A Micro Moment of Calm
Breathing and our spiritual lives
When was the last time you breathed deeply?
Were you holding your breath just now when you read that?
I’ve been thinking a lot about breathing since taking classes to be scuba certified. Turns out I have to really concentrate to do things like breath in through my mouth and out through my nose underwater. Also, the most important thing to remember while scuba diving is never hold your breath. Noted.
So, yeah. Breathing. I’m a fan.
There’s much more to be said on the power of our breathing to calm our nervous systems and the health benefits of better breathing habits, etc. (Did you know most people hold their breath while reading email?) That’s another post for another day.
Several religious traditions have practices around the breath: focusing on it, using it to center or even to enter altered states of consciousness. A breath prayer is an ancient practice that incorporates a phrase to be repeated several times like a mantra: one phrase of the prayer as you inhale, another phrase as you exhale.
I first became curious about praying this way after reading JD Salinger’s Franny and Zooey in college. Franny, just before having a nervous breakdown, shares with her boyfriend about a book, The Way of a Pilgrim, in which the main character is taught to a technique of constant prayer common in the Orthodox tradition. Franny holds on to this form of prayer as she struggles mentally and emotionally, finding comfort in repeating the same words over and over constantly.
Franny’s prayer made me curious to try the practice myself. She prayed the traditional Jesus Prayer: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” Though I love the practice, the traditional words didn’t always speak to me. So, often I’d come up with my own breath prayer - one phrase to repeat on the inhale and another on the exhale - inspired by something I’d read, a scripture passage, or just what I needed to pray for at that time.
While I do appreciate having quiet time set aside for centering and prayer each day, I also really value a practice I can incorporate in any micro-moment of my day. Some people have prayer beads, or a charm that they touch to offer a moment of brief calm or centering.
Some days, just taking three deep breaths is all I can muster, maybe with the reminder to be here now.
You’ll be seeing a Breath Prayer on the bottom of my posts. If it speaks to you, breathe through it a few times. Or make the practice your own and see where it takes you.
~Breath Prayer~
Inhale
Take in peace
Exhale
Be here now
~What I’m Reading~
The Stress Prescription: 7 Days to More Joy and Ease by Elissa Epel