Being a Christian girl, I don’t give much thought to religious practices other than my own, but I’ve always been interested in the practice of zen. I think, if used appropriately, without the element of Buddhism, it can be very helpful to calm one’s anxiety and calm the mind while staying free of any religious element.

I recently had a buyer request an article for zen gift ideas, and as I was going through the list, methodically writing product descriptions and benefits for each one, I stumbled on a few items that made me think about buying them. After all, who doesn’t want a calming water fountain or bonsai tree in their room?

But what is “zen”?

To give a little background, zen is the practice of becoming one with the world around you through the practice of meditation in order to achieve better understanding of the self. So, basically, self-reflection or something. There are different schools of zen thought,  so it’s kind of hard to pin down to one answer.
What I take away from it is that sometimes, we need to sit quietly and focus on what is bothering us and just let that feeling slip away. I know, I know. Easier said than done, right? If sitting quietly doesn’t work for you, or if you find yourself getting distracted, try doing yoga with either a live instructor or a DVD recording. The reason for this is so you have a voice speaking to you and guiding you through the meditation process. I use a DVD because 1) I don’t have the money for yoga classes, 2) I can pause the DVD if I need to, and 3) I can go at my own pace.

I use the DVD Element: AM & PM Yoga For Beginners. If you want to check it out, Amazon sells it for only $10. It does tend to mention Buddhist notions of “bowing to your own heart,” so I put a Christian spin on it and bow to God instead. I ignore the spiritualism element of it and concentrate on prayer and worship with God as I do my yoga routine. It helps me really concentrate on what I want to get out of my day, and how I can better serve God.

However you decide to do it, do it in an environment that relaxes you. If that means lighting dozens of candles, or even just opening the curtains so that the sunlight shines on you, you’ll get much more out of daily meditation if you’re somewhere you feel at ease.

If you’re looking specifically for a Christian form of meditation, there are several sites on the subject. These two seemed the most helpful:

• Christian Meditation & Relaxation
• World Community for Christian Meditation (WCCM)

Does anyone else practice meditation? Does it help your anxiety and stress levels? What specific actions do you take in your practice to help you become more centered and focused?