What Part Of Your Body Do You Pray With?

The world is sometimes a confusing place. When faced with life's complex problems, a contemplative practice of prayer and meditation can help you discover how to be in the world, and find the right approach to whatever situation you are in. Your contemplative practice can help you find some composure when life feels rocky.

Each of us tends to approach our spiritual life in a different way, and to use a different part of our nervous system when praying. If you tend to solve life's problems analytically, you might have a mental approach to your spiritual life. If you tend to rely on your emotions for decision making, perhaps you also approach God with your heart. If you base your decisions on gut instincts, chances are you relate to God through these instincts as well. How do you pray? With your head, your heart, or your gut? Regardless of the method you use there are pros & cons.

Mental Approach

If you pray with your head, that can help you analyze your situation objectively. The head can also help you with non-attachment, giving you distance and perspective from the things in your life that trigger your emotions and instincts. Some people find freedom in this approach when they feel confused and mired in emotions.

To meditate with awareness in the head, start with the breath. Turn your attention to your breath and become quiet. Sit erect with the chin slightly tucked. Feel the spaciousness of the breath. Imagine you are watching yourself from above, which is a technique called witness consciousness. Imagine your life is a movie. Then, watch the movie. As you observe your thoughts, gradually your mind will become quiet and still as well.

Heart Approach

Praying with your heart builds meaning in your life, and strengthen the bonds of love and family. When you pray with your heart, it reaffirms the unique affection you have for God, a particular person, or place. Whereas the mind is universal, the heart is uniquely attached to the people present in your life. The heart lies at the center of your being, and integrates the insights of your mind with the context of your life.

To pray with your heart, turn the attention of your heart towards God. Take a moment to experience God's love and mercy for you. Then, take a moment to adore God in return. As you experience His mercy and awaken your adoration of your Creator, you will experience many emotions that well up in your chest. Offer these emotions tenderly as a sign of your humility before God. In humility, you will learn how to love more deeply.

Gut Approach

If you pray with your gut, you will awaken your ability to nurture yourself and others. Just as a plant needs to be watered, the people around you need your care, attention, and protection. You also need to nurture yourself. The gut helps you, your family, and community feel secure and nurtured. To pray with your gut, contemplate generosity for your loved ones, your community, and yourself. How can you be a more charitable person?

Praying With Your Whole Body

As you deepen your contemplative practice, you come to realize that you must pray with your whole body. The Catholic Catechism states, "We must pray with our whole being to give all power possible to our supplication (3:1:2702)." When you pray with your whole being, you recognize the vastness of the world around you. You realize you have only your faith and God's grace to navigate your way and your world. Instead of trying to solve life's problems on your own, you learn to listen and to trust something greater than yourself. Then this awareness becomes a source of peace in your life.