In the broadest sense, praying can be interpreted as making a request in a humble way. Today the term prayer is used to refer to a spiritual activity: to get closer to the spirit or God you believe in. Although the rituals and rules for performing prayers vary widely, they all have the same goal--to renew one's spiritual relationship with forces outside of oneself.
Step
Method 1 of 3: When, Where and Why
Step 1. Take time to pray
No matter how you pray or to whom you pray, it can be difficult to find time to pray if you are busy. One way to work around this is to make prayer a part of your daily schedule, such as praying as soon as you wake up in the morning, at night before going to bed, or before every meal. There is no bad time to pray.
- Many people pray when they are in an emotional state, such as when they are feeling sad, scared, or happy. You are welcome to pray whenever, and as much as you think is sufficient for your spiritual life. Some people even try to be in a state of prayer throughout the day by keeping them aware of their spiritual relationship at all times.
- The devout Jews pray 3 times a day (Shacharit, Minchah, and Arvith) and the Muslims pray 5 times a day. Meanwhile, there are also people who can pray spontaneously, ie when the desire to pray suddenly arises, or on an occasion where he has to pray (eg praying for someone's parents, praying before eating, etc.). In essence, pray when you feel the need to do so.
Step 2. Find an appropriate place to pray
Indeed you can pray anytime, anywhere and in any way. But it may be better to be in a spiritually focused place (such as a mosque, church, temple or shrine) or in a place that can remind you of a spiritual bond (such as outdoors, or a place with a wide view). You can choose to pray when someone else is there, or to pray more privately.
For some religions, such as Buddhism, meditation is the standard form of prayer (or sometimes praying is the standard form of meditation). Looking for a quiet place where you can feel at peace and connected to your spirituality is also a good form of prayer. So, whether it's in an open field or with a congregated congregation, find the "place of worship" that works best for you
Step 3. Know the purpose of your prayer
Usually a prayer accompanies a ritual that gives the purpose of the prayer. It can be as long as the ceremony of burning sacrifices for good fortune in the coming season, or it can be as short as a brief thanksgiving after a meal. Prayers don't always have to contain requests, questions or thanksgiving; prayer must be respectful and respectful.
- Prayer can be conversational, but it doesn't always have to be that way. Some religions enjoy prayer as an opportunity for intellectual contemplation. Moreover, prayer doesn't always have to be about yourself. The Roman Catholic tradition has certain prayers and devotions that serve as "remedial actions" in order to help wash away the sins of others.
- Once you know your reasons for praying, is there a specific person you would like to talk to? If you want a dialogue, with whom?
Step 4. Understand that prayer doesn't have to be in a silent state that appears solemn
Prayer comes in many other forms. Singing and dancing have long been a form of prayer in various religions. Some Christians even pray by practicing physical fitness!
Any activity that brings you closer to your spirituality or to the God you believe in, is also considered a prayer activity. If the satisfaction of exercising can get you there, that's great. If that activity is curling up in bed, that's fine too. You can scream as loud as you can and run as hard as you can to the top of the hill to make you feel more appreciative of life, amazed at His blessings, or extremely grateful
Method 2 of 3: Prayer Activities
Step 1. Get into a position to pray
It also depends on the beliefs you have. Sometimes putting your thoughts into physical action can make the prayer experience more complete. Everyone has various positions when praying: sitting, kneeling, supine, folding hands, cupping hands or raising hands, holding hands with others, bowing head, dancing, prostration, circling, swinging, and so on. Some people even pray with their eyes open, while others close their eyes.
Every religious believer has a belief in the correct position of prayer. You must have it too. In addition to body position, sometimes it is also necessary to consider the direction we are facing or our position towards nature. Some religions believe that when praying one must face a certain direction (eg towards Mecca). If there is a spiritual place in your life, understand how it fits into you
Step 2. Prepare to pray
According to your beliefs, there may be a ritual to be followed in preparing to pray. This will help direct your mind to prayer. Do what you have to do and make you comfortable in prayer.
- Around the world, preparations that people make before praying include cleansing themselves (ablution), anointing with oil, ringing bells, burning incense or paper, lighting candles, facing a certain direction, making the sign of the cross, or fasting. Sometimes this preparation is led by other people, such as spiritual partners, religious leaders, or religious experts. Some can be done only a few minutes in advance (eg ablution or making the sign of the cross), others must be done days or weeks in advance (eg fasting).
