Devotion, Gratitude, Offering, Remembrance

Readers share their prayer, spiritual, meditation and mindfulness practices

Aug 01, 2024

Following the publication of The Body Issue in February 2023, I felt a powerful sense that “it was time for me to leave behind matters of the body and focus on matters of the spirit.” In the next issue, I asked readers to take a survey about meditation, prayer and spiritual practices.

In the intervening 18 months, more than 50 readers, friends and acquaintances have kindly completed the survey. Buddhists, Protestants, Hindus, Catholics, Jews, Muslims, Orthodox Christians, Atheists, Agnostics, Animists, Seekers — people of many faiths and approaches shared a bit of themselves with me. I feel grateful for their sincerity and earnestness.

In those months, I have tried to establish a regular prayer practice myself. Alongside my own efforts, I wanted to learn about prayer. I have read books about prayer and of prayer. And I have read and re-read your answers to my survey many times.

Both the doing (ie, praying) and learning about prayer have enhanced my life in ways joyful, unexpected, uplifting and humbling. Contrary to what we might read, God is not dead — neither is the human search for the divine.

As the number of respondents accumulated, within the pile grew a power I could not ignore. Again and again, I re-read all the answers, every answer, to my questions. I will tell you — I found a seed of beauty in every word. So I want to share the words with you.

Word for word, with only minor edits when needed for clarity or to share a link to a source noted, you will find the survey answers below. The only question and answers not included involve people identifying themselves to me.

Aristotle tells us that humans are a political animal; the modern world seems to wish us to be only that. In Book X of the Nicomachean Ethics, he also reminds us we are a spiritual animal with a yearning for devotion to, connection with, seeking and understanding the divine:

“As far as we can, we ought to be pro-immortal, and go to all lengths to a live a life that expresses our supreme element, for however much this element may lack in bulk, by much more it surpasses everything in value and power.”

In month after month of revisiting these answers, by your grace and generosity, I learned that anew.

Describe your faith, meditation, mindfulness or spiritual background in 7 words or less.

· Fundamentally a traditional pagan

· Baptist who is open/affirming.

· Traditional Catholic spirituality

· faith struggle constant wavering essential prayer peace

· Consistent time with God for myself, others

· Stoicism, connected with nature

· I’m Orthodox Christian. Prayer for me is both communal (in the body of Christ, the Church) and personal (my own “rule” of prayer).

· Peace, contentment, love, service, joy

· Zen Buddhism

· Parted ways. Organic pagan.

· Episcopalian Christian by convenience/heritage; daily meditator

· Spiritual, explorative, conscious, intended, open-minded

· Christian, traditional, minimal doubt.

· Flawed, practicing Catholic

· Non-practising Christian; sober through my Higher Power.

· Pagan. Ancient ideals, respect for nature.

· Muslim background, practicing prayer in many ways

· I waken at 430 each morning. I make coffee and have a seat in my reading chair after lighting a candle. Some mornings I read and some mornings I write. I spend the time alone and am quiet. At 6 am I take a 30 minute walk and sit by the lake in my neighborhood for a bit. Even in the cold of Indiana winter I walk each day.

· Mindful atheist trying to be kind

· My faith is moderate. My background is less

· Individual meditation, no organized religion

· Former catholic who now meditates twice daily

· Painting, bodywork, breathwork in community

· Not religious. Cosmovision. Spiritual. Supernatural. Ethereal. Witchy.

· Syncretic pantheistic phenomenological Buddhist raised Catholic.

· I teach mindfulness meditation 6 hours/wk. I also engage in activities such as dance, contact improv, ecstatic dance, yoga, tantra, authentic relating, etc. to connect with others and more deeply with myself

· I was raised Catholic, really dug in in college, worked at the Vatican for a stint, and realized that maybe there was something a tiny bit corrupt going on there. Now, I would mark myself as denominationally somewhere in the Anglican/Episcopalian neighborhood and in search of a church community.

· worship, rejuvenating, fulfilling, cleansing, medicinal, soothing, helpful.

· Roman Catholic, then “chemical Buddhist”, then reformed evangelical Presbyterian. Sorry, couldn’t fit into 7.

· mystic agnostic with taoist health practices

· Love seeking Divine, Sufi Remembrance chanting

· Disaffected Protestant turned skeptical Catholic; a seeker.

· Atheist

· I pray to Jesus and Mother Earth

· It’s not my go-to; wish it were

· My prayer is based on my belief of "putting it out there into the universe."

· From a religious family, no longer believe in religion. I believe in the circle of life. That we are all one and a part of something bigger

· Can't do in 7 words or less

· Cradle Catholic, went to a Jesuit College, Church every Sunday

· Ancient, evolving, prayer-filled, random, fluid, meditative, communicating with my source

· Practicing Roman Catholic

· Agnostic

· Hindu

· I was raised Roman Catholic and remain culturally Catholic, although I am more drawn to faith practice that acknowledges women as heads of Church

· Daily prayer is PART of my normal life, not something "extra" I tack on to it.

· Protestant Christian - Reformed Baptist

· Southern Baptist, now Presbyterian/Methodist.

· Confused and trying to gain clarity

How do you define prayer?

· A personal petition to the universe

· Talking with God about everything.

· Lifting up of the heart and mind to God. A contemplative being in God’s presence.

· Lifting my heart and mind to God and listening for his response.

· Prayer is the phone line to God.

· Talking to a higher power

· Communion, spoken or silent, with God.

