The question about prayer however, is most daunting. Perhaps I know more about what prayer is not. Prayer is not prayer if it is directed against someone else different than you. It is not prayer if you use it to support your opinion that you are better than someone else. It is not prayer if you condemn a nation, or a people because they worship differently than you do. It is not prayer if you think the god you pray to cares about whether you win a football game. Prayer is not to help your local small self seek revenge, have a cushy life or wish people sharing this planet did not exist.

Prayer is a way to open your heart to Something Greater Than Yourself. It is an effort to quiet the mind, and allow yourself to be nourished by the flow of your breath meeting the Breath that supports the world. The biggest obstacle for me and many other people I work with is simply that: to quiet the mind. We live in a sound bite culture with the expressed aim goal to divide our attention so we can be more easily manipulated to be dutiful consumers. The endpoint of prayer, as well as meditation is to find that Stillpoint within. From that point flows peace, nourishment and a remembrance of our potential as human beings.