As a little boy, I was quite taken up by the idea of being a monk. Once I prayed to God with tears in my eyes,. I cried and prayed to God, let me become a monk in this life. So now, of course, you cannot do it artificially. You have to silence the sensory system and the motor organs. Death means unable to hear, dump means unable to speak. And the five senses, not hearing, not seeing, not smelling, not tasting, not touching.
"Do not pray for the fulfillment of your wishes, for they may not accord with the will of God. But pray as you have been taught, saying: Thy will be done in me (cf. Luke 22:42). Always entreat Him in this way - that His will be done. For He desires what is good and profitable for you, whereas you do not always ask for this." - Evagrius Ponticus.
Swami Sarvapriyananda speaks on Evagrius's teachings on prayer.