Tips for Detox: 'Finding The Kind Of Prayer That Works For You'
Excerpted from The Detox Plan: For Body, Mind, and Spirit, By Jane Alexander
There's a power and energy beyond sounds and words such as the ones you intone in prayer that can take your detox to the next level. Without such power, the physical benefits gained through a detox will soon vanish as ingrained behaviors and bad habits set back in and subject your body to the same assaults and abuse it's been a victim to for years. If you want to make long lasting changes, you must go address the root causes. For more, read below.
There is no “right” way to pray. You have to find what works for you. The following are just suggestions, nothing more.
Some people will feel drawn to rediscover some of the beautiful old melodic prayers of traditional religion. You may want to move outside your childhood, or best-known faith and look at other traditions — perhaps the poetical Sufi tradition, or a Quabalistic prayer, or the prayers of the early Christian mystics. Or non-denominational “New Age” type prayers.
You may wish to make up your own prayers — or find pieces of poetry or prose which have meaning to you. Of course you do not need to have a proper “format” — many people simply talk to God, as if he/she/it were another human being. If you find it hard to talk to someone in your head, use the Two Chairs technique and imagine God is sitting on the chair opposite you.
You may wish to chant a mantra or try toning sounds.
Some people find the best prayer is silence. Simply sit, kneel, stand or lie and still your mind.
Often gazing at a religious object, painting or symbol can become a form of prayer. It need not be a ready-made artefact — it could be a stone, a piece of wood, a shell or a beautiful view or corner of Nature. Some people find prayer leaning against a tree or gazing into the fire, or peering into a pool.
Hints On Praying
If you're really stuck, think about the following:
God, or the Higher Power, loves you unconditionally. Nothing you say will shock — He or She will simply be delighted to hear from you!
Don't worry about what words you use or don't use. It is your intention that matters, not how clever your vocabulary is.
Use your prayer time as an opportunity to be totally honest, totally yourself. Share every part of your life — good and bad. Prayer isn't necessarily about just spiritual matters — God will be as interested in your exam worries or your insomnia as your quest for inner knowing and piousness!
Be prepared for your prayers to be answered — though not always in the way you expect. Prayer can be very powerful.
Prayer Walking
Prayer-walking is a form of prayer which is being rediscovered by many people. In many ancient monasteries, monks paced complicated labyrinths to focus their minds on their devotions - but you don't really need any props to prayer-walk. Simply plan a minimum of half an hour for your devotions: five minutes to focus your thoughts and concerns; at least 15 for the walk itself and another five to sift through what you've learned. Walk at a pace that's comfortable but keep up a good rhythm. How you pray is up to you: if you have a religious faith you might want to think over scripture or recite a religious mantra. If not, you could repeat a word with significance for you - such as “hope” or “peace”. You might want to use your walk to think about people who need your help or prayers. Or you might simply appreciate the beauty of nature around you - notice the small things as well as the larger picture.
Mantras : A Different Form Of Prayer
Many people now commonly use mantras as a form of prayer and meditation. A mantra is simply a word or phrase used repetitively to enter a state of prayer and awareness of God. It can be just one word, such as Ohm, or a series of words such as the “Hari Krishna” chant (Hari Krishna, Hari Krishna, Hari Hari, Krishna Krishna. Hari Rama, Hari Rama, Rama Rama, Krishna Krishna.”
Muslims repeat the name of Allah or the other Names of God; Qabalists tone the God-names; Tibetan Buddhists turn the prayer wheel chanting “Aum Mani Padme Hum” while Catholics recite the rosary whilst fingering the beads of a rosary and Hindus repeat a mantra as they pass each bead of the mala through their fingers.
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