Hello my dear Rosary lovers! In this post we will be looking at connections between the Rosary and Mindfulness. I will base this post on my own experience.
I’ve written a similar post to this already, so please check that out. But in this post I would like to come at it from a slightly different angle.
So then, how are the holy Rosary and mindfulness connected?
Mindfulness – my take
There is a lot of talk today about mindfulness. I’m a bit of a fan of it, because of what it is trying to accomplish. I think it can be helpful to people, especially Western people.
Whilst there are obviously all sorts of different ways to practice mindfulness, the basic idea is that mindfulness is to live in the present moment.
Rather than finding yourself constantly thinking about the past, or worrying about the future, or living in your imagination and not being ‘fully present’ to yourself and to others, mindfulness is designed to help people come into the NOW.
There is the refrain that the past is gone, the future hasn’t happened, all you have right now is the present. So live in it!!
One of the most popular ways to do this is by focusing on your breathing. Mindfulness books often suggest that you sit somewhere and close your eyes and focus just on your body breathing. Focus on the breaths you are taking in, focus on the sound, focus on what your body does without any thought from you.
Another way is to focus on your heart beat.
These are some of the methods that are used to get us to slow down and be here now. In the present.
The ‘Mindful’ Rosary
The Rosary which Mary has given to the world can be used to do similar. In the Rosary, we are called to think about the events of Christ’s life. As we do so, we pray the Our Father and many Hail Marys. This system of repetitive prayer is all designed to get us to ‘step into’ the life of Christ.
But the Rosary can go further even than this. It can bring us into contemplation. Contemplation is when we rest in the present moment in the living presence of God. We are silent before him and aware he is here, now, in us and around us.
This is the highest form of individual Catholic prayer or devotion. And the Rosary can be used to help bring us there.
So one way to pray the Rosary in a mindful way is to close your eyes, think about the mystery/event in Jesus’ life, pray the Our Father, and then begin the Hail Marys.
But as you pray the Hail Marys, go beyond the words. Don’t think about the words, just let your tongue pray the words. Instead, you can go beyond and focus on the blackness in front of you as your eyes are closed. Try to focus on your soul, on the inner you. Try to find the place of your heart.
I find the best way to do this is to put on a pre-recording of the Rosary. This way, I can leave someone else to pray the prayers for me, so I can focus on meditation and being mindful. Being present to the presence of God.
That’s what it’s all about!
Effectively, what we are doing when we do this is we are using Mary to bring us straight into the living presence of God within our souls. Mary becomes the channel to GOD.
Or you could think of it this way. By doing this, you are letting yourself participate in Mary’s OWN living contemplation of God.
Give it a try and see what happens! I often find I am very relaxed after doing this. I also find it somewhat addictive, and after praying a few mysteries, I find it easy to pray more.
I like using pre-recorded rosaries to help me meditate on the Rosary. I find they have added a new dimension to this devotion in my life, and I heartily recommend them.
If you have any questions, please let me know and I will do my best to get back to you asap.
All the best, and God bless you in Christ, through Mary immaculate. May her Rosary always be your help and guide in every need.
I’ve been practicing mindfulness for a while now, and I can totally relate to the idea of living in the present moment. It’s amazing how focusing on simple things like breathing or heartbeats can bring such a sense of calm and awareness. The connection you’ve drawn between mindfulness and the Rosary is intriguing. Using the Rosary as a tool for contemplation and getting closer to the presence of God is a unique approach. I’ll definitely give it a try and see how it enhances my prayer experience.
I have a couple of questions: Could you share more about your personal journey with combining mindfulness and the Rosary? How did you first come up with this idea, and what kind of impact has it had on your spiritual life? Also, do you have any recommendations for specific pre-recorded Rosaries that work well for this practice?
Hello there! Thank you for your comments and questions.
I cannot offer more about my personal experience that I’ve offered in the post. I’m afraid that’s as ‘deep’ as it goes at present, haha. Still early days.
I don’t really know when I first came up with the idea. I think it was when I was reading a very powerful book on the Holy Spirit and how he is in each of us just as much as he is in the Holy Eucharist. And I brought the idea with me into the next few rosaries I prayed.
I realised that as I was using a pre-recorded rosary, I would focus deep within on the Holy Spirit inside, on the darkness I saw before my closed eyes. It really quietened me inside and I began to experience the Rosary in a new way. I went beyond the meditations and beyond the prayed to stillness with God.
The recordings I use come from this podcast:
https://rosaryfidelium.libsyn….
All the best!!
I’ve recently started exploring the practice of mindfulness, and I’ve found it really interesting how it encourages being fully present in the moment. Reading your article about the connection between the Rosary and mindfulness caught my attention. It’s fascinating how you mention using the Rosary as a way to achieve mindfulness and contemplation.
I’m curious about the technique you mentioned where you close your eyes, think about the mystery/event in Jesus’ life, and then begin the Hail Marys, all while focusing on your inner self. You also mentioned using pre-recorded rosaries to aid in meditation. Could you elaborate a bit more on how this technique works? I’m quite new to both mindfulness and the Rosary, so I’m wondering how to effectively combine the two practices. Is it about finding a quiet space, playing the pre-recorded Rosary, and then just trying to be present in the moment while listening to the prayers?
Hello there! Thank you for your comments!
I think you’ve pretty much nailed what I meant really from the post. I don’t go into a great amount of detail because I’m new to it myself and because I don’t wish to offer a definite fixed formula which people may find burdensome.
Yes, as you say, you simply find a quiet place, play the pre-recording, close your eyes and/or try to be still. I find closing my eyes and gazing at the darkness in front of me useful, it helps me to find the Holy Spirit in my ‘centre’. Something like that. The prayers become background, which is what is supposed to happen anyway. I focus on the mystery briefly, and then use it to go beyond it to direct union with God.
Yes I think just trying to be present in the moment whilst listening is a great approach.
Have you heard of the Jesus Prayer? So, this was developed because the idea was that monks wanted to focus directly on God within their hearts. They would be silent and focus on their hearts and God deep within. But they would find their thoughts messing up the stillness. They would get distracted. So they would start to say ‘Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me,’ or just ‘Jesus’. And it helps the mind come back to the centre, to God within.
The prayers in the Rosary and the Jesus prayer are a vehicle to union with God. They are a channel, a means by which we can achieve contemplation and stillness and union with God.
Hope that helps 🙂