· Prayer is an act of faith. A way of connecting with the the divine, setting an intention, and lifting up of hearts.

· Being with an awareness that I am not separate from all that is

· Willful mindfulness

· Asking for strength and divine wisdom to see the path clearly and to move with resilience and conviction

· A conversation with God

· Expression of gratitude and anxiety to the Almighty

· Communication with God, at times through the saints.

· A process that takes me out of my own head and reminds me that I'm part of a universal oneness.

· A request to the universe.

· Talking with God

· Prayer is awareness of all that exists. Poetry is prayer. Walks are prayer.

· Prayer is a sort of direction of focus - which is why people often believe that it works. It's a way of manifesting and concentrating on an outcome that you want to happen. Believers use the ultimate loophole of "unanswered prayers" for when it doesn't go their way, so I think it's more of a manifesting activity with no score keeping or data to see if it worked.

· A time to deep think and reflect

· Focused spiritual energy

· Maybe as a chant or spoken act (words can be spoken in mind only) meant to get you out of your head

· A calling to God

· Communing with a greater being for request of help (i.e. guidance, needs…)

· A communion or a connecting-with that which is higher than yourself.

· I don't pray; I define it as talking to a higher power

· I define prayer as open-heartedness, a willingness to relinquish control and have a conversation with God.

· A conversation with God (my creator).

· Dialogue with the only true God, the creator and ruler of the universe.

· communication with inner voices and/or higher forces

· An ongoing relationship with the Divine.

· Connection to the Infinite Mystery.

· I haven't thought much about defining prayer in my life, but at its core, I think it's about setting aside a period of time for reflection and being thankful.

· A prayer is an intention set for yourself and others in the world. It can be an expression or love and gratitude as well as an ask for what you need.

· Wishes/desires extended to a higher power, whether thru thought, spoken word, etc.

· I believe it is a kind of soothing mantra to help one cope and diffuse the anxiety.

· Many ways to pray. I’ve heard prayer is speaking to a higher power while meditation is listening to one

· Talking to God

· Talking to God; but you can sub out God for Universe, Destiny, Design, whatevs

· Prayer is two way communication between me and my creator, it’s the basis for the love I receive that flows over to others.

· actively placing myself in the presence of God, sometimes talking and other times silent or listening

· Seeking the presence of “God”

· A one on one conversation with God.

· "A conversation with God"

· Communion with the Divine

· Prayer is how I turn to God in the fabric of everyday life.

· Prayer is the open admission that without Christ we can do nothing. Prayer is an expression of faith in God's power, fueled by a desire for more of him.

· Intentionally lifting up one's attention to God --- in supplication, praise, gratitude, awe and sorrow.

· Sending good vibes to my friends, family and the world, usually before a meal

Do you pray? If so, how often? To whom or what do you pray?

· It's not part of my personal practice, but that doesn't mean I'm not a spiritual person.

· I pray to God in the name of Christ daily, usually with patients, aloud.

· Yes, 5+ times a day depending on circumstances. My prayer is focused on prayers to the Judeo Christian God - God the father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Also frequent requests to the saints for intercession.

· I pray to God, i.e. Father, Son and Holy Spirit

· Yes, I pray daily. I begin my day as I wake up thanking God for another day of life. I meditate for moments of prayer throughout the day. I find myself having devotions to share my earnest needs, desires and praises to God.

· Yes, but rarely nowadays

· I try to pray daily in the morning, with the psalms, and before beginning a task (meals, driving, sending an email, speaking with someone). Sometimes it’s just signing myself with the cross before beginning a task.

· I pray everyday. I pray to God the Creator.

· I meditate. I shoot for daily for 30 minutes but don't always make it.

· Every morning, I listen for birds, sniff the air, watch clouds

· At least daily in morning pages. To God?

· No

· Yes, to God, at dinner and before bed.

· Daily, to God; weekly at Sunday mass; occasionally at weekday masses

· Not specifically, but I do have moments of peace and meditation when I make an effort to be mindful that I'm not running the show. To whom do I pray? I think it's all just semantics; whatever we choose to call it, it's the same thing: God, Source, the Universe, my Higher Power. The point isn't what we choose to call it; the point is that it's not us!

· I pray to my own soul to be strong.

· I don't formally pray in the traditional Muslim sense every day though I would love to at one point in my life be doing the 5 daily prayers. I speak to God every day,

· I pray constantly. Running conversation. I listen more than I once did. I notice more than I once did.

· I used to pray, but left religion in 2011 at age 23 after being raised catholic.

· Yes, not often enough

· Not in any organized way

· I rarely pray. Maybe when I feel in danger

· No

· I don’t pray anymore. It is too powerful and praying from a place of ignorance has also been too scary when you ignorantly get what you ask for. Now I just commune and needs are met and exceeded. Deep desperate moments seeming like prayer, release as pleas.

· I do, often at the end of meditations, sometimes at the end of a night before going to bed. Maybe once or twice a week, on average. The "to what or to whom" is trickier. I sometimes feel ok using the signifier "God", though heavily qualified as a not-just-He, a She/He/They/Thou/All—and at a certain point, therefore, the word can get so overloaded that it starts feeling like the who/whom/whom'st meme, and thereby gets quite far away from not just the gendered aspect of the Christian God, but also its monotheism. At the same time, I find it hard to rest content with prayers to something mostly "objective"-seeming (in the sense of having-qualities-we-associate-with-objective-totalities, e.g. being not in possession of subjectivity) like, for instance, "Being", much as my Heideggerian education does connect me deeply with this particular phenomenological word. What appeals to me in "God" is that it does feel to me like there is a higher unity to subjective experience tantamount to that of the objective unity of Being, even if we start from a view of Being (as Heidegger does, or Buddhism) that stresses its non-duality with ourselves. I don't think any of the world's religions, any of the world's philosophies has or ever can capture that totality of subjectivity (how could it possibly, when it's all only a limited subjectivity or subjectivities with their limited language that try to capture the whole of that subjectivity in any given doctrine, godhead, transcendental signified, etc?).

