What is Prayer and Who Prays?

The words "thoughts and prayers" are generally broadcast across social media platforms in response to tragedies and crises. In recent weeks our world has seen disaster upon disaster visited upon it, with a variety of responses from private citizens, some helpful and some arguably having little to no impact. Many people have shared the opinion that "thoughts and prayers" are not enough, and possibly even useless. Indeed, solutions to problems come in the form of actions, not wishes.

Does prayer actually do anything? A religious person's answer will certainly differ from that of an atheist. A prayer can be simply an earnest hope or wish, or the act of beseeching an object of worship. Prayer is word which is overused and little understood. Before dismissing prayer as a useless practice, a reasonable person would examine and attempt to understand it. In this post, I'd like to assist in that endeavor.

Prayer is rightly associated with theism (belief in the existence of a god or gods who created and continue to sustain the universe, intervening in the lives of humans). In their efforts to acknowledge and commune with the gods they believe in, theistic people have developed many different practices, prayer being the most visible and well-known.

While prayer is usually conceived of as a devotional activity, just like the humans who practice it, prayer has evolved. There is a connection between prayer and meditation. Both practices relate to human consciousness. As meditation becomes more popular and accessible to larger numbers of people, more attention is being directed at human consciousness. Both prayer and meditation are consciousness-shaping activities. Meditation focuses on greater awareness, getting us in touch with our consciousness and helping us to refine it. Prayer is a willful directing of our consciousness towards a specific purpose, be it religious, or not. As I see it, involving a deity in the practice of prayer isn't strictly required.

As part of its ethical framework, Yoga philosophy teaches the concept of Ishvara Pranidhana, the action of surrendering to a higher power (relying on translations from Sanskrit and borrowing from the Twelve Steps terminology). In order to pray, a person must be willing to surrender to forces greater and more powerful than the human self. Such forces are evident in our existence: time and space are two of the easiest examples. Humans are undeniably small in comparison with the far reaches of the universe and the forces of nature which rule our existence. In spite of the great scientific and material progress we have made over the millennia, our knowledge of and control over our condition and position in the universe are indisputably limited. There's a lot we do not know and cannot control. Prayer is an action of emptying out and turning over our concerns, fears and longings to a transcendent reality. It is a form of letting go of what we can't fix or understand.

Atheists, spiritual-but-not-religious people, agnostics and the devout: none of us can pray unless we humble ourselves. Humility lets us experience awe and appreciate the vastness of the universe and the natural world. When we are humble, we can admit the possibility of the transcendent. In allowing for transcendence, we increase our capacity for experiencing peace and comfort. I don't want to thump the Bible here, but this New Testament scripture captures the idea: "Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand" (Philippians 4:6-7).

Prayer is a means of accessing the transcendent and getting beyond the confines of ourselves. You may be intrigued to find out that the latter, the very action of connecting to the transcendent, has been proven in numerous studies to positively impact mental and physical health. My teacher gave a talk last week on the impact of spirituality on health, then she wrote a blog post on her website providing follow-up statistics and references pointing to improved health outcomes from spiritual practice. You can access it here.  In her talk she addressed those people who identify as atheists, offering that they can foster a connection to the transcendent through practices such as meditation and the embodiment of spiritual values, which are at the foundation of yoga. I offer that prayer is one of those practices, just not in the way it is commonly conceptualized.

Strengthen to Open

It takes strength to be open. This is equally true for the mind and the body. When we stretch and open up one part of the body, we do so from a foundation of strength in a corresponding part. On the mental and emotional level, when we open our minds to new ways of thinking and new experiences, we require strength to overcome the forces of fear and habit. In our relationships, as we open to the presence and perspective of another person, a strong sense of our own self and healthy boundaries pave the way to a lasting connection. There is no strength without a certain degree of openness, and no real openness can occur absent a foundation of strength.

In a postural yoga class, it feels good to open up the front of the torso, hip flexors, chest and shoulders in backbending. When our backbends are safe and sustainable, they are supported by strengthening action in our back muscles, arms and legs. Alternatively, as we open up, stretch and relax the back muscles, neck, and backs of the legs in forward bending, we draw our support from our strong core musculature and the strength in our largest muscles on the tops of the thighs. As we do our lateral bending postures, we feel the right side of the body opening as the left side musculature contracts, and vice versa. We experience this interplay of opening one side of the body while strengthening the other as we flow through our yoga sequences. Remaining aware of this dynamic exchange and balance as we move and breathe is a good way to stay focused in a yoga class and in your personal practice.

In our meditation practice as well as in restorative yoga and savasana, we are opening to our internal experience: our subtle sensations, thought patterns and emotions. In the stillness of these more internal yogic practices, we are strengthening deeper awareness and our ability to abide with ourselves in the present moment. From this foundation of strength, we can open to a more transcendent reality and perspective.

As we take this "strengthen to open" mentality into the yoga of everyday life and work, it makes us more aware of our progress. We begin to notice how far we've come, or perhaps areas where we may be stuck, in our openness with loved ones. We can look back and be reminded of fears and doubts we've overcome on our paths. We can appreciate the way our unique experiences have contributed to our growth when we've been strong enough not to resist change or newness.

Allow yourself to own and appreciate your individual balance of strength and openness. In yoga practice as in all of life, make the modifications you need to fine tune your movements.