Quick Win: The power of a daily ritual with Susan Carland
May 15, 2024
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Susan Carland, a practising Muslim, talks about the power of daily prayer in her busy life. She discusses how prayer brings her peace and reflection, strengthening her relationship with herself. She explains the significance of the practice in Islam and its role in providing grounding and perspective amidst daily chaos.
Susan Carland, as a practicing Muslim, emphasizes the positive impact of praying five times a day. She highlights the discipline and focus it instills, comparing it to other beneficial routines like exercise. Through daily prayers, she gains a sense of clarity regarding her place in the world and a check on her personal alignment with her values and goals. The practice serves as a spiritual discipline that brings her peace and helps her stay grounded amidst life's chaos.
Physical and Mental Aspects of Prayer
Susan describes the physical and mental engagement during the prayer process, involving specific poses and reflective thoughts. She explains how prayer allows her whole self to participate in worship, promoting a holistic connection. Despite the challenges of maintaining focus during prayers, she acknowledges both the moments of deep emotional connection and the distractions common to human experiences. The ritualistic nature of praying at prescribed times offers Susan moments of stillness and perspective, especially during hectic periods, reinforcing her sense of identity beyond her work responsibilities.
How well do you know yourself? Pretty well, you’d think, given you spend all day everyday together! But… how much of that time is quality time, and how much of it is swallowed up by distraction?
As a practising Muslim, Susan Carland’s been praying five times a day, every day, for decades now. Aside from its religious component, Susan’s fallen in love with the ritualistic element of her daily prayer. As an incredibly busy academic, mother and media personality, her prayer times are often the only peaceful, reflective moments of her day.
And that dedicated time for reflection is something she treasures: it’s her most effective means of strengthening her relationship with herself.