About Lindsay Boyer 

I’m a contemplative teacher with a passion for using simple, inclusive language and online technology to make contemplative prayer accessible to everyone. I have been leading contemplative prayer groups online since 2012 and have been a leader in helping groups come online during the pandemic. I was raised as an Episcopalian, and Christianity still forms the core of my faith. I have learned an enormous amount by exploring the practices of other traditions, in particular the meditation of Zen Buddhism, the worship and yoga of Hinduism, and the qigong energy work of Taoism. These practices have helped me to better understand and explore the contemplative traditions of Christianity, which have been neglected for centuries in the west but which are now being rediscovered in forms such as centering prayer and lectio divina.

I’m the author of Centering Prayer for Everyone. This welcoming, accessible, and practical guide focuses on five practices - lectio divina, visio divina, walking meditation, chanting the Psalms, and especially the silent practice of centering prayer.    This inclusive handbook explicitly welcomes everyone to these practices whatever their beliefs or doubts, including Christians, meditators from other traditions, twelve step members, and anyone filled with longing for spiritual transformation and connection with God.  Available from Amazon here.

At General Theological Seminary in New York, I taught courses on digital media and spiritual practice; centering prayer, lectio divina, and visio divina; and creative contemplative group leadership. At Union Theological Seminary I have taught on the psalms and on seeker spirituality. I am a leader of an online centering prayer group on Tuesday nights at seven pm and was previously coordinator of Contemplative Outreach of New York City.  For many years I co-led March retreats at the Garrison Institute with my centering prayer teacher David Frenette and our colleague Steve Standiford. For six months I chanted daily passages from the New York Times interspersed with passages from the psalms at News of the World Lectio Divina. 

I have traveled on pilgrimage to the temples of India with the monks of the Saiva Siddhanta Hindu Church, studied Shambhala meditation through the level of Golden Key, and practiced qigong with Master Rong-Er Shen and Master Yi Wu.  I have a Bachelor of Arts from Princeton University, a Master of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary, and a Master of Sacred Divinity in Spiritual Direction from General Theological Seminary. In previous careers I have worked as a market researcher and jewelry designer.

In 2014, I was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, and living with the challenges and vulnerabilities of chronic illness has been an important part of my spiritual journey. Find resources for living with Parkinson's here. I live on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. I try to dance every day - jazz, zumba, ballet, salsa - and feel that my dancing has a deep connection with my contemplative practice. I love to take pictures of nature and watch classic films, art films, and film commentaries. I write as yet unpublished illustrated books about the spiritual adventures of a mysterious character called the Rhinoceros Lady.

Contact me.