The mind, inconsistent and uncontrolled as it is, tends to drift away even when a person tries to pray. Is there a way to control its turbulent nature?

The mind is like a raging inferno that doesn’t rest for a single minute. The moment you sit down for prayer, the mind starts indulging in thoughts of the world. Do not hold it back; do not suddenly arrest its movements, join the more it is held, the wilder it becomes. The mind is like a  stubborn child that needs to be handled with gentleness coupled with firmness. If the mind thinks about a flower, do not restrain it but tell it, “Look how beautiful the flower appears due to the presence of the Lord within. “  If the mind runs to the orchard, let it go but accompany it and point out the divine presence in all the flowers, fruits, trees, and tender sprouts.

Educate it to the fact that these things derive all their beauty, fragrance, and ripeness from the Lord and that they exist solely for the sake and pleasure of the Divine. By thus infusing into it thoughts of the Divine, the mind will be led back to the center point – God. The solution lies not in rigidly restraining the mind but gently guiding it to the contemplation of the Divine through whatever       objects it chooses to dwell on.