Diverse Prayer Postures in Christianity: Empirical Indices of Body and Spirit Unification in Worship for the Production of Eudaemonia

Abstract

Life is collusion of physical and spiritual substances forming complete unbroken chain. This wholeness of being is determinant factor for healthy and prosperous relations between man and God and fellowman, which occur enigmatically in the realms of science and religion bound in history. Thus, communication with God involves varieties of relationships sealed in spiritual, ritualistic and empirical prayer enactments. Prayer in ancient worldviews was perceived purely as spiritual and soul activity with no significant attachment to observable psychosomatic and therapeutic efficacies associated with physical exercises. However, its art and science involves physical movements with isometric effects similar to medical prescription of psychotherapeutic and physiotherapeutic fitness, thus in its bio-diverse postures it possesses significant therapeutic implications for the holistic eudaemonia[1] of participants. The aim is to analyze the different attitudinal postures, periods of body movements and recitations in Christianity during private and public prayers to determine the formulation of doctrinal and health policies for the production of holistic wellbeing. The method employed is the qualitative and phenomenological involving interviews, observations and survey of extant source materials, while data analysis adopts the descriptive, historical and deductive approach. The findings revealed that the postures observed during congregational prayers take about 1-3 hours of 10 different mind, body and spirit exercises with significant implication for improving spiritual and physical health with more impact on the aging. The supposition is that worshippers who spend more time in congregational prayers are likely to achieve beneficent health conditions than those who do not pray at all or spend less time during private prayers. The word eudaemonia  is derived from the Geek εύδαιμονια meaning welfare or state of happiness. It is the combination of two Greek words eu (well or good) and daimon (spirit). The idea reflects an Aristotelian philosophy of life which supports the principle of general and personal wellbeing and the worth or quality of life in its lifted state often contrasted with the idea of hedonism which targets man’s pleasure or sensuality.