· No

· Yes! Not as often as I would like. I most often pray by writing, through expressing gratitude and fear and asking for fortitude.

· Yes, every day.

· Multiple times daily. Some regularly structured- morning, mealtime, bedtime, generally with Family. Sunday corporate worship with various forms of prayer. Wednesday evening- weekly church prayer time with those who show up.

· Sorta. Instead of words, it's more visual. Sometimes it feels like worldbuilding, which some people would call manifesting, but that's not how I feel. This isn't about building expectations about the universe, it's more like staring at an image so the afterimage left in the retina can impact how I see the world. Only instead of just images it also involves a lot of emotions and instead of staring it's about intention and consistency.

· Yes. It’s a constant state of being for me, not an act performed only in a moment of need or before meals (although I do that too). I pray in connection with the energy of Love.

· Yes. I have a set morning prayer that weaves together three quotes that allow me to move, focus, breathe, take stock and give thanks. I often pray the Prayer of Non-violence written by the Sisters of Providence. I have several other prayers that speak to me, but other than my morning prayer, I most often keep silence and mediate for about 10 minutes.

· I don't pray, although I do journal.

· I pray at least 5 times each day. Once when I wake up, once when I go to bed, and once with each meal. I actually pray way more than this and I would describe every moment in my day as a prayer of gratitude, but I am definitely at least praying 5 times per day.

· Yes, not as often as I’d like. It’s not yet my go-to response for getting thru a difficult time or asking for answers. I go to church weekly and pray, and maybe 1-2x per week if I happen to think of it. I am in the practice of praying for safe travel when I get into the car (or on a plane).

· Rarely. I tend to plan, not pray.

· I do pray, regularly but not ritually, to the universe.

· My life is my prayer

· I used to be better at daily prayer. I pray during Mass. I don’t know where I learned this but I never pray for myself. Rather, I pray for those who I encounter every day or wh depend on me.

· Yes, randomly throughout the day sometimes if I’m alone and feel like it’s a holy moment, sometimes when I’m in stress and I’m asking for strength, other times when I’m quiet and just tuning in to hear what God has to say and to learn how to “hear my Shepherd’s voice”, other times I reach out in anger to a Father whose never been surprised at my frustration with how Christians have behaved especially recently and in those moments I ask for truth to be revealed and for the Holy Spirits presence to surround me

· Yes, many times a day, to the trinitarian God of the New Testament

· Yes. I try to daily.

· Yes. Every night and several times throughout the day. My prayers always concern my family, their health and safety.

· Every day. I have a mini altar with a few deities and pictures of saints. Just to note, the true philosophy in Hinduism is that we have one "God" but various images of God (as seen through the various "gods")

· I pray all day long. Help, Thank You, O My Goodness are my repeated prayers. I pray the rosary to fall asleep.

· I pray to start the day, before meals, before work, etc. ... with a daily rhythm.

· Yes, I pray throughout the day - in the morning as I read my Bible, during the day as I need wisdom/help/strength from the Lord, and always to the Father, by the Holy Spirit, in the name of Jesus Christ

· I pray every day. I find myself praying all during the day --- if one is to give one's waking times to God, I find I give my waiting times too. In store lines, at red lights, in quiet moments on my patio, or while also just doing yard work.

· Before dinner

Tell me about your prayer practice. Please share as much or as little detail as you’d like.

· Taking care of those around me. Appreciating nature. Safeguarding, as much as I can, my planet.

· Mostly extemporaneously, sometimes the Lord's prayer. , sometimes to myself on the go. I love to write prayers for church and other gatherings. Prayers are poetry for me.

· Liturgy of the Hours, rosary, vocal prayer, contemplation

· This is an ongoing struggle. Sadly, consistency and discipline are among my chief faults. Same time, same place set aside for prayer, with a sacred icon. Opening prayer, slow meditative Gospel reading (if I want to follow Jesus, I need to know him), then a conversation, as above.

· My day begins and ends with prayer. There are times when I stand, kneel, prostrate and cry in prayer. When someone is sick I pray the prayer of faith, and lay hands on people. Prayer is an integral part of my spiritual life

· Offer gratitude

· I pray in different ways. Through the celebration of mass, personal devotions and meditations.

· The practice is called zazen or shikantaza, which is an open eyed style of meditation. I sit on a cushion and face the wall and just try to be present with whatever is happening inside and outside of me.

· Every day I write a line or two of prayer in my pages asking for what I need to see through the things I am meant to do. A few times a week I close my eyes sbd ask for grace when I need it.

· I used to pray as a child growing up Christian. I don’t anymore

· Repeated, standardized, tailored to address evolving situations.

· I look to pray in the morning, before my day begins in earnest. Sometimes its the very first thing I do, sometimes its on my way into work. I look to keep my prayers simple; I have one that asks for virtues/gifts that fill in my gaps in character; lately have used the Hallow app for guidance. In addition to Sunday mass, I occasionally attend weekday mass after dropping my son off at school.

