PRAYER POSITIONS

Getting your body into it

ver.: 16 May 2008

BODY POSITIONS FOR PRAYER

People pray in many physical positions. For instance :

• laying flat on the floor, face down, with hands stretched out (also known as 'prostrate');
• standing, hands raised and spread, palms up, looking upward;
• sitting, head bowed, eyes closed, hands folded (the most common position today);
• kneeling, head bowed, hands folded;
• kneeling, head to the ground, hands face down on ground next to head;
• standing, eyes forward, facing the altar;
• sitting in lotus position, eyes closed, hands in front, palms up;
• laying flat on the floor, face up, palms up;
• slow leisurely walking (or sitting), eyes open, in a place where one can safely pay very little attention to where one is going.

Each of these body positions (and others) can be done for any kind of praying, but each has special meaning for different kinds of prayer. Standing with hands raised is typical of praise, celebrative prayer, and thanks-giving. Kneeling and prostration show humility and recognition of a superior, and thus are especially well-suited to prayers of confession, repentance, or awe. (If you're someone who bows to noone, please consider praying while laying prostrate. In public. With everyone watching. If you're too proud to do that, you're too proud to speak to God.) Slow wandering and lotus-sitting are especially good for meditational prayer and for quieting yourself so you can listen. Standing facing the altar is part of an act of worship with other people who are also worshipping. Other positions have been used, too; for example, Elijah crouched low to the ground and put his face between his knees. (He must've been a prayer contortionist.) The Bible doesn't mention arm gestures in prayer except the raising of hands; however, starting as early as 800 AD and maybe earlier, some devout Jews have been known to sway while studying the Torah, chanting Psalms, or praying. Christians praying together are known to link hands and raise them together.

These positions can help you pray right, by getting your body into (or, sometimes, out of the way of) your prayers, and as a way to express what the prayer is for. Prayer is done with your whole self, and the body is part of that. But the body positions themselves are unimportant to God, who has seen them all before and has seen liars and fools use them all. They are useful to know for your own benefit. The key is that you are having a living response with God, speaking and listening. Whatever prayer position your body is in, God is still paying attention. And that is ultimately what counts.

An experience in praying while operating

Back some 20 years ago, I started praying while bike riding. (This, at the suggestion of a Third Order Franciscan.) The first few days, it worked well and felt great. Then, it started becoming more dangerous, because my mind would wander into concentrating so much on the praying that I wasn't paying attention to where I was going. With each close call I would tell myself to pay more attention. But I failed. I stopped biking my prayers after jumping a curb, crossing someone's driveway while they were backing up, and landing in thorn bushes on the other side. I just could not stop myself from concentrating on God too much. Fool that I am, I then decided to try something less hazardous : I'd pray while walking. But I live in a suburb. I'd have to go a mile or two to get to a safe place to walk around at a normal pace. So (duh...) I chose to walk to the school grounds. Once again, once I started thinking about God, I could not keep my mind off God, even on my way there. I stopped that when I walked into the school's perimeter fence one day, and into a parked car the next. I still sometimes use my landlord's ample back yard woods, where I can meander aimlessly, slowly, and safely -- though I did walk into a tree once. But mostly, I stay stationary when praying. I don't want to put God to the test by in effect demanding a miracle healing. I also don't want to keep getting hurt.

Hanging Out

Three preachers were discussing the best body positions for prayer, while a utility repairman was working close by. One of the preachers said, "I find kneeling gets the best feeling".

"No", another jumped up. "I get the best results standing with my hands outstretched to Heaven."

"Both of you miss the mark", the third shot back. "Prayer's most effective when lying prostrate, face down on the floor."

The repairman had heard enough of this. "Hey, y'all," he stepped in, "the best prayin' I ever did was hangin' upside down from a telephone pole."

C'mon. I dare you. Try these questions and dares.

(Please, use this link for personal prayer requests.)