Life hacks: the Eastern Orthodox technique ‘Hesychia’

One of the ultimate methods of healing our soul is through stillness in the full sense of the word.

We are on the threshold of a new year. The past year has been quite challenging and full of anxiety due to the current pandemic, political upheaval, economic instabilities, not to mention the natural disasters like flooding, fires and earthquakes that are being experienced all over the world. All this is stressful and can lead to mental disturbances.

Finding ways for us to keep our balance in such times is crucial. One way towards this end is figuring out how to stop our minds from racing out of control and find a stillness within to keep us grounded.

The Eastern Orthodox Christians practise a technique called Hesychia (pronounced he-si-ki-ja). This technique was made popular in the 14th century; monks used to follow it to attain an overall tranquillity through a number of processes.

Through Hesychasm, practitioners seek divine stillness through the contemplation of God in uninterrupted prayer. Such prayer, involving the entire human being ‒ soul, mind and body ‒ is often called “pure” or “intellectual” prayer or the Jesus Prayer. The most widely accepted form of the prayer is...