"There is a famous story attributed to Russian Orthodox archbishop Anthony Bloom, one of the contemporary world's outstanding spiritual teachers. . . A young man came to him for spiritual consultation, angry and distressed because he couldn't make any sense out of his Christianity. The dogma and theology seemed like so much bunk, and the creeds frequently made him furious. He yearned for a life of faith, but it all seemed like a huge wall without handholds. What did Father Anthony suggest?

"The archbishop listened intently and then made a rather surprising suggestion: that the young man simply go home and make one hundred full prostrations a day for a month.

"Now in Orthodox practice a full prostration is not a simple bob-and-curtsy, as genuflection tends to be in the West. One goes flat on the floor, face down, with arms outstretched; holds the position for at least a good long in-and-out breath; and then slowly rises to one's feet. The young man, puzzled but intrigued, carried out Father Anthony's program diligently. When he returned a month later, his eyes were glowing with faith, and the creeds no longer made him angry. The reason, as the archbishop knew full well, is that through the deep, rhythmic gestures of bowing and emptying himself, the man came to understand something that could not be found in the mind. It lived in his body. In connecting with his body, he reconnected with the wellspring of his faith."