'Prayer - where to start and how to keep going' email reflections

There is no right way of praying. There are just the ways that are right for you. But there is also the great heritage of praying that we can learn from and explore.
The Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell

Read more about the reflections

It's the simplest thing in the world, yet it can seem so difficult. It's as natural as breathing, yet it's hard to find the right words. Just how do you learn to pray?

This short reflection series considers ten basic questions about prayer and offers simple helps for making prayer a part of everyday life. These include:

What prayer is;
When and where to pray;
Whether words are always needed;
What to do when prayer seems impossible;
Praying alone and with others.

No one ever becomes an expert in prayer, but this series sets out to help you become more open to God's presence, which is the heart of prayer. It draws on the wisdom of Christians across the ages and offers a selection of easily-memorised favourite prayers to encourage you as you journey into prayer.

This guide is adapted from a larger book first published as Praying Through Life and reissued as How to Pray.

The email reflections have now finished, but you can still sign up to our general email list for future reflection emails.

Black headphones placed on a yellow table.

Subscribe to the podcast

Audio versions of the reflections are available on your favourite podcasting platform

Subscribe

A mockup of the book "Prayer - where to start and how to keep going" by Stephen Cottrell.

Purchase the book

The full book from Church House Publishing is available for use throughout the year

Purchase

Special programmes exploring Prayer on BBC Radio 4

Themes of Prayer: Where to Start and How to Keep Going was broadcast between 19 to 30 April each day on the BBC Radio 4 Daily Service. You can listen back to these broadcasts on the BBC Radio 4 Daily Service website.

How to Pray was broadcast on Sunday 9 May from 8:10 am on the BBC Radio 4 Sunday Worship.