At its core, Centering Prayer is an individual practice, as each practitioner grows in welcoming and detaching from the present moment as it comes. Though we are always in the presence of God, contemplative practice opens us to more consciously and intentionally abide in that presence. Mysteriously, then, even individual prayer has the effect of drawing us into community with our brothers and sisters from all forms of life, as prayer moves us to a common center in the very heart of God, the Source from which all of creation is generated and draws life. While all prayer moves us into mutual presence with all of life, Centering Prayer can be seen as a more direct path, since thoughts and images are dispensed with in favor of direct encounter with God beyond any mental construct.
One of the major benefits of practicing Centering Prayer with others or in a group, then, in the tangible sense of this shared abiding in God with another person. Physical proximity doesn’t necessarily make the mutual presence more true, but it can make this interrelatedness more starkly apparent and easier to draw encouragement from. In a group, we can help each other tune to the common frequency of God’s love. With practice, we will be able to find this common frequency, no matter how physically separated we may be.