Im supposedly part of a religion (not saying which one) but am pretty agnostic, verging on atheist. i respect religion but do not believe in it. However, recently i have found myself having words with the big guy in the sky, and i feel calmer afterwards, but still dont really believe. so my question is, who here prays regularly, is it incorperated in your training and what effect do you think it has?

by the way i dont want to offend anyones belief

Well Im Eastern Orthodox Christian, i go to church probably every few months. Usually only for holidays. Easter is next week. Religion is really part of my life and doesn't really have an effect with me on training or dieting. I usually eat what Meat on fridays.

I have belief but dont attend church. The way I look at it is, if there is a God who can hear prayer, he'd probably be happy to hear from us and if it makes you feel better, have more peace and live a cleaner lifestyle.... great.

Many great boxers with religious beliefs have given inspirational performances. George Foreman, Evander Holyfield and Earnie Shavers are religious men.

I've never been really religious and I've never attended a church sermon, but I have always worn a cross (I'm Russian Orthodox) everywhere I go. To me, the cross is almost like a good-luck charm, a protector - I've noticed that when I don't wear it, I get sick more often, have bad days, etc. Never really tried the prayer thing, but the cross works for me.

im a catholic and i go 2 church most weeks, i'd say it helps me focus on boxing more and gives me more peace of mind

Oh man.. ok..

I'll admit.. i've prayed before a bout, it was the only thing I could think off to do. A few quiet words/beg. haha.

it can make you feel a bit better.

praying would have the opposite affect on me.. i hate thinking about anything to do with religion at the moment

praying would have the opposite affect on me.. i hate thinking about anything to do with religion at the moment

That's because Australia is a Godless country!!

You hethans!! Thank the Lord you were banished from Mother England!

haha **** off we have a god.. he's just playing in the IPL at the moment.. one shane warne

Don't believe in religion.

I have mixed feelings on religion.

Seeing is believing, how do you have faith in something
and put so much confidence in something that you arent
even sure that is there, there is no proof.

On the other hand, I despise anyone who talks bad
about God. Theres no proof that he exists, and theres
no proof that says he doesnt exist.

I'm pretty neutral on the situation, I have a belief that
religion is around to keep the world in order and bring
peace, if no one believed they would be punished in the
end for all of the sins they've commited, who knows
how chaotic the world would currently be.

haha **** off we have a god.. he's just playing in the IPL at the moment.. one shane warne

Praise the Lord!

Im supposedly part of a religion (not saying which one) but am pretty agnostic, verging on atheist. i respect religion but do not believe in it. However, recently i have found myself having words with the big guy in the sky, and i feel calmer afterwards, but still dont really believe. so my question is, who here prays regularly, is it incorperated in your training and what effect do you think it has?

by the way i dont want to offend anyones belief

Wen i was 'a believer' i definatly felt praying for a while gave me peace of mind, and made me a calmer more positive person.

Yet i think u can get the same effects through different forms of meditation. Just being in a very quiet place, focusing on your breathing, eyes closed and totally relaxing ur body. Its good for the mind. It gives u a break from the worry and constant stimulation of the outside world.

im a muslim and i find it pretty easy to incorporate prayer into a daily training regime. i do bits of training all the time i.e. sometime its a football game, weights, rugby and boxing trainging methods.

i pray 5 times a day and find that it helps ,e to keep thinking about god and not get bogged down heres what i do:

1) SUNRISE (FAJR) - MORNING PRAYER - lasts about 10 mins if that after this i go for a run and i normally finish by 6:10. then iv showered and im knocked out by 6:30.

2) MIDDAY (ZOHAR) - i wake up around 10 or 11, breakfast and then do bits of revision and reading, zohar prayer is normally around 3 o'lock. it lasts about 15

3) AFTERNOON (ASAR) - then i just chill for a while and then do bits of revision and reading again until about 6 o'clock when its time to pray, normally iv finished prayer and im ready for training at half past 6

TRAINING - dpends what im in the mood for bu normally it lasats about 2 hours

4) MAGRIB (SUNSET) - wash, cool down and pray again at about half past
eight

5) ISHA (NIGHT) - normally pray this at about half nine and then i eiher do bits of revision/reading again or jut chill out and watch a movie or something

alot of other muslim find it hard to incorporate the 5 daily prayers into their training personall i think they are a great way of breaking up the day.

you are a lucky bastard to get to sleep in till 10 or 11 every day, do you work or go to uni or anything?

you are a lucky bastard to get to sleep in till 10 or 11....

