I am convinced that my spiritual experience in 1976 is the reason I have been able to stay clean and sober all these years. During the first six months of sobriety, I was lead to learn about meditation and prayer. I consider prayer to be talking to God, and meditation to be listening to God. It has worked for me over and over. The listening to God is rarely easy unless I have screwed up big time. At these times, God gets the message to me with a 2 x 4 over the head or a giant billboard for all to read. Sometimes, I receive humility only through humiliation.

Through the practice of meditation, I learned to get centered by focusing on my breathing in and breathing out. This technique is invaluable in stressful situations or at times when I may become unstable emotionally (which is what I call anger).

I have also learned about mindfulness which is a Buddhist concept. Although I am a Christian mystic, I have always during recovery examined and explored all concepts. I have kept the practices that help me become more loving and more content in my own skin.

I believe that there is one God; but many paths to that God. I picture a mountain with paths all over the place with forests, valleys, and other obstructions. So I hop from one path to the other in my spiritual journey always being careful to get back on the main road which is my surrender to the God of my understanding. Along the way, I practice prayer and meditation daily. It keeps me centered and focused.

Prisoners in India have been given the opportunity to practice meditation and prayer. The prison officials have brought in instructors and the prisoners are given the structured time to practice. More information about this in this article found on line in the Time magazine.

I am sure that those prisoners leave jail with far less inner turmoil and anger than they would have without meditation. The main place we should all be free is inside our own mind.

Further readings about meditation in prison:

Prison meditation project of San Diego, California

Meditation in prison gives prisoners a chance to find some much needed answers

Prison Meditation in Alabama

Meditation in prisons in Concord, New Hampshire

Vipassana meditation courses for correction facilities

Centering Meditation in California Prisons