Create your prayer posture
And I'm not talking about kneeling or sitting
I watched my grandfather get down on his knees and pray while leaning against a chair by his bed.
That’s the picture I have of him when I think of him praying.
And I’ve seen him kneeling at the altar.
I was taught to kneel at the altar to pray…which meant that I thought I had to always kneel when I prayed.
And then I was taught to keep my eyes closed and my head bowed, but I could also pray while sitting down!
And then I learned I could pray while standing…and also without my head bowed, sometimes even encouraged to pray with my hands open, facing the sky!
And then…I learned that I could keep my eyes open!!!
My point is this: there is no singular prayer posture or stance that you absolutely have to use.
In fact, I would encourage you to re-think what it means to have a prayer stance or posture.
It’s more than just your physical stance, but also your environment, your surroundings, your emotional state.
For me, I love to pray in the shower.
And I love to pray with noise-cancelling headphones on.
I like to have the ambient noise drowned out.
It’s just my preference.
And I know I can always pray “better” when I have my prayer stance set up (with as much noise eliminated as possible).
But I also know that I need to be calm. So I breathe a few times before praying.
I need my mind to stop racing for a moment and my heart to slow, so I pace my breathing for a few moments before praying.
These are what I have found has created spaces in time for me to pray most “efficiently” with as little distraction as possible. To pray with intentionality and intensity.
It’s less about my physical space and more about my mental and emotional stance.
Play around with what gets you “in the zone” for prayer in these minutes and moments you have carved out in your daily life!
My prayer for today
Our Father, help me find what stance and posture works best to keep me focused on talking with you. Jesus, help me pay attention to what brings me closer in relationship with you. Spirit, keep me focused on praying more and more intentionally everyday. Amen.
Spiritual practice
Play around with some ways you can intentionally create some space in those minutes and moments you have set aside for prayer every single day. It could be putting on headphones, it could be a certain smell, it could be keeping your eyes closed, it could be taking some breaths. Play around and figure it out!