"Prayer is not asking. It is a longing of the soul." - Mahatma Gandhi

Many of us pray during times of hardship, but not always to a religion or a god. We pray that our friends are safe, we pray that our Earth will heal, we pray for help. We're asking our inner selves, a higher being, the cosmic or the divine to guide us and keep us safe.

Sometimes we just need an affirmation to help ourselves through a bad day and sometimes we need guidance to find the right words to manifest good fortune for ourselves and the world around us. Putting our feelings and desires into words is a key part of many spiritual practices because it helps us centre ourselves and set our intentions. Prayers, affirmations and blessings help us express positive emotions, hold space for challenging ones and call out to the universe for the intangible things we're seeking, such as love, grace and hope.

Our spiritual lives might all look a bit different but we don't need to invoke any specific faith to share words of kindness because wishing each other well with open hearts is something we all have in common.