You’re warmly invited to join our online practice community.
Meditating with others provides the learning and support that helps a practice take root. People join us from many different backgrounds and traditions.
These free gatherings take place every Saturday morning and Wednesday evening on Zoom. Every session includes a live teaching from Chris Whittington (Founder of The School), 20 mins silent meditation, and shared reflection afterwards.
In a world full of noise and distraction, many people are searching for more peace or a deeper connection to God.
Rooted in the timeless wisdom of the desert tradition, we teach Christian meditation as a path to peace, community and oneness – a way of making space to encounter the divine.
As we learn a new relationship with our thoughts and feelings, we rest from striving and become attentive to the presence of God within and around us, discovering a peace that once seemed out of reach.
Most of us will have experienced the dramatic effect that mental noise can have on our life.
This was well known to the early Christian contemplatives of Egypt, Palestine and Syria, known today as the Desert Fathers and Mothers. They understood that how we relate to our thoughts, feelings and passions shapes how we relate to life—and to each other.
The desert was a place for stripping away illusion, for looking beyond all that routinely distracts us – a pathway to peace, to freedom and compassion, to encountering God.
Following Jesus’ example, the Desert Fathers and Mothers developed a simple practice known today as Christian meditation, ‘silent prayer’ or ‘prayer of the heart’.
“The School of Contemplative Life will provide an opportunity for people of all traditions to discover new openings for growth in contemplative maturity.”
Rev’d Dr. Rowan Williams, former Archbishop of Canterbury
The teachings offered at our weekly online gatherings are regularly posted online.
Drawing from the deep well of contemplative wisdom, we share the insights of saints and sages from across the centuries – from Jesus and the Desert Mothers and Fathers, to Martin Laird and Rowan Williams, from Gregory of Nyssa and Isaac the Syrian to Ruth Burrows and Maggie Ross, from Meister Eckhart, Julian of Norwich, the author of the Cloud of Unknowing to Thomas Merton, Kallistos Ware and many others.
Martin Laird OSA, one of today’s foremost teachers of contemplative practice and a source of inspiration for our work, says:
“While we continue to see fewer and fewer people regularly attending church services, their deep, genuine longing for the depth-dimension of Christianity has only grown through the years. Sadly, most Christians have absolutely no idea that Christianity has anything to say about this, much less that it has its own vibrant contemplative tradition. This is largely due to the fact that it has never been presented to them.
The School of Contemplative Life will surely rate among the most significant responses to the spiritual longings of the people of this nation and abroad…offering Christians, and seekers from all traditions, an accessible pathway to the wellspring of silence, compassion and peace flowing within”.
We often hear from people about how the practice is quietly influencing their lives – and radiating out to those around them.
This is Jon’s story, a headteacher in Norwich.
We recently received support from the University of Derby in the form of a research student who worked with us to produce our first social impact report. The indicative data suggests that people who regularly attend our online practice group often report meaningful and sustained personal changes.
The majority of participants described a stronger sense of connection to God, greater inner peace, a more spacious relationship with their thoughts and emotions, and a more compassionate view of others. Many also spoke of living with greater clarity and alignment to their values.
For those who wish to explore the contemplative path more deeply, our book is a companion to the practice we share.
Acclaimed by leading voices in spirituality, psychology, science, and peace activism including Timothy Radcliffe, Bernard McGinn, Martin Laird, Bishop Rachel Treweek, John Dear and others, ‘The Missing Peace: Meditation as a Spiritual Path to Peace, Community and Oneness’ is for those beginning the contemplative journey and seasoned practitioners alike.
This collection of 43 short reflections offers a simple but powerful invitation: to begin – or deepen – a spiritual practice that can transform your life and the world around you.
With encouragement from spiritual leaders, Chris Whittington established the charity in 2021.
Chris was introduced to meditation and contemplative life by the Benedictine monks of Prinknash Abbey monastery in England. In this short video, he shares a little about what drew him to live there and how this remarkable community watered the seed that became The School of Contemplative Life.
Chris is assisted by a small, dedicated team who share a common vision: to contribute to peace in the world through the teaching and practice of contemplative wisdom.