· It would be walking in nature, especially in the mountains of Scotland. I do sometimes repeat the serenity prayer as a mantra when I'm feeling especially challenged.

· A remembrance to always be grateful.

· My consistent morning practice involves making a cup of cacao, sitting in prayer with a gratitude practice, then about 45 mins Kundalini Yoga and meditation, and 15 minutes of embodied movement. Ideally I will incorporate the nightly meditation and prayer into every day, as well.

· I allow Images to come in my prayer practice and I try to describe them.

· I take time to focus on what means the most to me

· I meditate once or twice a week, I want to do it more.

· The closest things I do to prayer are meditation and journaling. I meditate 2x per day for 20 mins, when I first wake up and in the evening. I try to journal in the AM, and I often use that to ask questions I’m struggling with, not expecting an answer necessarily

· I don’t. More of an embodiment practice these days. Yoga or weight lifting.

· To that aforementioned nebulous-whatever-of-a-higher-whatever, I will sometimes clasp my hands in the conventional fashion and hold to my chest, thinking my thoughts, gratitudes, etc, theretowards. Or after a meditation session, I do a closing ritual I learned at a Zen temple in Korea, where I bow my head fully to the ground, hold out my two hands with my palms up and open, as if to show my empty-handedness, and then raise my hands up in the air in a gesture of obeisance to the Higher Whatnot.

· n/a

· My prayer practice takes place in my journal, more often than not. I try to be as thankful as I can and avoid (as much as my fallibility allows) treating God like an ATM machine. So my prayers most often end in an expression of thanks and a cry for help.

· I try give thanks, but sometimes on a bad day it turns into more of an argument.

· Historically, Serious Christians recognize four types of prayer- adoration/worship, contrition/confession, thanksgiving, and supplication/asking for specific things. My prayer life would fall into those four categories, whether individual or corporate.

· Weekly and monthly retros, (almost) daily meditation, and long walks too.

· It’s a constant dialogue, expression and reception. I also do chanting of Divine Qualities in Arabic as a part of my prayer throughout the day. I say an Arabic prayer throughout the day called the Fatiha - and I use it in my business as well - it’s beautiful.

· More of my prayer time is silent than time soaked in words. My daily discipline is important, but also when I hike or watch a bee or marek at a sunset or flower, I stand in awe and utter a simple, “Thanks.”

· I'll write about my journaling. I keep it somewhat low-stakes and at least write a few lines about what happened that day. If I'm feeling it a bit more, I'll go deeper and write longer, including what I'm grateful for that day.

· Everyday I wake up and I go into child's pose with my head on the floor as soon as I get out of bed. I thank God, Mother Earth, Mother Nature, The Spirit of Love, and my Ancestors for my life. I thank them for my breath, I ask them to help me lead with Love throughout my day, I ask them to fill me with the wisdom I am looking for, and I ask them to show me how I can best serve the highest purpose of the universe throughout my actions.

· I don’t make any physical accommodations or even change my body in any way when I pray. I just refocus my mind. Except in church - Jen I do what everyone else is doing, out of respect.

· It consists of me saying aloud what is it that I have no control over and need help to be satisfied with the outcome.

· Forms of prayer, gratitude practice, reciting AA prayers, my own prayers. I practice transcendental meditation twice a day pretty regularly

· Active prayer...all day Verbal prayer...morning and evening Read or streaming prayer... morning

· I try to start with the sign of the cross and include the Lord’s Prayer. A couple good ones I’ve picked up along the way: 1) “Jesus, I love you, come into my heart” and 2) “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, have mercy on me, a sinner. “ and then some kind of personal request for intercession for someone’s needs.

· I just started this 5 year prayer journal that I received on my 30th birthday. I’d been pretty angry at God that prayer was a “have to” and I approached it as a rebellious kid throwing off the legalism… but then I had so many questions for God and about life and I just figured idk why not ask whatever feeling or “something” seems to be listening to my questions and responding back with this tended was every time I do pray. I don’t really pray outloud or while kneeling, it always comes out in my writing. I’ll journal and it’ll turn into a prayer of thanksgiving or intercession or seeking closeness. But I’ve really enjoyed starting the practice of writing a small prayer every morning and now that I’m a year in I can look back and see that so many of my prayers were answered! Radically! In ways I wasn’t even asking for but needed, like asking for wisdom and clarity but got a whole new life handed to me it’s definitely encouraged me to continue because it feels like I’m watching the story of God’s faithfulness in my life actually play out and there’s no rules to it, it’s really gentle

· A morning offering, Daily Scripture reading and reflection, before meals, before bed, randomly throughout the day. Sometimes the prayers are memorized and other times free form. I try to make my work my prayer (laborare est orare). Currently I’m doing the Exodus 90 program.

· I used to walk to work and that was my prayer time. I looked for something new or beautiful and it helped me to see and connect with the maker. I now try to find some quiet moments to seek the same and connect with the universe. I also give thanks while cleaning my home and pray to the elements of water air fire and earth as I go. I celebrate full moons as well.

· I have a very condensed version but I say about 9 quick "shlokas" or prayers and then do a quick reading - often a few paragraphs

· Prayer is just part of my existence. I was raised with very formal prayer. My parents still stay morning prayers together (after 60 years of marriage.) Sometimes I go over and join them. But my daily practice is waking up to a prayer and falling asleep to one - and then finding myself praying all day long as the prayer arises.

