Praying With Body and Soul: A Way to Intimacy With God

By Jane E. Vennard

Book Overview

Praying with Body and Soul involves the whole person: our senses, our bodies at rest or in motion, our imaginations, as well as our minds and emotions. By paying prayerful attention to the body people will not only recognize the ways in which they already pray, but will learn how to deepen their relationship with God. Each chapter includes questions for reflection, and practical exercises, such as drawing, walking meditation, fasting, making music, dancing, and praying in sickness and disability. This guide to prayer can be used by individuals, prayer partners, and small groups.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0806636149
• ISBN13: 9780806636146
• Release Date: October 1998
• Publisher: Fortress Press
• Length: 144 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 6.0" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

SO helpful!

I'm beginning to share dance with my congregation by leading (college) students in movement worship sessions- each week, I'm finding great activities and resources to add to our meetings! This book is set up to work as a group guide, but can also be great pieced together in a different order, or for personal study. It's got lots of great ideas, and addresses many related topics that enrich the movement-worship experience. Suitable for beginners or those who are already comfortable with moving for God :) Playful and very smart.

Embodied Prayer

Jane E. Vennard, a gifted teacher and retreat leader, offers a practical guide to many forms of prayer. Drawing on her own journey and the richness of religious traditions, she is grounded in her own experience as a Christian and open to the diverse experiences of others. Out of that journey she notes "My prayer now includes silence and stillness, movement and imagination, sensuality and sexuality, laughter and play, work, service, and the struggle for justice." The book is organized as an exploration of these themes. For her "prayer has become . . . the practice of bringing all of who I have been, all of who I am, and all of who I am becoming into relationship with God. When I bring all of myself to God, I am praying with body and soul." Vennard is careful to define how she uses terms like 'spirituality' and 'prayer". Much of her writing is in the form of stories and reflections from persons she has interviewed. The book includes a Group Study Guide and each chapter concludes with activities for reflection and discussion. This is a book that is helpful for individuals and for use in groups. Our congregation has been led by Vennard in retreats and through her books and find her leadership outstanding.