…the person who is about to come to prayer should withdraw for a little while and prepare himself, and so become more attentive and active for the whole of prayer. He should cast away all temptations and troubling thoughts and remind himself so far as he is able of the Majesty whom he approaches and that it is impious to approach Him carelessly, sluggishly, and disdainfully; and he should put away all extraneous things. This is how he should come to prayer, stretching out his soul, as it were, instead of his hands; straining his mind toward God instead of his eyes; raising his governing reasoning from the ground and standing it before the Lord instead of standing.
Origen
