AI OVERVIEW: Centering prayer combines a simple posture of stillness with a chosen word to symbolize openness to the presence and action of God, practiced even in isolation. A difficult context is acknowledged as the speaker sits upright with feet flat, breath from the belly, and a word such as Jesus; thoughts prompt a gentle return to the word, sometimes every two seconds, during two minutes of silence marked by a bell. Prayers from Psalm 42 and the St. Francis prayer guide the moment, while the aim remains to exercise the muscle of openness to God so that anxiety is met with trust rather than solved instantly.
