In training to teach Kundalini Global, as part of their exploration of diversifying the yoga class, and in being open-minded and inclusive in their approach to all religious and spiritual belief systems, teachers individually work to consider the role of prayer in yoga.
To bring prayer into the room, either in posture or as a stand-alone feature, is interesting. Prayer has the potential to be a somewhat divisive topic, and it can be, for those who practice, a deeply personal, and even secret, undertaking.
Our thoughts and belief system around prayer can be deeply imbedded in monotheism, and in a concept many of us inherit that we were made by God and, in prayer, are asking… or begging… that God for some help.
This is not, necessarily, how Kundalini Global would frame prayer. Carolyn Cowan’s excellent Prayer Workshop explores 5 of many ways in which one may pray.
More is on the way on this topic and it is one we are keen to open up discussion on.
In using prayer within the practice, Kundalini Global aims to be inclusive, to make it sacred and worshipful. It is a practice that is about connecting and also allowing the individual to develop a deep and meaningful relationship to their own version of the Divine.
Why Pray?
Many think of prayer relative to its potential healing, or transformative, powers. Religious traditions across the world display beliefs in healing through prayer.
When it comes to the ‘why’ of prayer, those with a more pragmatic mindset may be interested in that the healing powers of prayer have been examined in many randomised controlled trials.
You can read about the findings and implications of several studies of the potential impact of prayer in an extremely interesting article we link below.
This scientific article illustrates study into the power of prayer in which the outcomes were favourable, in terms of prayer seeming to make positive change in the lives of participants, as with one trial cited of prayers for fertility.
It also brings in trials where prayer had little impact, as with one trial of prayer for those at high risk of heath cardiovascular events, where prayer had no significant outcome for patients.
Finally, it cites studies where prayer had, in the analysis of results, negative outcomes.
Fascinating stuff. But perhaps not something one can draw any satisfactory conclusions from.
Read the article here:
Prayer and healing: A medical and scientific perspective on randomized controlled trials
There is much more to prayer than this…
One of the interesting parts of that scientific article is a series of questions asked in discussion of how, in invoking prayer, researchers invite troublesome questions about the importance of several theosophical matters such as:
“Do the quantitative aspects of prayer influence outcomes? Quantity refers to the number of prayers, the frequency of the prayers and the duration of the prayers.”
“Are outcomes more likely to be favourable if the persons praying have greater belief that the outcome will be favourable, or greater faith or conviction in the deity at whom the prayer is directed?”
“Would the outcomes depend on the entity at whom the prayers are directed?”
“Might outcomes depend on the personal characteristics of the persons who pray; that is, their age, sex, income, religious denomination, position in the religious hierarchy, experience with and skills at praying and so on?”
This is just a sample from a longer list of questions that, the authors contend, may be unsettling to those who pray because of their theological implications, and also unsettling to scientists because they “…challenge the design, analysis and interpretation of randomized controlled trials of the efficacy of intercessory prayer.”
What the authors of this paper do not state, is that all of their discussion relies on prayer being in the form of asking. Asking, or begging, God, or an external Divine force, to intervene.
This is not the only way one can pray.
Listening, emanating, gratitude, work as prayer, 3rd eye praying… these are all form of prayer that Kundalini Global teachers are invited to explore, and individual teachers will bring it in differently to their classes and workshops.
A collaboration with The Divine?
The way in which we approach prayer, our mindset, and a potential move away from prayer as begging or asking, is an interesting idea.
A 2004 study on religious coping methods in the Journal of Health Psychology suggests that people view the Divine of their understanding more as a collaborator in their life had better mental- and physical-health outcomes. Those who were angry, feel punished or abandoned, by the Divine, and those who relinquish responsibility and defer to God for solutions, had worse outcomes.
Prayer is a huge topic, a fascination for many teachers of Kundalini Global, fuelled by how Carolyn Cowan opens up thought processes and individual explorations for our teachers.
We would love to know your thoughts on prayer within yoga. Its place. Its appropriateness. How you feel about the concept of coming to a yoga class to hear ‘Let us pray…’
And if you would like to explore how our teachers may work with prayer, find a teacher that appeals to you over on our teacher listings page:
