What is Prayer? 11 Mindful Steps to Prayer

What is Prayer?  Prayer can be a practice.  It can be a ritual. It can change your life. Prayer is connecting with your inner self and something bigger than you.  Call it  Spirit, The Universe, God, Hashem.  Practices and Rituals is module two of the Life Purpose Advisor Method for Discovering Your Life Purpose.  Daily practice transforms your life and allows you to remove the blocks between you and your life purpose.  We recommend many practices.  Prayer is one of them.

 “Imagine the World We Would Be Co-Creating if We All Prayed” –Wendy Craig-Purcell

A few weeks ago, Reverend Wendy Craig-Purcell offered a view of How to Pray in her service.  She discussed 11 steps to prayer that I found succinct and easy to follow.  Below are these steps:
How to Pray:  11 Mindful Steps

1. Sit in a comfortable seat with your feet on the ground.
2. Close your eyes.
3. Redirect your attention to your breathing.
4. Move your attention to your heart.
5. Move your attention to the presence of God.
6. Connect with the feeling of expansiveness.
7. When your attention wanders, gently bring it back.
8. Allow someone or something you are praying for to gently fall into your awareness.
9. Hold the person/situation in your awareness.
10. Pause
11. Practice gratitude.  Think as if the thing you are praying about already happened.

Prayer Challenge

I’ll extend Reverend Wendy’s prayer challenge to you.  Pray for 21 days.  See what happens and post a comment below if you would like to share.  21 days forms a habit.  You never know what amazing things might happen in your life.

My Personal Thoughts on Prayer

What I realized while Wendy was speaking is that I pray almost every day already in my meditation practice.  My previous understanding of prayer didn’t resonate with me.  However, this does.  I hope it might resonate with you as well.
I’m a member of The Unity Center, An Inclusive Spiritual Community in San Diego, Ca. At The Unity Center, we welcome all religious beliefs and we study New Thought and Metaphysics together.  You can read more about Unity as a faith here.  I welcome you to visit The Unity Center as my guest.  Services every Sunday at 9am and 11am.  (And if you need a tastier reason to visit, The Unity Center serves delicious fair trade coffee and espresso drinks in The Sangha Cafe on Sundays.  It’s delicous!).
What is Prayer?  Only you can say what prayer is for you.  I hope you discover your own personal meaning of prayer.