"What we do with our bodies affects our souls, and what we do with our souls affects our bodies."
- Tony Jones from The Sacred Way
What is body prayer?
A body prayer is a prayer using your body to commune with God. Sounds pretty straight-forward - right?! This prayer is done typically without words, though of course there is no right or wrong way to pray with your body.
As Tony Jones in his book The Sacred Way affirms, bodily positions have been used in prayer since early biblical times. Common forms are "Spreading the Palms," "Bending Over, Stooping, Kneeling," and "Prostration" (173-174). When I see these forms listed, I'm immediately reminded of the leper who prostrated himself on the ground before Jesus in worship and displayed his sincere gratitude for his healing through his body (Luke 17).
Christian theology makes it clear there is a mysterious connection between our bodies and God. 1 Corinthians 6:19 tells us that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. That's pretty crazy and awesome! And over the centuries, Christians have been partaking in this bodily connection with the Divine through the sacraments. When we partake in communion and baptism, we are using our bodies as an outward sign of an inward and spiritual grace (Martin Luther, et. al.).
Body prayer is a way of embracing this mysterious and wonderful connection with the Creator. One person who did the body prayer in my Spiritual Thanksgiving Challenge messaged me that they actually had a miraculous healing while participating in it! And my husband, just the other night, recounted how he had encountered body shame earlier that day but was overcome with gratitude for his body during body prayer.
Now I can't promise you'll encounter a miraculous healing while you do it, but I can promise that you can experience God in profound ways through your body. So what are you waiting for?
A body prayer is a prayer using your body to commune with God. Sounds pretty straight-forward - right?! This prayer is done typically without words, though of course there is no right or wrong way to pray with your body.
As Tony Jones in his book The Sacred Way affirms, bodily positions have been used in prayer since early biblical times. Common forms are "Spreading the Palms," "Bending Over, Stooping, Kneeling," and "Prostration" (173-174). When I see these forms listed, I'm immediately reminded of the leper who prostrated himself on the ground before Jesus in worship and displayed his sincere gratitude for his healing through his body (Luke 17).
Christian theology makes it clear there is a mysterious connection between our bodies and God. 1 Corinthians 6:19 tells us that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. That's pretty crazy and awesome! And over the centuries, Christians have been partaking in this bodily connection with the Divine through the sacraments. When we partake in communion and baptism, we are using our bodies as an outward sign of an inward and spiritual grace (Martin Luther, et. al.).
Body prayer is a way of embracing this mysterious and wonderful connection with the Creator. One person who did the body prayer in my Spiritual Thanksgiving Challenge messaged me that they actually had a miraculous healing while participating in it! And my husband, just the other night, recounted how he had encountered body shame earlier that day but was overcome with gratitude for his body during body prayer.
Now I can't promise you'll encounter a miraculous healing while you do it, but I can promise that you can experience God in profound ways through your body. So what are you waiting for?
Steps for the Body Prayer
1. Find a quiet location of your choosing.
2. Ask the Holy Spirit to open your heart and your mind to experience God through your body.
3. Read 1 Corinthians 6:19-20. Reflect: How does this truth change the way you think about your body?
4. Do a body check-in. Close your eyes and notice how your body is situated. Explore the sensation in your toes, ankles, calves, knees, etc. and work upwards to your head, asking yourself if you are holding tension anywhere, what your body might be communicating to you through that tension, and releasing the tension.
5. Pray a body prayer. Follow these steps for the Lotus body prayer. (If you're inspired to go rogue and make up your own, that's great too!)
(I also wrote another body prayer here if you'd like to try a different one)
1. Find a quiet location of your choosing.
2. Ask the Holy Spirit to open your heart and your mind to experience God through your body.
3. Read 1 Corinthians 6:19-20. Reflect: How does this truth change the way you think about your body?
4. Do a body check-in. Close your eyes and notice how your body is situated. Explore the sensation in your toes, ankles, calves, knees, etc. and work upwards to your head, asking yourself if you are holding tension anywhere, what your body might be communicating to you through that tension, and releasing the tension.
5. Pray a body prayer. Follow these steps for the Lotus body prayer. (If you're inspired to go rogue and make up your own, that's great too!)
- Stand in an upright position with your hands gently by your side
- Fold forward keeping your legs mostly straight, with your hands dangling towards your feet
- Gently stand up, raising your arms straight up towards the sky, looking upward
- Open your arms wide
- Bring your arms into a prayer position by your chest, with thumbs touching your chest
- End with 2 deep breaths
(I also wrote another body prayer here if you'd like to try a different one)
Enjoyed this practice and want to try others?
Take the Spiritual Thanksgiving Challenge and receive how-to steps for 7 different spiritual practices.
Take the Spiritual Thanksgiving Challenge and receive how-to steps for 7 different spiritual practices.
Reference:
Jones, Tony. The Sacred Way: Spiritual Practices for Everyday Life. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2005.
Jones, Tony. The Sacred Way: Spiritual Practices for Everyday Life. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2005.