The Power of Prayer
“I have come to drag you out of yourself and take you into my heart. I have come to bring out the beauty you never knew you had, and lift you like a prayer to the sky.” ~ Rumi
In the quiet of the morning, before the world awakens, I embark on a sacred ritual: a prayer that breathes life into my day and into every relationship that comes my way. With each mindful inhalation, I send memories of vitality coursing through my entire being. I touch my toes with the essence of my breath and greet every facet of my body with reverence.
And then, I pray.
I begin by extending loving kindness to myself - to the soul named Annette who embraces the beauty and limitless potential within all that exists. My prayer unfolds as follows:
"Dear God, please empower Annette, this sentient being, to embody the boundless beauty and potential she holds so dear. Let her authenticity, wakefulness, and vitality shine."
The term "God," devoid of cultural or religious bias, represents the Cosmic and Divine Laws that govern the universe. It signifies, not some small interpretation of fear and anger, but a fundamental truth: our true essence is freedom, peace, love, and happiness, and, when we honor the universal principles governing all forms and formlessness, our essence expands.
This truth unites us all as the Source of Absolute Reality.
And, so, I embrace this profound connection to the reality unfolding within and around me. However, it took time to liberate myself from external interpretations and recognize my innate connection to life's origin, where the thought "I am" arises.
The prayer continues:
"May she be happy" (I feel happiness swell)." May she be healthy" (I envision my resilient body post-workout)." May she awaken and be liberated from all suffering" (I manifest the sanctuary of my most cherished place).
Next, I extend my prayers to my loved ones and friends, invoking treasured memories of their struggles and the serenity of inner peace and to the families of souls taken or lost (which I name) - that they are healed from confusion and suffering.
And, then, I extend this prayer to my students and teachers:
"For those in the past, present, and future, may they find happiness, health, awakening, and relief from all suffering."
I summon vivid memories of students' faces - their smiles and dancing reflections - and the profound joy of learning from them. And once more, I expand my heart, sending loving kindness to the world:
"To all sentient beings, may they find happiness, health, awakening, and relief from all suffering."
And next I ask for forgiveness, but before I do, “I forgive all those that have harmed me, knowing and unknowingly, and I asked that I be forgiven by those I have harmed knowingly and unknowingly.”
This intention challenges moments of betrayal and deep pain through my body, allows it to flow through me, and activates the regenerative quality of the awareness of my inevitable sins - the moments when my words and actions just missed the mark and the lack of awareness that channeled their harm. Forgiveness is sticky, not for the mind, but for the heart and soma - not for justice, but mercy.
And, lastly, I give thanks for this bountiful life - this body, though imperfect, that communes to bring me life - the effort and generosity that brings the comfort of this bed, that toilet waiting in the next room, that cup of coffee steaming, these feet walking, these thoughts connecting and so on …
In this prayer, I request nothing for myself.
Although I ask for the empowerment of this person, it's a prayer not just for Annette but for all the souls I encounter on this journey, those who also hold a prayer for me, and those who know not yet that we have met.
Prayer is an intention and a process.
My former students may recognize the ascension and dimensions of Love: awakened through connection, expanded through agreement, illuminated through friendship, liberated with forgiveness, and acknowledged through the realization of our shared humanity.
At times, we may not align, arriving pre-kindled by anger or apathy, untouched by honor or clarity. We may come burdened with anxiety or unforgiving pasts. But sometimes - sometimes when we show up as our True Selves, as souls emanating love - we ignite the world.
We are tasked to join our hands in prayer, not to an idol or an idea of God or Love, but to the Source of its spell, to the awareness that reminds us we have never been alone nor without the power to be that from which we come.