http://www.spirithome.com/prayer_3.html#positions
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People pray in many physical positions. For instance :
- prostrate, laying flat on the floor, face down, with hands stretched out;
- standing, hands raised and spread, palms up, looking upward;
- sitting, head bowed, eyes closed, hands folded (the most common position today);
- kneeling, head bowed, hands folded;
- kneeling, head to the ground, hands face down on ground next to head;
- standing, eyes forward, facing the altar;
- sitting in lotus position, eyes closed, hands in front, palms up;
- slow leisurely walking (or sitting), eyes open, in a place where one can safely pay very little attention to where one is going.
Each of these positions (and others) can be done for any kind of praying, but each has special meaning for different kinds of prayer. Standing (1 Samuel 1:26) with hands raised is typical of praise, celebrative prayer, and thanks-giving. Kneeling (Ezra 9:5) and prostration (Joshua 7:6) show humility and recognition of a superior, and thus are especially well-suited to prayers of confession, repentance, or awe. (If you're someone who bows to noone, please consider praying while laying prostrate. In public. With everyone watching.) Slow wandering and lotus-sitting are especially good for meditational prayer and for quieting yourself so you can listen. Standing facing the altar (1 Kings 8:22) is part of an act of worship with other people who are also worshipping. Other positions have been used, too; for example, Elijah crouched low to the ground (1 Kings 18:42) and put his face between his knees. (He must've been a prayer contortionist.) The Bible doesn't mention arm gestures in prayer except the raising of hands; however, starting at least by 800 AD, some devout Jews have been known to sway while studying the Torah, chanting Psalms, or praying. Christians praying together are known to link hands and raise them together.
These positions can help you pray right, by getting your body into (or, sometimes, out of the way of) your prayers, and as a way to express what the prayer is for. Prayer is done with your whole self, and the body is part of that. But the body positions themselves are unimportant to God, who has seen them all before and has seen liars and fools use them all. They are useful to know for your own benefit. The key is that you are having a living response with God, speaking and listening. Whatever position your body is in, God is still paying attention. And that is ultimately what counts.
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I've always felt the position of the heart, is more important than that of the body.
-Wolfy
