Prayer does not look or sound the same to everyone . Prayer can be as inventive and varied as there are people who pray . While folding your hands , closing your eyes , and bowing your head might work for some people , there are so many more ways to participate in prayer .
Get Physical : Try praying in a different way by manipulating your body differently . Instead of folding your hands , try praying with open hands and palms facing upward ; try holding something like a stone or stuffed animal in your hands ; try lying down or dancing or running while you pray ; experiment with water and run your hands through a basin of warm water , or cold water , or even your hair , as you remember your Baptism in prayer . Get creative — do something different with your body while you pray .
Get Outside Of Your Head : Praying is not about being good with words , or keeping a certain pace , or making the prayer beautiful : prayer is simply about being with God and listening for God ’ s call on your life . There is nothing off-limits when it comes to what you can pray about . If you find yourself enjoying a sunset or work of art , give thanks to God in prayer ; if you find yourself stressed at work or school , take a moment to pray ; if you are unsure about the future , take some time to pray . Your prayer does not have to be planned , it does not have to follow a certain structure or cover certain topics — your prayer just needs to be honest and genuine .
Get Exploring : Sometimes picking a certain time or place can create the right atmosphere for beginning prayer ; and , sometimes , that can make prayer unsurprising and more stale than prayerful . If you find yourself in this rut , pick a new place to go for prayer ; pick a new time to pray ; pick a new person or group of people with whom you might pray . Get out into the world and pray in God ’ s creation where you ’ ve never prayed before . Sometimes , this can be a fun activity , like if you and your family decide you want to go on a hike and pray at the summit of a hill . Prayer then becomes a destination .