Lucky bastard? I don't think so, see how much praying he does!!!

yeah i o to uni but im of for a couple of weeks - when i do go to uni i normally get 2 days off and then do the above regime.

i i am oing to uni, i have assignments and when the exams get nearer i will proabaly devote more time to revision but yeah i am pretty lucky

Lucky bastard? I don't think so, see how much praying he does!!!

nah unanimous i really am a really lucky guy, my schedule is really flexible and i very rarely need to go into work during the weekdays as my parents are pretty wealthy but at the same time iv never really felt as though i needed money all the time.

besides praying for me is a blessing i dont have to do anything in this life - nobody and no-one can force me to but i enjoy praying.

besides iv always been a bit arthritec and never been all that flexible in my joints (hereditary thing) because of the movements involved in the prayer i manage to stay pretty fleixble through out the day.

Lucky bastard? I don't think so, see how much praying he does!!!

haha i'd pray that much if it meant i didn't have 7-8 am starts every morning when i live over an hour away from my uni.

nah unanimous i really am a really lucky guy, my schedule is really flexible and i very rarely need to go into work during the weekdays as my parents are pretty wealthy but at the same time iv never really felt as though i needed money all the time.

besides praying for me is a blessing i dont have to do anything in this life - nobody and no-one can force me to but i enjoy praying.

besides iv always been a bit arthritec and never been all that flexible in my joints (hereditary thing) because of the movements involved in the prayer i manage to stay pretty fleixble through out the day.

Cool. I was just playin with you. Don't take this the wrong way but surely the praying can't help with your arthritic joints.

I talk to God all the time. So He will allow me to keep my plans That i have set out. They will work better if he is tied in with your life and your plans somehow magnify his power to everyone around you.

Some things inside the plan I'm sure he might not like as much but the things that matter are the ones that will allow his almighty hand to keep watch in my life.

I also thank him for giving me my mind. Also i try to stay in his graces so I can keep the thing that provides me with the strentgh I need.


God will show himself wether people like it or not.

7-8 am starts are a bitch id hate to be in for work or uni at by that time but i guess its gotta be done

i live an hour and a half away from my uni (not too much of an issue these days as im on holz!) - i could live there instead of doing the commute but by doing the commute i atually get alot of my reading and stuff done on the way there.

in regards to the arthriticj joints i think by constantly moving and bending etc you actualy get the igaments and cartilage moving again - my knees have stopped being so stiff since iv been pracitising. especially me left i hurtit one winter while playing footie but since iv been practising its given me less trouble.

oh by the way DA1CATUS - are you by any chance a muslim? the way you talk about plans and gods plans for us seem to make me think that you are - or have i got the wrong end of the stick?

7-8 am starts are a bitch id hate to be in for work or uni at by that time but i guess its gotta be done

i live an hour and a half away from my uni (not too much of an issue these days as im on holz!) - i could live there instead of doing the commute but by doing the commute i atually get alot of my reading and stuff done on the way there.

in regards to the arthriticj joints i think by constantly moving and bending etc you actualy get the igaments and cartilage moving again - my knees have stopped being so stiff since iv been pracitising. especially me left i hurtit one winter while playing footie but since iv been practising its given me less trouble.

oh by the way DA1CATUS - are you by any chance a muslim? the way you talk about plans and gods plans for us seem to make me think that you are - or have i got the wrong end of the stick?

LOL naa im christian.. i'm talking about my own plans.. own personal life goals and things I will accomplish.

Far from muslims are my ways young jedi....:ugh:

You know what? I'm really impressed - here we are on a boxing forum, with a thread about religion and prayer and we've all kept it amicable!

It's a murrrcle!

LOL naa im christian.. i'm talking about my own plans.. own personal life goals and things I will accomplish.

Far from muslims are my ways young jedi....:ugh:

oh right....coolio.

its just the way you talked about gods plans being in accordance with our own plans kind of made me think oyu were a muslim - thats one of the reasons why when a muslims says something which he intends to do he says in'shallah - i.e. god willing.

as in if god wills it then it will happen if not then it won't

you know that may be your personal opinon but i believe that christians and jews aren't that far from muslims - we all have holy days, we all encourage to dress modestly, we all pray and fast etc.

when you be;lieve in the same GOD.. many things are going to be similar...

I think that somewhere along the line from the bible people added in some of their own stuff with religion.. Not the bible itself...

They mis-took or indirectly changed so many situations and discrepencies that so many religions were formed...

If its the same God, *(and muslims,jews,christians do believe in the same God)* Then it shouldn't be so varied from church to church priest to bichop, pastor to Pope, evangalist to preacher.

We should all have the same thing.. but we don't so I dunno what God thinks about all that.

yeah cant help but agree i think we are reaching the stage were more than anything a strong and healthy relationship with our creator is needed - its the same in islam. the main groups are the shi'ite and sunni.

i think thats one of the things that seperates islam from the other religions is that muslims have not changed the quran they have not been allowed to add/change things. sometimes thing get lost in translation thats one of the reasons why learning arabic is so important.

in fact there is a very strong case for muhammed being the holy spirit. but anyway thats a whole different debate for another day. i really respect christians they have a very simlar outlook on life as to me.