Insanity Prayer Workout

For those who appreciate working out in the gym, whether they call themselves work out junkies or just the casual gym goers, and for that matter those who cannot work out for whatever reason-- I want to suggest a prayer work out.
Like working out in the gym, be it weights, aerobics, martial arts, or boxing--flexing the muscles is a good thing. For those who think that going to Church once per week on Sunday is all you need, I want to suggest that working out in the gym only once per week gives only a casual respect for the regiment needed to gain muscle, and strengthen the core body.
Some folks have a three day regiment, some four days, some five, and some do six days.
In order to grow the spirit, and tighten those soul muscles, we perhaps need a higher regiment, especially when we come across atheists and members of other religions who question our beautiful Catholic faith, and when we sometimes cannot or not able to answer their questions in our own religion.
I also want to suggest that life throws us curve balls all the time--in sickness and in health--we need a prayer life to strengthen us when we face adversity--like in sports--our favorite teams go through adversity.
Growing the soul muscles, like working out in the gym, takes dedication, desire to get better, and a commitment to accomplish goals.
Setting goals, and achieving goals sets us on a path for a healthy body, mind, soul, and spirit.
I began my Insanity Prayer Workout in 1993, and it grew to what it is now--a daily prayer work out from 35 to sometimes 50 minutes depending what season it is--Advent, Lent, Easter, or Ordinary Time. My time also varies whether I attend a daily Mass.
But I stick to my Insanity Prayer Workout on a daily basis.
Beginners, like gym work outs, will need to start slow, and build up to prevent burn outs, and soul muscle soreness.
I sometimes viewed gym goers do too much the first day, then never returned. A one day full work out does more harm than good.
We begin:
Like working out at the gym, we need proper materials. For the gym, we need clothes, weight gloves, prober gym shoes, ect. For Insanity Prayer, we need a spiritual guide book--I use the Roman Missal, a devotional prayer book consisting of novenas, a Catholic Bible, and a good Rosary.
We start with breathing exercises.
Breath in the first syllable of YHWH ( spelled Yahweh ), and breath out the second syllable. The Israelites never pronounced the Holy Name of God--they breathed it--"Yahweh God shaped man from the soil of the ground and blew the breath of life into his nostrils, and man became a living being." Gn 2: 7.¹ That would be you and me.
So it would be--Presence of ( breath in ) YH, ( and breath out ) WH.
The spirit or our angel then will guide us. I like to read from the Bible, Psalms 70, 42,43, and the liturgical Psalm of the day. Beginners probably need only read Psalm 70 or perhaps a Psalm they find presents meaning for them. Then the liturgical readings of the day--which after a period of time maybe weeks--you'll find fascinating. Then the Rosary of the day.
Some folks will find their angel guiding them from day to day to a better more prayerful experience.
As the soul grows healthier, we will be enriched with grace, and be in conversation daily with our Guardien Angel. You may desire to give your angel a name for conversational purposes--but be advised the name should end in an 'el'.
Daily prayer yields things throughout the day, that I found surprising and enriching. Something in my liturgical reading would pop up occasionally at work in which I had a response to or was able to assist someone who was grieving or had a certain problem, thus my prayer ran through the day in experiencing life.
Forming a daily prayer routine strengthens us. There are those times in life when we encounter those who are sick, with cancer, other illnesses that need help.
Illness can also be a form of prayer--reducing time spent in purgatory for sins past.
In what we do, we can set goals and achieve goals of prayer for us, our loved ones, for those who are suffering here on earth, and for those in purgatory.
Prayer is never wasted time--only being idle is.
Pray for me, and I'll pray for you.
Amen.

¹ The New Jerusalem Bible