· Find some major points in your day Choose a quick prayer for each Say the chosen prayer at the right point in the day

· I read the Bible every day. Mornings are my most fruitful time. With a cup of coffee, I am at my most alert/awake. I appreciate the silence and the darkness outside - it enhances the sense of nearness to the Lord for me - just me and Him. I use the verses I'm reading as the foundation of my prayer. E.g., if I'm in Proverbs, and I read, "Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble," I might pray, "Father, Your Word tells me, 'Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble.' Would You help me to keep my mouth and tongue today, particularly as I interact with [boss, direct reports, wife, kids, etc.]. There's no greater way to please the Lord than to pray His Words back to Him.

· I use a devotional book. I stopped using a presbyterian devotional I used every year with its new editions, honestly because it has just become too woke and it not really a devotional at all. It's a series of people lecturing me about their political views. Precisely the opposite of what it should be. Now I am using Tim Tebow's Mission Possible. I read CS Lewis a lot and use his views into passages to explore those passages themselves. I pray for forgiveness and to be transformed from the broken person I am. I pray to be relieved of sorrow and for the safety of my loved ones. And I pray to be a servant to God and to shine his light into the world.

How do you feel when you pray?

· Insignificant

· Much relieved. My thoughts and feelings get the polish and full vetting when I pray/write.

· Lots of different ways. Sometimes I’m angry or frustrated, sometime I’m happy or at peace. Prayer is a fairly constant part of my day so my feelings can be all sorts of feelings.

· Depends. Can be dry, with no feeling, it can be tears, it can be peace, it can be joy. It can be invigorating. It can be a struggle.

· I feel uplifted and peaceful in prayer. When I pray for my food I feel assured that no harm will come to me from the food.

· Content

· I feel light, satisfied, and at peace.

· Basically all feelings pass through me during that time. But usually I end up feeling peaceful and accepting.

· In tune

· Hmm. Depends on the ask.

· Notiing

· Certain.

· It depends on how I’m feeling when I start; more often than not, my mind is already racing in preparation for the day. That’s my challenge with prayer: collecting myself for the communication with God.

· If I'm actually using the serenity prayer, I'll be feeling pretty fucking grim going in. But it does help and I generally manage to find some peace and equilibrium through the process.

· Alone.

· Surrender.

· Peaceful. Aware

· I feel safe

· I feel lighter when I’m done. Like there’s a little relief. I mostly feel that in my chest

· I don’t pray. Maybe I meditate from time to time - though embodiment is much more aligned with me.

· Mostly grateful—much of the time my prayer thoughts are to say "thank you" to that which moves us in the directions we are moved.

· n/a

· I feel at peace. I feel as though many of the worries that bog down my over-anxious head are small in comparison to the innumerable joys of living, of being alive.

· I try to be peaceful, but sometimes I express my anger about what I feel are injustices.

· Never thought about it, frankly. Prayer is about calling out to God, and focusing on Him and His glory, grace, goodness, faithfulness, and power, and His providential care for me. My feelings are irrelevant. As God, He is worthy of our praise and homage, and the only one who can and does meet our needs

· Makes me want to smile. Holding space for this "praying" means I'm not triggered nor attached to alertness. Being in this space feels good.

· Since I try to live in a state of prayer, I feel many different ways. Depends on what’s alive within me.

· In tune with myself, the earth, the global family and the universe.

· Again, I'll write about journaling. It feels good to reflect on my day and it helps me wind down for the day.

· I feel grateful, calm, and inspired.

· Wondering if it’s silly, but sometimes feeling very confident it’s life changing.

· I relax.

· Meditation makes feel grounded, clear, calm.

· In touch

· A mix of embarrassed and child like trust.

· Whenever I feel lead to!

· Various ways, but it’s not a really about how I feel when I do it. It’s the why behind prayer that’s more important to me. It’s nice when I feel peace during prayer but that’s not always the case. The why: I can rationally understand that God exists, and then through faith, decipher that I owe God reverence… and while he’s to be feared, he’s also very good.

· Connected. In Sync. Grateful. Happy to the point of tears. “It is so beautiful”

· A needed way for me to close my day and show my appreciation for Gods blessings.

· Helps me re-center / great reminder of the values I hold deal

· It depends on the prayer

· Daily prayer grounds me in awareness of God's presence. When my day is "framed" like this by short prayers, I get used to talking with God throughout the day. This is a good thing.

· Humbled. Dependent. Filled up. Strengthened.

· Hopeless sometimes, as I feel my faith is not as strong as others'. It does offer a focusing and calming affect.

· It's nice to begin a meal or gathering with a sentiment of warmth, affection and love

How does your prayer practice impact your life?

· Makes me slow down and appreciate what is around me.

· My life feels ordered after I pray. I breathe and move about more smoothly bc I have let go to God what has stressed me.

· Prayer helps keep a regular cadence to my day and certainly makes me feel more grateful for everything in my life.

· In every way.

· Through prayer I find peace and guidance. I will ask God for a solution and he provides it. Maybe not at that moment but it comes. My faith assures me that by asking God’s will I can get the desires of my heart.

· It makes me feel connected

· It keeps my life oriented toward the light.

· My prayer life helps me to see things from a different perspective.

· It makes me calmer, less reactive, less judgmental, more present in my every day life.

· Recognition of what is good, right, and wonderful. Acceptance of what I cannot change.

· Centers.

· Prayer helps me keep everything in proper perspective by ordering my place relative to God and reflecting on what’s truly important. It’s like physical exercise: the more I do, the more spiritually ‘fit’ and joyful I feel, and better able I am to handle what life throws at me.

