Letting go of yourself is the path to letting God in.

Fr. Thomas Keating and Centering Prayer

Fr. Thomas Keating's long life of dedication to contemplative prayer has given us the Contemplative Outreach ministry among its many fruits. This site is an excellent guide to contemplative prayer and connecting with groups, retreats, books and other resources for the contemplative life. Keating invites us to join with these people who are seeking to join with God.

For an armchair introduction to Centering Prayer I recommend Keating's book Open Mind, Open Heart: The Contemplative Dimension of the Gospel. This slim book provides a thorough introduction that can get you started on centering prayer right away. And starting is probably the most important thing you can do. Keating is more about 'embodied' theology than abstract analysis. You learn centering prayer by doing centering prayer and we grow in prayer by praying day in and day for a lifetime.