Modern outlook has a Scientific bent of mind. Also with me, trying to see science in all our deeds. We are all Unique physically, as our finger-prints are exceptionally different. So must be our thinking.

Our Mind and Body are inter-related and inter-dependent. When we are stressed Mentally, our wish is to rest physically.  Similar is the act, when we have Body ache.  Looking at science, we know it proves physically or chemically. This requires our senses to guide us. Anything outside its purview falls under ‘Logic’, which is Developing science.

This mind when at rest gains energy. We call this ‘Dhyaan’ or Meditation. During this condition, our inner energy gets connected with the vast energy outside. The greater outer energy starts flowing into us. The process is called ‘Yog’ or joining two things. The door to the mind is through bodily activity and conditioning. The path is via our senses. So we use many Items (Yantra) in our Process (Tantra) to pacify our mind along with Words or Prayers (Mantra). The items awake and direct our senses towards a particular Goal. Thus Prayer is one form which helps in Yog. We are involved emotionally bounds by words which motivate us. This is ‘Bhakti Yog’(Refer: HUMAN as Body & Mind), where our Heart is totally impassioned into this action. As we are connected with the Society, our emotions (Bhaavnaa) are related to the bountiful beauty which conveys creation of GOD. Here our relations with Living and non-living objects play a great role in the prayer. So our Senses and Relations are part-n-parcel of our prayers. We now imagine beautiful GOD as related to us and always connected. Prayer is then a form of interaction with GOD.

A story as case-in-point:  A priest visited one village and discoursed on the greatness of Jesus Christ. After the talk, he had his food and went around the village before retiring for the night. In one of the hut, he pried upon a voice talking to someone – a child must be. On peeping through a window, he saw a person lovingly speaking to little ‘Krishna’ and put the idol to sleep. Next day, he left in the morning by boat. As he was almost in the middle of the river, he saw someone calling out and running towards the boat. When the person came near, he realized that it was the same person he had seen in the hut. Now the person asked him, “What was the name of the GOD you had mentioned last night?” The priest replied, “Please forget it, as you are well-off with ‘Krishna’”. The priest could not comprehend for the moment ‘that this person near the boat was floating upright on the water’!  Jesus had done so as per the Bible.

We know of many Saints, who have led groups into prayers and helped all with Miracles. The psychological power is achieved through ‘Bhakti Yog’. Our breath and senses help in attaining this condition. When our body stills into calm and composed posture, we then reach a point where energy increases in us. In our prayer, the breathing technique of ‘Hathayog’ is combined with words. We can breathe-in (inhale) and hold (kumbhak) and as we say our prayer, we must exhale. In ‘Praanaayam’(breathing technic-Yogaasan), exhaling intermittently is one process. At this moment, when we say our Prayers, the breath is regulated. The holding of breath helps in blood circulation through pressure and thus calms and regulates our system, even increases life span.  All the senses are combined together to get maximum inlet into the mind. So along with words we use an image (to eye), incense (to nose), lamp, flower, water, items which we could offer to a guest or teacher, rituals with pleasant music and even dance. The place could be a temple for a gathering. This could be compared with studies in a class where attentiveness is the utmost in the mind of all present in the congregation. The prayer could be a single sound of ‘AUM’ or repetition of words called ‘Bij Mantra’ as name (Jap) of GOD which appeals to the mind. The prayer can be extended to have a meaning which describes, praises and thanks the Lord by playing upon the emotion of a person. The prayer can be put to tune and sung which is memorized easily. This song can increase into a tempo and frenzy called “Utsav”(celebration) until converted to a trance. There can be action along with the words where things are added into the place of worship that helps in concentration. The process or method of prayer should not be forced on others. Similar to food, when forced on others, can harm one if it is not to ones liking. Forced food does not suit the body, so also forced prayer does not help in the Meditation. Body likes variety of food, so also Mind is attentive with different form of prayers.

All these methods instill a system which helps the person to get engrossed into the process and a constant methodical breathing takes place. If added action of Fasting is done, then all bodily activity is pointed towards the prayer without any other symptomatic problems. The fasting helps in continuous breathing where the time of gulping or intake of food does not stop the breath. The concentration can be farsighted thought in heaven, near at hand around us or within us into our Self. This is from outer (Baahirgat) to inner (Antargat) self. How intense has to be the Emotion in prayer – case in point: Two saints from ‘Bhakti Yog’. One was Guru (teacher) Ramakrishna Paramhamsa, who was a worshiper of Kali. The idol is very famous at Dakshineshwar, Kolkata. This saint relished Fish as his part of food. He had a great disciple named ‘Vivekananda’, who detested Image worship. Saint Vivekananda built a temple at Belurmath, Kolkata inculcating architecture from all over the world. The temple has only the image of Guru Ramakrishna Paramhamsa, revered emotionally as next to GOD. This emotion has to be so intense that Vivekananda could absolve himself of Fever once when Ramakrishna insisted on the method of praying. The first emotion of a human as a baby is Crying. If our prayers can draw this emotion out from within our self, we can go into that trance and point of Meditative state. This emotion is created from Faith.

This process of Prayer termed as ‘Bhakti Yog’ increases the inner energy of a person connected with the Society and deviates his mind from other vices at that moment involving one into a Good Karma. This is my personal view, based on practical experience and reading.

Emotional-mind when at rest gains energy by 'Bhakti Yog' as our inner energy gets connected with the vast energy outside