christian Meditation in Schools

In Canada today, more and more, teachers and students in faith based Christian schools are learning to meditate in the Christian tradition, following the principles used by members of the World Community for Christian Meditation (WCCM).
 
These teachers help students understand Christian meditation first and foremost as a form of prayer, as a way of being with God through listening, rather than speaking.
 
As Christians we trust that with God’s grace, in the silence, stillness and simplicity of meditation, each heart can be open to the movement of the Spirit, the presence of Jesus, and the embrace of God the Father; and that slowly, slowly, the Fruits of the Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control – can ripen within us and express themselves more and more in our daily lives.
 
Current research indicates that a regular practice of meditation offers many potential benefits to young and old alike. These include clinical improvements in mental and physical health as well as strengthening emotional and behavioural regulation, stress management and concentration.

In the Christian tradition these benefits are understood serendipitously, as welcome, but unexpected by-products of meditation.