· It keeps me grounded, as my ego often wants to take control and I have to be mindful when that's happening and walk myself back.

· It's not a part of my daily life, per se.

· It is what holds me together, keeps me going.

· I notice the day S being more challenging when I am not conciliatory about prayer

· It doesn't but it should, it is low priority

· Journaling — a lot of times the answers do come, whether as I write or later Meditation — how has it not impacted my life? I’ll say the main way is that it opened up enough little space in my rigid psyche to be humble enough to seek therapy 13 years ago. My life was vastly improved

· Prayer used to be this very supernatural experience with tears and tissues. I stopped praying when I had other profound experiences that showed a whole new dimension. Prayer felt like a tool I just put away and that maybe I use on occasion- like a rolling pin is not used so much in a kitchen. Prayer is a rolling pin.

· It's hard to say, but I do believe the Spirit moves what is meant to be moved in my life and the lives of others, and I wish to show her gratitude for it.

· n/a

· When I do make the time to pray, it now brings me peace. It brings clarity. It wasn't always like that, though. Prayer used to feel like an opportunity to excoriate myself for my failings, to linger on all the ways I was fallen and flawed and broken.

· I make it part of my daily schedule. The first thing in the morning when I wake and the last thing I do at night before I sleep.

· I would address this differently. My complete trust in the goodness, wisdom, and faithfulness of the God of the Bible (the Trinitarian Christian God), who graciously made me part of His family, and; therefore, has promised me all I need, in His infinite wisdom, for life in His world. Because I know that is true, I pray, expecting answers, which I always get, even if they aren’t what I thought they should be.

· "Brings me closer to god" was the first thing that came to mind. But the truth is, as an agnostic, I don't operate with the concept of gods. So I'll say "more in tune with the present moment"

· It keeps me anchored in Love and reminds me to live through my heart, not my head.

· It helps me feel both grounded and connected

· Journaling has helped me process things more quickly since it involves the act of writing, which is great at hijacking my negative self-talk (in a good way).

· I've been praying every day for my entire life. I was raised to pray like this. So, it's difficult to imagine how it's impacted my life without a clear conception of what life would be like without prayer. I will say that I navigate through life with a lightness, clarity, and deep spirit of gratitude when my prayers are deeper and more personal rather than phrases repeated.

· I allow myself to pray with so little preparation so it fits seamlessly into whatever situation I’m in when I feel the need to pray.

· Very little

· Meditation has made a huge impact in my life

· Is my life

· It’s an ingrained thing.

· More trust and surrender, a closer relationship with God than I’ve ever had. I can actually believe that the creator of my world wants closeness with me, and I hear the Spirit’s promptings so much more vividly

· Positively. Gives purpose and meaning. Gives insight and direction. Allows me to access the divine. Sometimes challenges me and often encourage me and sometimes helps me confront my issues with myself, life and God.

· It keeps me centered and calls me to my higher self

· My prayer makes me feel complete.

· I'd like to think that it reinforces aspirational behavior / decision-making as well as gives perspective on what matters most.

· It grounds me in my upbringing and in my spiritual life

· I've gotten better - a little bit - in letting more formal prayers nourish and express my own prayer. My goal in daily prayer is to converse with God.

· Matthew 7:13-14 says, "Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few." I believe prayer is essential to keeping me on the narrow way. I want to finish well. I don't want to be like the seed that gets choked off by the world in the parable of the sower. I want to be used by the Lord to be fruitful for His glory.

· It softens me. Reminds me to be grateful.

When did your prayer practice begin? What prompted you to start?

· A disillusionment with modern organized religion led me to research early pagan beliefs. I've pondered the Epicurus paradox: "The paradox states that if God is all-powerful and all-good, then why is there evil and suffering in the world?" And have no answers.

· As a child, Sunday school teacher was the impetus. Wanting forgiveness, to be a good child.

· Current practices started in my mid twenties as I began to deepen my faith.

· My practice began in 1971

· I was less to pray as a child. My parents weren’t church goers but they were both raised in the church. My dad would always bless the food, which was my first experience of prayer. Momma would have us bow beside our bed and say, “Now I lay me down to sleep I pray the Lord my soul to keep. Amen”

· When I was around 10 years old, as I was learning Catholicism

· I started praying as a child, but prayer has taken different forms since then, and evolved over the years.

· I started meditating fifteen years ago.

· It was always there, I just didn't listen until I was older.

· Yoga teacher cert and The artist way

· When I entered the family that is now mine. A sense of wanting God's blessings on others.

· As a lifelong Catholic, this has been a lifelong journey recognizing that it’s an essential part of life. I’ve been better at it at various times in my life. My current focus started a little over a year ago: feeling ‘older’, I had a sense that my spiritual life wasn’t what it ought to be.

· 2005, through Alcoholics Anonymous (discounting enforced prayer at school and in church, which I no longer attend).

· When I became disillusioned with 'official' organised religions. The pomp. The circumstance. The hypocrisy.

· I have always been spiritual but I think that around age 24/25 it became a consistent part of my life to pray, when I started meditating daily and found a daily practice (Kundalini Yoga) that I could have a regular cadence of reverence.

· My prayer practice began this morning as it does every day. This has been a long journey!

· It began as a small child. Church prompted

· Meditation — I got an email from a traveling teacher who was in town. I don’t know/remember how he got my email, so it felt serendipitous

· Family introduced me to prayer at a young age. I am sure I was going through the motions by age three.

