Once the heart is softened by repentance, it is made pure. Now one may consecrate the will. Prayer and thanksgiving will quickly escort the heart toward worshipful communion, for the mind is no longer distracted. Prayer of the Heart, chapters 3-5. The praying heart is still distracted by the concerns of self, but worship is the true communion of the pure heart with its Maker.
Prayer is a ladder to a higher vista.
But the best view comes after the summit is achieved. Prayer is indeed a part of religious experience, but it has been wrongly emphasized by modern religions, much to the neglect of the more essential communion of worship. Evagrius Ponticus, The Praktikos Chanters On Prayer.