{"id":915,"date":"2020-05-11T17:41:23","date_gmt":"2020-05-11T23:41:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eoluniversityblog.com\/?p=915"},"modified":"2020-05-11T17:41:25","modified_gmt":"2020-05-11T23:41:25","slug":"how-to-pray-even-if-youre-not-religious","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eoluniversityblog.com\/?p=915","title":{"rendered":"How to Pray – Even if You’re Not Religious"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Why now is the perfect time to learn about prayer.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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As we face uncertain times during the COVID-19 epidemic, many of us are searching for ways to help us cope and be more resilient to stress. We need something to help us feel safer and more relaxed and also to have more clarity about what is happening around us. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I believe there is one step that could help us accomplish those goals, and that is: to establish a daily practice of prayer. I know that even the word \u201cprayer\u201d is a turn-off to many people because it has been associated with religious dogma and seems to be too old, outdated, and limiting to fit in a modern life. Many people who consider themselves spiritual but not religious\u00a0have rejected the idea of prayer for this reason.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But I maintain that prayer is an act of communication that can be performed by anyone with or without religious beliefs. In fact, setting aside a special time every day for quiet contemplation can take your spiritual practice to the next level, bring peace and joy into your life, and help you stay focused on the other goals you want to accomplish. Even if you are not sure you believe in God you can still benefit from a daily practice of intentional solitude.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Furthermore, prayer may be even more beneficial when it is removed from a religious setting to become a private, personal act that is spontaneous and not rehearsed or memorized. Even Jesus admonished his followers to \u201cgo into a closet\u201d to pray, rather than pray in public to win the admiration of others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why pray?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Sufi poet Rumi wrote: \u201cWhen the world pushes you to your knees, you are in the perfect position to pray<\/strong>.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0This is certainly a time in our planet\u2019s history when we have been \u201cpushed to our knees\u201d in many ways. The global pandemic and unstable worldwide economy are certainly threats to our survival, along with drastic climate change that is altering the planet itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The word \u201cprayer\u201d comes from a root word that means \u201cto ask\u201d and is also the root for the word \u201cprecarious.\u201d So prayer, in a sense, means to ask for help in precarious times<\/strong>, which is precisely why it is an appropriate practice for today. Pray because it will help you connect with others in the world who are suffering; pray because it will help you tap into the energy of all of life for sustenance and growth; pray because it is an intentional act of goodness that far exceeds doing nothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to pray?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

While there is no shortage of issues to consider during a time of prayer, you may feel uncertain about how to actually pray. Here are some pointers for beginning your own practice of prayer:<\/p>\n\n\n\n