· It doesn't exactly feel like it's ever really "started" because I was doing it in a more conventionally Catholic way when I was too young to remember the first moment. Though I guess I always experienced it in roughly the same way, emotionally/spiritually, all along that way.

· When I was little and felt powerless, I prayed and asked a nondenominational God for something. But now I feel empowered in my life and I don't feel like I need to.

· My prayer practice began when I was very small. Being raised Catholic meant Stations of the Cross, praying the rosary in the dark during youth group, and falling asleep half-mumbling the Our Father. It grew (like I mentioned) into a misguided self-flagellation practice in college, right about when I knew I was seeing some of the flaws in Catholicism .

· From my childhood, I grew up in a Christian household and my parents instilled it in me.

· In seed form, as a kid at Catholic schools. For real, when God drew me (back?) to Himself, and opened my eyes to the truth, and truths, of His Word, and began to attend a faithful, bible- teaching church, and I learned what the Bible teaches about how we should pray.

· These practices began when I first started learning Chi Kung. That was about 15 years ago. Chi Kung means refining one's inner energy, and that meaning as a goal was what first prompted me.

· I have a complex religious trauma history so my prayer has taken many forms. In the last decade I developed my own path and relationship with the Divine.

· I don’t remember a time when I didn’t feel connected to the universe and the Mystery.

· I had tried journaling for years without much success. Almost three years ago, I made it a regular thing and I've had a daily streak since then.

· My parents taught me how to pray, so I actually don't remember the exact moment it started. However, my prayers definitely became deeper and more personal in high school, as the prayers helped me navigate difficult teenage experiences.

· I can’t pinpoint an exact time it started. I’ve always known prayer was an option available to me, even as a child. There’s not really a time I’ve prayed more than usual.

· I think I was taught to pray as a child, but don't pray the same way (reciting verse, repetitively). I now throw the words into the universe hoping they catch the right train.

· Started meditating July 2021.

· As is now...20 years ago

· Started as a kid learned from my parents and Catholic school

· I was raised in a Christian Protestant church and had a relationship with Jesus really early in my life. I remember it being sweet and tender and like I could explore my little world courageously knowing Jesus loved me and wanted to be close to me. Then I got older and witnessed Christian people acting out of power hungry legalism and hypocracy and I walked away from the church as a group of people. I told Jesus I was angry and continued my relationship with God through really tough personal times even though I didn’t want to go to church. Then I learned about ancient civilizations connecting with God and my faith got deeper and wilder and more ancient but I still didn’t want to be in a modern church because it felt so intellectualized.

· Making my faith my own. Reading. Listening. Going deeper in my faith journey. Studying other religions / practices.

· When I was a child. I haven’t always prayed as I do now.

· My parents had a morning prayer routine and I went to a Sunday School growing up that taught me the philosophy / prayers that I read / recite every day

· As long as I can remember we prayed with my family. In the morning, before every meal, in church, and before bed.

· Has ebbed and flowed over the years.

· After I repented of my sins and placed my faith in Jesus Christ as my Lord. That was my first prayer, and I've been praying ever since. That's the pattern of Christians in the Bible.

· About twelve years ago. I just took a good hard long look at myself and did not like who I saw.

How has your prayer practice evolved? What did you do in the past? (Define “past” as you see fit.)

· I'm not sure this qualifies as exploring prayer, but I'm currently doing a deep dive into the existence of evil - is it actually personified? Does Satan exist? Is it true that his greatest hoax was convincing people he doesn't exist?

· I used to pray routinely, same place, same verbiage. Now it's much more on the fly, usually more for global concerns than my own.

· From childhood to the present my prayer has evolved from “saying my prayers” to praying, the act of being with God. Like we grow as humans our faith and prayer life grows and matures as well.

· Read my memoir (ongoing production).

· I have evolved from praying a prayer at night to making it an everyday routine

· I have become less religious yet more spiritually connected

· It has become more intimate and intentional. Praying as an adult is different from praying as a child or teen. The intentions are different too.

· I learned to meditate in the vipassana style, and did a lot of that kind of meditation and various guided meditations with teachers in different traditions. And then I found Zen in 2019 and it felt like home to me. Been meditating in that style every since.

· Raised atheist/agnostic, became a yoga teacher at 22 and came to feel God generally. In my 20s, joined an Episcopal church.

· It hasn't

· I went to 13 years of Catholic school, starting each school day with prayer. Starting with college, I continued to attend weekly mass, but prayed less over time. But starting with college, I have ‘regularly’ prayed for gifts to fill in my gaps in character. That list has grown over time!

· I'm keen to use meditation more as a tool to find my centre and get out of my own head. In the 12 steps of AA, the 11th Step reads: 'Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God'. I do put prayer and meditation together as being different tools to get the same result.

· It's deeply personal.

· Hmm, I think it has just deepened since it has become a daily practice of mine, I have always felt like I had a strong faith and knowing I could turn to God, but nowadays that feels more material and concrete.

· I have gradually moved my wake up time back by 30 minutes over the years. I began at 6 am years ago and now waken at 430. It’s about time to move back to 330!

· I prayed when I was a believer and it came in two types: group and personal. Praying together always seemed like asking for things. It pulled you along with the collective current and was a way for the church to inform the beliefs of the members. "Let us pray" could be thought of as "Here's what should be important to you." Personal prayer was the other side of the coin. What did 'I' want? I'd ask for that. I got to the point where I moved from asking for the thing to working/planning for the thing, which got better results in my experience. Then once you become a non-believer, you get released from a lot of the shackles of religion with the time it takes to pray being one of them. You can use that time to work to make the world a better place vs. just thinking about it.