- Many religions consider appearance when praying. There are types of clothing that are considered appropriate or inappropriate for prayer or worship. If you feel that your current appearance is distracting, try to adjust to dress that is more in line with yourself and your spirituality.
Step 3. Start praying
You can choose to pray out loud, silently, singing, or in some other way. Some prayers are recited as memorization or reading from a book or scripture, while others are recited as a conversation. You can start your prayer by calling on God's name, then ask Him for help (or say whatever you mean).
There is no wrong way to do prayer. If a rote prayer or recital can already convey your meaning to Him, isn't there no need to compose your own words? But if there are specific things you want to tell Him, such as thoughts, questions, or concerns, then an informal dialogue will be more able to convey what's in your heart
Step 4. Make a request, question, or whatever you want to convey
You can ask for an answer to a problem, seek encouragement, pray for someone else, or give thanks. Perhaps the simplest form of prayer is asking Him to help you become a better human being, and asking Him to answer your prayers.
- Nothing dictates how long you should pray. God will certainly appreciate your every prayer, even if it's only short like "Thank you, God!"
- Clearing your mind and being still, can help you to pray. Don't feel like you have to always think, talk, or listen to the messages that pop up. You may find that a clear mind in contemplative silence will be able to give you an answer.
Step 5. End your prayer
Some people close or end prayers with special words, sentences or gestures, or by simply standing or sitting still for a minute or two, or saying "Amen".
You alone know when your prayer is complete. Step away from your place of prayer, still reflecting on yourself, and go about your day more spiritually than ever before
Method 3 of 3: Prayer or Spiritual Activities based on Religion
-
Buddha
- How to Pray in Buddhism
- How to Meditate According to Buddhism
- How to Open Your Spiritual Chakra
-
Christian
- How to Pray Our Father
- How to Pray Effectively (Christianity)
- How to Appreciate Tongues
- How to Make a Prayer Note
- How to Pray to Jesus
-
catholic
- How to Pray the Rosary
- How to Make the Sign of the Cross
-
Hindu
How to Do Puja
-
Islam
- How to do Wudu
- How to Pray
- How to Find Qibla Direction
-
Jewish
- How to do Netilat Yadayim
- How to Memorize and Practice Prayers For Your Bar or Bat Mitzvah
- How to Blow the Shofar
-
Nature/Pagan
- How to Perform the Odinist Ritual
- How to do ground and center
- How To Connect With The Supreme Spirit Through Nature
-
Unitarian Universalist
How to Say the Unitarian Universalist Prayer
-
Zen
- How to Do Zazen
- How to Start Zen Meditation (Zazen)
Tips
- Pray every day, for your physical and spiritual health, not just in times of trouble or need. Praying only when you need something obscures the original purpose of praying.
- Always be grateful for whatever the answer to your prayer is. After all, you pray based on faith that your prayers will definitely be heard, so give thanks a lot to the giver of blessings.
-
For Christians, pray with faith and hope that what you hope for has happened, for example: if you want to be healed from something, thank God, that He has done and worked a miracle for what you asked for: "Lord, I thank You because You has healed my _." (mind, soul, feet, heartache, or whatever you ask).
Don't forget to seek blessings -- through your actions, including pleasing others through a good attitude, so as not to cause bad consequences for yourself and others
- The key to prayer is to believe that there is a great power that created and governs the universe. This is what is usually called faith.
- Have you ever heard the words that you "must pray all the time" or "pray non-stop"? One way is to glorify God through your work, your existence, your life and always be grateful and be a blessing to others.
- Some people close or end prayers with words like "Amen" or "Du'a", and others by calling the name of a power; for example Christians usually close with "…, in the name of Jesus, Amen."
- It doesn't matter when or where you pray. What is more important is for whom and how you pray.
Warning
- There is no one right way to pray, and you should never feel compelled to pray in a way that you are not comfortable with.
- Praying does not mean your problem will be solved immediately. Sometimes it is true that there are prayers that are immediately answered, but often the answers to prayers are so gentle, and are not immediately visible.
- If you have frequent nightmares, try praying for thanksgiving and asking for blessings so that others can feel peace too.
- Don't blaspheme, which means don't pray and then do something inconsistent with your spirituality, such as doing evil, hoping that your prayer will be able to close it. Prayer is not an atonement for sin or a cover for evil.
