How to Pray Like a Yogi

In this post we discuss how to pray like a yogi in the kriya yoga tradition. Prayer is another one of those concepts and practices that is often considered old fashioned, but which is vitally important on the spiritual path. Dogmatic religions often implore us to pray, and may even encourage us to use specific words, but generally ignore the deeper metaphysical laws and mechanics of prayer.

Many spiritual seekers forsake prayer altogether because they were traumatized by dogmatic conceptualizations of God. The judgmental and wrathful version of God they grew up with is not someone they trust or want to know, much less pray to. Others have come to the realization that the essence of their being is one with God, so see little use in prayer.

However, prayer is the process by which we truly become one with god and become cocreators of our reality. Unscientific modes of prayer focus on the right words or calling God by the right name. The yogi on the other hand focuses first and foremost on engaging in effective meditation practices that clear and balance their subtle energy body and energize the upper energy centers of the third eye and crown.

Prayer done from an ordinary state of consciousness characterized by scattered attention and busy thoughts will generally speaking not be very effective. You have broadcast your request to the universe, but at a very low voltage. Moreover, your prayer is entangled in the currents of your other thoughts, many of which may actually contradict your stated prayer.

Prayer does not become effective and reliable until you clear and balance the lower energy center, open the heart, and energize the third eye and crown chakras. Once you are able to experience superconscious states that are clear, thoughtless, and one pointed your prayers will be much more effective.

The third eye is your multidimensional broadcaster and a receiver of energies. If you can’t yet enter into a superconscious state of awareness at will, try meditating before prayer to calm your mind. Then while in a calm or superconscious state of awareness, energize the third eye through intention and/or mantras such as “AUM” chanted silently at the third eye until it is energized and buzzing.

Now in a calm or superconscious state of awareness with the third eye lit up you begin to pray. With hands in the prayer mudra over your heart imagine a current of love and devotion moving from your heart up to your third eye and onward to the infinite creator. On that current of love and devotion you may send your prayer with thoughts directed at third eye, or simply express gratitude and thanks for what you already have. When your prayer is done you may say “AUM” or “AMEN” to end the prayer.

When we pray from this state of awareness in this way, the signal of our prayer is strong and undiluted by the cacophony of ordinary thoughts. The more self and god realized you become the more effective your prayer will become. Because the strength of the signal of your prayer will become more and more energized and have less far to go.

The perfection of self and god realization and prayer in general is to fully merge your individual will and mind with that of the infinite creator. Once perfected your will becomes one with the will of God, and the universe responds to your prayers as a direct commandment from the creator.

An example of a prayer I have said often over the years is as follows:

“Mother/Father God, I am yours and you are mine. I pray for complete liberation from maya, karma, and ego. Mother/Father God, I pray that you make this body an instrument of thy will in every thought action and deed. Mother/Father God, I am yours and you are mine. I pray that we might be one. Amen.” 

You may say this or any prayer you like, I tend to prefer prayers from the heart to those written by others.