Kinesthetic Prayer is ultimately a prayer said without words and is simply felt. One could think of it as a dancing prayer, albeit a very simple and non-taxing dance. The goal of such a prayer is to attempt an interaction with God that is beyond language (something very difficult indeed!) We do not simply communicate with words, although we use words to describe everything. In fact, communication experts tell us that over 80% of our communication actually comes in our non-verbal facial expressions, tone of voice, and hand gestures. Kinesthetic prayer is, at first, explained with words, but with practice one could experience a kind of non-verbal prayer.
The best prayers are prayers without words—John Calvin
Guidelines
A Prayer for the Holy Spirit’s Illumination
God be in my mind—touch forehead
and in my mouth—touch mouth
and in my heart—touch heart
Be on my left hand—touch left side of chest
and on my right hand—touch right side of chest
May the words of our mouths—reach with outstretched hands
and the meditation of our hearts—touch heart
be acceptable in your sight—reach up with outstretched hands
in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit—make sign of cross
Amen.—Hands together
An All-Encompassing Prayer
We begin with our hands on our stomach—We remember our beginnings. We remember that God formed each one of us in our mother’s womb. God knew each of us from the very beginning
We touch our hearts—We remember that God lives in our hearts by faith. In our hearts are all the issues of life. In our hearts we feel brokenness, envy, apathy, but we also feel faith, hope, and love.
We touch our mouths—With our mouths we speak words of judgment and encouragement to others. We communicate to each other and to God. With out mouths we make promises, share our faith, sing our praise, and voice our concerns.
We touch our eyes—With our eyes we see the beauty around us. We see things differently with eyes of faith. We read God’s word with our eyes. We see the face of God in our neighbor and the coming of God’s kingdom in our neighborhood.
We touch our minds—With our minds we think and reason. With our minds we coordinate action and have a faith that seeks understanding. With our minds we meditate on God’s word.
We spread out our arms to embrace all of God’s creation—The Glory of the Lord is the fullness of the earth. We recognize that it is not just about us, that the non-human creation is loved, cared for, and sustained by God just as we are. We give God thanks for all of creation, and stretch out our hands to love, care, and sustain all we have been given dominion over. Let us exercise good dominion rather than bad.
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What anxieties, resistances, and joys arose in you during this prayer? What have you encountered that the Holy Spirit may be trying to prompt you to understand more fully? Ask further questions of your experience. If you are confused, ask why? If you are happy, distracted, sad, bored, joyful, anxious, ask why?
Write down or record in some way the insights that come. You may perhaps find more insights in finding new ways to move. How do these new movements feel like a prayer to you? How do they connect you to God?
Find yourself in the presence of God. Be authentically who you are with all of your questions, insights, and life situations. Communicate with God in your own way. Nothing done by you will shock, bore, or intimidate God. There is nothing you can do to make God run away.
Ask God for what you truly and deeply want. What you want most of all. It may be helpful to write it down. Then let your request go. Let it go into God’s hands. Now allow God to move, try and follow the movement of God’s hands even when you are not sure exactly what God is saying. Finally, attempt to discern what God may be asking of you.
