How to Pray

Considerations from Saint Augustine and Saint Ignatius 

Like we do with many things, our world often complicates the practice of prayer. 

Am I doing it right? Am I doing it enough? Is there a correct way to pray? 

Throughout my life and the lives of my family and friends, I’ve heard this conversation time and time again. There’s a narrative within some church walls and throughout society that to be considered a Christian, or spiritual, or even someone of faith, you have to pray in a specific way. 

It is my belief that in our human attempt to perfectionize prayer, a practice that cannot be perfectionized, we miss and rob ourselves of the beautiful connection between us and the Divine that prayer fosters and strengthens. 

While I title this blog, “How to Pray,” this title is a misnomer. There is no rulebook for how to implement prayer into your life, and there is certainly not a right way to do it. However, I do hope to offer you gentle ways to notice God, cultivate His presence, and deepen your connection to Him and the Divine. 

First, I offer you two spiritual practices and ways of praying that I have found beneficial in my own life, Augustinian and Ignatian ways of praying. Each of these are rooted in the Catholic tradition, but these guideposts are for each of you, regardless of where you are or what denomination guides your spiritual journey. 

Then, because while there is no right way to pray, it can be helpful to envision what prayer could look like in your own life if you choose, I offer you a few prayers that I use to ground and guide my own spiritual journey. 

All of these practices are invitations about how to welcome the Divine further into your life, if that is what you seek. These are not expectations. You do not need to do them perfectly because there is no perfect prayer. You do not need to feel anything specific. Simply begin where you are.

Exactly where you are now is more than enough to begin your practice. 

Augustinian vs Ignatian Way of Praying

Augustinian Prayer 

Saint Augustine was a teacher turned bishop in North Africa who focused his life on deep contemplation and separation from worldly concerns and desires. An avid traveler and writer, Saint Augustine traveled to North African church councils almost 50 times and wrote over 200 books and nearly 1,000 sermons, letters, and other works during his time as a bishop. Across these works, he outlines a way of prayer that invites us to step outside of the noise of life to reflect quietly and meditatively with God. 

Saint Augustine once wrote that God is closer to us than we are to ourselves; Christ is our teacher within. Through God, rather than earthly circumstances, he writes, is where we can find true peace, happiness, and consolation. As such, the Augustinian approach emphasizes that prayer offers us the opportunity to reflect on and listen to the messages that we hear as we allow God to shape and change us. You can pray for anything, but the Augustinian approach highlights that fleeting, worldly excitement cannot provide the deep fulfillment and gentle rest that God can. Prayer is not only about hearing a message, but a time for contemplation and reflection.   

Ignatian Prayer 

Saint Ignatius, a former soldier who founded the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) following an accident that shattered his leg, offers a prayer practice defined by “Finding God in All Things.” God, he offers, is present not only in holy and sacred places, but in our daily lives. God can be found in the sometimes mundane routine of working a 9-5, at a coffee shop, at the movies, and, as I often tell my daughters, in the shopping mall when you desperately need a new pair of jeans that fit just right! 

Ignatian prayer, like Augustinian prayer, is grounded in a gentle meditation. Rather than escaping the noise of the world, Ignatian prayer invites us to use our imagination to engage in prayer with God wherever we are. In Ignatian prayer, we are asked not only to read scripture, but to imagine ourselves as participants in the story. What do you see? What do you touch and smell? What would you do and what role would you play if you were walking in these stories? Ignatian prayer invites us to consider these questions as we read God’s word. 

Ignatian prayer also calls us to reflect on our day and where we feel God’s presence through the practice of the Daily Examen. The Daily Examen asks us to review when we were aware of God’s presence throughout the day, to give thanks for the day we had, to pay attention to our emotions that came up throughout the day, to focus on one part of our day to direct prayer to, and to look forward to tomorrow. Through this practice, Saint Ignatius believed that we can become even better listeners to what God is revealing through our lives as we discern His word and the beauty found within our daily lives.  

Prayers to Guide Your Spiritual Journey

My own prayer practice is reflective of both the Augustinian and Ignatian ways of praying. Here are a few of the prayer practices that guide my spiritual life and help me to notice God’s presence amidst the noise of the world. I invite you to take what you need, leave what does not speak to you, and to add anything that you feel is missing for your own spiritual journey. 

Remember, there is no right way to pray. These are only ideas to jumpstart your own, personal journey with God and/or the Divine.

1. Noticing God in Your Day

At the end of the day, pause for a few quiet moments. Gently look back without judgment. Notice when you felt most like yourself or at ease, and when things felt heavy. Ask, “Where might God have been present?” Simply notice what arises.

2. Breath Prayer

As you inhale, silently say, “God is with me.” As you exhale, say, “I am held.” Let your breath guide you. Gently return when your mind wanders.

3. Sitting in Silence

Sit quietly for a few minutes. You don’t need to say anything or do anything. Imagine yourself simply being with God. I often envision God wrapping me in a protective, warm hug. 

4. Body Awareness Prayer

Notice where you feel tension or ease in your body. Place your hand there and say, “God, be with me here.”

5. Walking Prayer

Walk slowly and notice your surroundings. Pair steps with “Here” and “Now.” Notice God’s beauty in the grass, trees, flowers, and other nature that surrounds you. 

6. Noticing Beauty

Pause and notice something beautiful. Perhaps this is a painting in a coffee shop, a friendly conversation with a stranger, a great song playing on the radio. Let it be a doorway into presence.

7. Naming What Is True

Name what you are truly feeling. Offer it honestly: “I feel overwhelmed,” or “I feel calm.” Let truth be your prayer.

8. Naming Resistance

Notice where you feel distant, guarded, or resistant. Gently ask, “What is this trying to tell me?”

9. Compassion Toward Self

Notice how you speak to yourself. Gently shift toward kindness. Imagine God speaking to you with compassion.

10. Holding Both Joy and Pain

Notice where both joy and difficulty exist at the same time. Allow both to be present without needing to resolve them.

11. Letting Go Prayer

Write down what you are holding. Say, “I don’t have to carry this alone.” Imagine physically passing your burden to God. 

12. Evening Release

Before bed, say, “I release this day.” Let go of what you are still holding as you gently inhale and exhale.

13. Sitting With a Question

Bring a question to God without needing an answer. Say, “God, I trust your presence in the unknown.” When and if your mind demands an answer, repeat your prayer as a meditation. 

14. Trusting the Next Step

Instead of figuring everything out, ask, “What is one small step toward life or peace?” Take that step and imagine holding God’s hand as you walk in trust. 

15. Honest Conversation with God

Speak freely, as you would to someone who loves you. State your fears, your worries, and your anxiety without feeling the need to offer anything more.

16. Listening Prayer

Ask, “God, what might you want me to notice?” Sit and listen without pressure. Consider what patterns arise as you continue in this prayer practice. 

17. Sitting With God, No Words Needed

Imagine sitting beside God without conversation, like you would with a close friend on a park bench. No words. Just presence, comfortable silence, and being.

18. Remembering a Moment of Love

Recall a moment you felt loved. Sit with that feeling. Notice if God feels present there.

19. Morning Intention

Begin your day by asking, “What would it look like to move through today with awareness of God?” Ponder this question throughout your day and notice where you feel that awareness. 

20. Gratitude Without Pressure

Ask, “What felt even 1% good today?” Reflect on the smallest moments of your day in gratitude. Release the rest as you let small moments be enough.

A Closing Invitation

These practices are not about doing more. They are about noticing more. Noticing where God may already be present. Noticing what is true within you. Noticing what feels life-giving, even in small ways.

Everything you are and want to be is already within you, exactly as you are.