· It was deepened by feeling as if I truly talk to God

· Can’t say it has evolved too much since I began these practices 13 years ago

· I used to pray. Then meditation. Then yoga. Then post-meditation “rubber band effect” (climbing down the mountain). Now embodiment.

· As mentioned in the last comment, in the distant past was more Catholically grounded, praying to God-qua-God, though honestly for as long as I remember I felt the same presence of that-which-is-higher as something not easily contained in such a word/history as "God". I just was less able to articulate and connect with how that was so.

· Ope, look at that, I jumped the gun. Because my prayer practice has often been tied so closely with my journaling practice, I can actually look back and see how my prayer used to be so guilt-ridden that it's painful to read. I was trying my best, and I was incapable of finding forgiveness or seeing forgiveness (outside of Confession) as a possibility for myself. So it's been a real journey to develop a healthier, calmer, more gentle practice of prayer through journaling with compassion and gratitude.

· I can't say I practiced prayer all my life on my own. During the COVID lockdown, I got to be home with my parents for about two months. This opportunity allowed me to revisit my roots.

· Basically, the answer to last question.

· I was raised christian-ish up until my late childhood and did some "traditional" prayer. From there until my mid-teenage years it was pretty confusing. Then I learned yoga and chi kung and I felt well-equipped to navigate life again.

· My prayer in the past was very rote. It was performative.

· Time in silence increases and use of the spoken word decreases.

· As I mentioned in the last answer, my journaling was very sporadic for many years. What changed it for me was hearing a podcast where the guest was talking about making it an easy task at first. So simply write one sentence about something that happened that day. When I'm really not feeling it, I'll sometimes write very little. Having that freedom takes the pressure off and I usually end up writing much more, which is great for my mental health.

· I used to only pray to Jehovah God. I now say prayers as intentions, open to anyone who will listen - the moon, the seasons, my ancestors, Jesus, Mary, Mother Earth, lands, medicines, plants, etc. etc.

· Now, I focus less on being “perfect” in prayer. I figure God knows my heart, and even if I can’t find the right words, He knows my intentions.

· I used to pray only when I needed something.

· Not just verbal...full life

· The praying for others instead of self and the specific prayers mentioned above developed during early adulthood.

· Prayer has evolved from sitting in a pew as a little kid praying because someone told me to, to living every adventure and specifically moments in nature with this little conversation going in the back of my mind with God about what I’m looking at or what I’m going through. It’s created tenderness inside my otherwise egotistical nature and courage in what would otherwise be me clenching things out of fear. Prayer over a relationship with someone I loved and almost married lead me to actually not feel peace about the relationship and I kept praying for three months but every time i prayed for wisdom I would cry. Normally when I prayed for wisdom the path became clear so I took this lack of peace as a sign that I needed to end the relationship and it was the best and most difficult thing I’ve ever done. I trust the words I hear in prayer more than I trust any other human, even myself. Sometimes it’s a clear word when I pray with others, sometimes is frustrating silence and then I’m lead on a journey to find what’s stuck between me and my relationship with God in that moment and typically the answer turns out to be my arrogance which I learn again to lay aside for intimacy with Christ. It’s so weird to be explaining it like this, nobody has ever really asked me and to someone who doesn’t have a relationship with Jesus this might sound like I’m crazy and listening to voices in my head!! It’s really not crazy, and it’s not an audible voice, but it has been the deepest peace I’ve experienced. At times when I’m in a group I’ll walk away for quiet to get time with God and check in because the spirit knows my heart better than anyone

· I listen more now (or try to) and I better understand fasting and asceticism, and their prayer benefits.

· As a kid I had to say my prayers before bed. That stopped eventually. I have always had my walking prayers but I didn’t recognize it ad such until my 20s

· Honestly besides adding a quick reading, it hasn't. Maybe it should!

· It is less formal and more integrated into my existence.

· In developing a habit of daily prayer, one very important time for me has become just before going to bed. I find this to be a good opportunity to spend a few brief minutes reviewing the day with the Lord in a "daily examination of conscience" ... though it doesn't happen every day! This really amounts to only three quick "words" to say in the examination itself, where I try to place myself in the presence of God, and ask for his help in examining my day. * "Thank you": Thank the Lord for the blessings of the day. * "I'm sorry": Acknowledge my faults specifically and directly. * "Please help me more": Ask the Lord for help for tomorrow. Make specific resolutions.

· I think over time I've grown to appreciate the value and importance of prayer Scripture back to the Lord. It keeps my mind from wandering and prevents me from praying things that aren't aligned with His will. Joel Osteen preaches a false prosperity gospel of "name it and claim it." That's unbiblical and sets you up for profound disappointment. I want to avoid that like I avoid poison.

· It was once a routinized memorized statement of the Lord's Prayer or Psalm 23. I still do that, but I now try to craft prayers with my own language ---I am not very good at it. I feel especially articulate at prayer. But I keep trying.

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Devotion, Gratitude, Offering, Remembrance

Readers share their prayer, spiritual, meditation and mindfulness practices

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Tell me about your prayer practice. Please share as much or as little detail as you’d like.

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When did your prayer practice begin? What prompted you to start?

How has your prayer practice evolved? What did you do in the past? (Define “past” as you see fit.)

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