ABSTRACT
The scientific study of the role of religion and spirituality among adolescents and young adults is on the increase. Some of these studies have focussed on the association between religiousness and pro-social values and behaviour among youth. Other studies have examined the effect of mindfulness on emotional regulation and preventing risky behaviour. Such studies, however, have been wanting in the East African context. The aim of this paper is to report the themes emerging from interviews conducted among a sample of young adults who were part of a larger study examining the effect of meditation on wellbeing. This qualitative study focussed on two research questions: (a) what are the experiences of young people practicing Jesus Prayer technique of Christian contemplative practice? (b) What is the impact of the practice on their outlook of life and behaviour?
Twenty-five participants were recruited from a surveyed sample of 504 university students and working youth in the city of Nairobi, Kenya. The participants went through a weekend practice of “Jesus Prayer” – a classical Christian contemplative practice; they were asked to practice the prayer at least for 20-minutes on a daily basis; the group also came together for common practice for 10 consecutive Saturdays. At the end of the intervention, 10 participants agreed to be interviewed. The semi-structured interviews that lasted 15 to 20 minutes were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analysed for themes by two researchers.
Most participants in the study described their experience of practising contemplative prayer in terms of “feeling light” and “being lifted up”. Such experiences are accompanied by a sense of calm and serenity. The participants also owned up certain level of “character change” as a result the practice. Some prided in improved performance in academics. Generally, there was the deepening of self-awareness and humility, and growth in authentic relationships with others, expressed particularly in forgiveness of and sensitivity to others. Increased religiosity was also noticed; this was accompanied by decreased addictive behaviour, better anger management, and enhanced decision making skills.
Based on this qualitative evidence, we suggest that experience-based religious practices have the potential to bring about deeper changes in young people’s outlook of life and behaviour. Hence, it may be important to integrate contemplative practices in the education and formation of young people.
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HOW TO CITE THIS WORK IN APA FORMAT:
Selvam, S.G., & Mwangi, D. (2014). Meditation and contemplative practice among young adults in Nairobi. In S.G. Selvam, & D. Watt, African Youth Today: Challenges and Prospects (pp.67-85). Nairobi: Acton Press.