Yawning during prayer

[WhiteTiger2999]

Do y'all think this could be some sort of an attack from satan?

Umm lol good thought, I always like to think that whenever I can not concentrate on anything that deals with praying, or being attentive during my church liturgy is the work of the Devil. He will always try and tempt us or distract us from prayer because he is initialy jealous that we pray and seek God, and seek to love God. I never found it hard to pray, though sometimes my mind does wander but rarely. I found that if i rock my upper body slowly first then quicker if i start to get distracted it helps keep my concentration on my praying, also as well as closing my eyes and more than often if not always i pray mentaly not outloud. However, i guess you could say the odd thing that happens to me is mostly in church, for some reason the veins on my left hand always pop out more than usual, sometimes the one on my right hand pop out too, but its mostly my left hand.

 

[King of the Nations]

Do y'all think this could be some sort of an attack from satan?

Michelle, your sense of humor is so hard to figure out...



Greg

 

[King of the Nations]

Alright, I am out of ideas on how to stop this - but each time I pray out loud, I yawn repeatedly. I have tried to stop it by adjusting my breathing, or taking a few minutes to focus before opening my mouth, or forcing a yawn before praying, and nothing works.

Does anyone else have this problem? Any tips on how to stop it from happening?

Geo, if you think this is bad, who was it (Therese of Avila, or Therese of Lisieux?) that fell asleep all the time when she went to visit Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament? No matter how hard she tried, she just couldnt avoid falling asleep right there in front of Him. Perhaps some consolation...

Greg

 

[kamikat]

Do y'all think this could be some sort of an attack from satan?

When I first became a Christian, I was told that Satan would try to distract me from praying or reading the bible by making me tired. He hates anything that brings us closer to God. It is possible that this is one of Satan's distractions.

kamikat

 

[geocajun]

wow, I had no idea this was so common - at least I feel like I am in good company now

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone!

 

[WhiteTiger2999]

lol youd be amazed at how many people find it hard to concentrate or truely devote themselves fully to prayer without distraction.

 

[Photini]

wow, I had no idea this was so common - at least I feel like I am in good company now

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone!

I have the yawning problem too.....along with sudden itches in hard places to reach....an unusual ability to hear every little noise in the house at the time of prayer....or a contact that folds up and threatens to fall out of my eye...etc etc etc. Not really sure how to overcome these things except just weather through them.

 

[boughtwithaprice]

I dont worry about yawning. I never felt the urge to yawn when I was in rebellion going after God on my own, but when I came back to the Catholic church and began to pray, I started to yawn, while at the same time a sense of peace came about me, like I am resting at home in my mother's arms. I do not worry about it, and it happens so frequently that I think something is wrong if I do not yawn. When I pray the Little Office or the Rosary; I feel a sense of peace as if Mary is present. Maybe I am just whacked

I thought that I was the only weird one that this happens to

 

[DivineFiliation]

wow, I had no idea this was so common - at least I feel like I am in good company now

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone!

I appreciate the suggestions too...

... thought I'd poke my head in to offer my 2 cents worth (I've been so busy at work that I haven't had time to post here at OBOB).

Geocajun, thanks for posting this thread (as I'm typing this I'm yawning. lol).

I noticed that my husband and I would do our nightly prayers and start yawning, then he would start rubbing his eyes. Basically, what I decided to do is just stop. The way I think about it is if I am in an important meeting at work, I would not do the yawn/talk thing to someone because it is rude. I take a moment, yawn quietly, excuse myself and then continue. That is what I do when I am praying.

I have no idea why this happens but it does bother me. Now when we yawn, at least we'll think about eachother.