CO Podcast 1-4: Centering Prayer as the Divine Therapy, with Pastor Tia Norman

• “No matter how many times I return to the sacred word, I think of it as returning to my intention and returning to God. I am returning to God and God’s presence within.” - Pastor Tia Norman

On Today’s episode of "Opening Minds, Opening Hearts," we hear from Pastor Tia Norman, a teacher and guide specializing in spirituality and practices anchored in the mystical teachings of the Christian Contemplative tradition. She provides a wonderful perspective on incorporating gentleness during the practice of Centering Prayer. Tia leads workshops, retreats, and courses and also serves as Pastor of Awakenings, a contemplative community in Houston, Texas. She is also a certified Embodied Yin and Yoga Nidra Teacher.

What’s in this episode:

• The unique way Tia found Centering Prayer and why she feels it is so accessible to others.
• She touches on the “noise” that interferes with contemplation and how to access peace within it.
• The importance of “gently” returning to your sacred word and how the perspective of gentleness changed her meditative practices.
• Centering Prayer is like opening your hands to let go and simultaneously receiving, Tia suggests viewing it as a flow and a relationship.
• A perspective shift - What if while we are praying, God is praying through us?
• How the practice of Centering Prayer can equip us to manage the difficult moments that come up in our daily life.
• Tia shares what inspired the formation of her contemplative community and what a typical gathering includes.
• She shares her perspective on being a woman of color who is in the contemplative community and how it relates to the Black culture.
• Where does Centering Prayer fit into the future as the practice starts to emerge?

“The work of the will in prayer is real work, but it is chiefly one of receiving. Receiving is one of the most difficult kinds of activity there is. To receive God is the chief work in centering prayer.” ~ Keating, OM, OH p. 65-66

To connect further with Pastor Tia Norman:
• Visit her website: https://tiaariane.com
• Follow her on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/2btia/
• Check out her free Guided Meditation Download: https://mailchi.mp/9c19517d01a5/free-guided-meditation-from-tia-norman
• Visit Awakenings Website: http://awakeningsinc.org/
• Follow Awakenings on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/awakenings_inc/

To connect further with us:
Visit our website: http://www.contemplativeoutreach.org
Find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/contemplativeoutreachltd/
Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/contemplativeoutreach
Check out our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/coutreach

This podcast is produced by Crys & Tiana LLC http://www.crysandtiana.com

For all episodes to date go to https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBE6fmRmYU8ibUaVp78jOu-krMYdH1v-C.

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