Is doing mindful meditation against God?

[Hail_Mary]

At first I thought mindful meditation is not the same as yoga and it is scientifically proven to have mental health benefits. I saw mindful meditation as a solution to help me become emotionless and also mentally strong as well. But I do not want to go against God either. Are there any Catholic alternatives to mindful meditation?

 

[Shakuhachi]

There is nothing wrong with Mindfulness Meditation. Think of it as vigilance, awareness of the present moment.

 

[veritatisstella]

I think it is good to take caution with non-Christian meditation practices. Some people believe mindful meditation can open a person up to demonic influences because it is in fact a Buddhist practice. Click here for an interview with a woman who argues that mindful meditation can be harmful to Catholics.

A Catholic alternative to that kind of meditation would be to practice awareness of the presence of God. You can learn other Catholic meditation techniques as well. One very good book on meditation is the Introduction to the Devout Life by St. Francis de Sales, which is available online here: Introduction to the Devout Life

 

[adgloriam]

and it is scientifically proven to have mental health benefits

The history of psychiatry and psychology is full of mistakes (lobotomy and human experimentation are historical examples of this). In contemporary terms, the “field” of mental health has stabilized and yet still has polemics and things that are not entirely accepted by everyone (and there are also a fair amount of political and commercial interests invested in the field.)

So, where does this place “mindfulness” within the “field”? There are both proponents and opponents to it. On a general note, “mindfulness” is a modern “umbrella term” that encompasses many different things from different origins, many of them had been studied by medicine for decades under different technical terms. “Mindfulness” is also a “Marketing” label.

If you speak Spanish http://info-ries.blogspot.com/ has commented on the “mindfulness” phenomenon and the different ways -sometimes unethical ways- it is being “sold”.

You can research “Christian meditation” or “Catholic meditation” as an alternative. Pablo D’Ors book “Biography of silence. Brief essay on meditation.” has been lauded by some reputable catholic publishers as a recent good book on the subject - the author can be heard on youtube and will provide a breadcrumb to follow on the subject.

https://www.amazon.com/Biography-Si..._rd_t=40701&psc=1&refRID=BBAG8DHTKQC6Q81RCY1G