ATTLEBORO--It seems an unlikely trek for a Baptist minister -- learning yoga, walking labyrinths, practicing meditation.

Yet it seemed a natural for the Rev. John Fisk of First Baptist Church in Attleboro, who molded a three-month summertime sabbatical into a physical and spiritual journey through Hindu and Buddhist traditions as well as Christian ones.

His longtime interest in meditation led him on the quest to become more whole in body, mind and spirit, and to deepen his practice of yoga and meditation. The result, he said, was a renewed commitment to his Christian faith even as he delved into other traditions.

`` It's a calling to be in union with God, and to see where it takes me,'' he said of that faith. `` It is a listening and responding process. For me, it happens in the quiet and stillness of meditation.''

That is not as unusual for an American Baptist pastor as it may seem. Some of the earliest Baptists had mystical aspects, he said, and Christianity itself has a meditative history dating back to the New Testament and to 4th-century monastics. Yet, he said, that component is often missing from many Christian practices.

`` There is a hunger for it,'' Fisk said. `` It is why so many are looking eastward.''

Now home from his travels, Fisk has started a new Christian meditation group at his church on South Main Street. It met for the first time this week, and will continue gathering two Tuesdays a month at 7 p.m.

The group is one of the ways he hopes to share the fruits of his sabbatical, a period of rest and study that he said comes from the biblical idea of a Sabbath on the seventh day, and that he believes should be done every seven years.

`` I don't think clergy do this enough,'' he said.

His exploration of meditation took him to the Kripalu Center in the Berkshires to study yoga, to Paris and London to visit labyrinths, including the famous one at Chartres, to spiritual sites in Los Angeles, to meditation sessions at the Providence Zen Center in Cumberland, R.I., to a retreat led by Buddhist teacher Thich Nhat Hahn at Stonehill College in Easton, and to connections with the World Community for Christian Meditation.

First came yoga, a practice of breathing and stretching that Fisk said originated in Hinduism and that prepares the body and the mind for meditation.

Then in Europe, he touched on Christian history by experiencing labyrinths, the circular paths that are used for walking meditation and that have been around for thousands of years.

Back home, he explored Buddhist teachings and meditative practices that he believes can be applied to Christian beliefs.

`` We can learn from one another, and love and respect one another,'' he said, and without arguing or questioning who is right and who is wrong. `` These judgments are up to God as far as I'm concerned,'' he said.

The three traditions he explored have common elements, he said, but they also have clear differences on the intent of the journey -- a relationship with God through Jesus for Christians, a realization that the self is divine for Hindus, and an awakening to the reality that there is no self for Buddhists.

Yet they connect, he said. Thich Nhat Hahn, for instance, teaches the element of awareness, but also offers the Christian counterpart. For Buddhists, slowing down and becoming quiet enables them to more clearly see who they are, and for Christians, Fisk said, finding out who they are relates to the belief that they are made in the image of God. For them, he said, the idea is `` to get to see the truth, see the light, see God.''

One way is through meditation, which Fisk said `` is very simple to do, but it's not easy.''

His advice is to first find a word or words to use as a mantra, then to find a comfortable position either sitting or kneeling but in a way that keeps the back and neck straight and the body balanced, and finally to repeat the word or words while paying attention to breathing in and breathing out.

This can be done for 10 minutes to start, he said, and ideally up to 30 minutes twice a day. It can be done alone, but he said having the support of a group often helps.

That is why he has begun a meditation group at his church, following the model of the World Community for Christian Meditation. He now hopes to connect even more with the worldwide organization, which has headquarters in England, a frequent destination of his because his parents live there.

Yet meditation, he said, is not just a matter of gazing inward, and should also lead to outward experiences. Through his summertime journey, Fisk, who tends to be introverted, found himself engaging in conversations with strangers in buses, on planes and elsewhere.

`` I attribute it to being more aware of the present and to a greater acceptance of the mystery of life,'' he said.

He believes mystical experiences happen to everyone every day, but they just don't realize it and don't slow down long enough to appreciate these moments that reflect the presence of God.

`` There is so much going on within us and around us where the divine is shining through,'' he said. `` Meditation is like a portal into that world.''

For more information on the meditation group at First Baptist, call the church at 508-222-2650.

Other types of meditation groups meet in the area, including one at Murray Unitarian Universalist Church on North Main Street in Attleboro on Monday nights at 7:30. Call 508-222-0505.

rdrtrdrsrdrw15rsp160 GLORIA LaBOUNTY can be reached at 508-236-0333 or at glabounty(at)(at)thesunchronicle.com.