Breath Prayer
“Breath prayer is like a smile to God”
“In him, we live and move and have our being”
Breath prayer relies on a simple phrase said in one breath (inhale - exhale). It’s rhythmic and simple. Use it to “pray without ceasing” throughout the day, intertwining natural breathing with speaking to and of God. It frees us from trying to find the right words. It moves us from our head to our heart, and to awareness that God is closer than our very breath.
The practice
Choose a phrase — a scripture verse or simple phrase that can be said in one sentence. Find one that resonates with you. Or ask the Holy Spirit to guide you. Suggestions:
Lord, have mercy
Come, Lord Jesus, come
The Lord is my shepherd
You are here
Yahweh*
Breathe in and out, with the first part of the phrase on the inward breath and the second on the outward. Inhale, exhale. Inhale exhale..
Continue praying and breathing for a pre-set period of time or until you sense an inner stillness and you are dwelling the presence of God.
*It has been said that God’s name, “Yahweh,” is in itself a breath prayer, perhaps the very first: “The Jews did not speak God’s name, but breathed it with an open mouth and throat: inhale—Yah; exhale—weh. By our very breathing we are speaking the name of God and participating in God’s breath. This is our first and our last word as we enter and leave the world. - Richard Rohr, OFM from his book The Naked Now.
• just breathe •
To pray one of the earliest breath prayers, try the The Jesus Prayer
Take a moment to reflect on your time here
extra
Breath Prayer is shaped by the action most essential to our lives: our very breath. It is our first action on the day we are born and our final act on the day that we die. Breath plays a central role in Scripture, too, from the very beginning in which God breathes life into human form and throughout the text, which Paul describes in 2 Timothy as “God-breathed.” Even the words for “spirit” in Hebrew (ruach) and Greek (pneuma)—the two languages in which the Bible was originally written—can also mean “breath.” It seems breath is not only essential to our physical existence but our spiritual nourishment, too. Read more from asacredjourney.net
Pastor Rick Warren on Breath Prayer in his book The Purpose Drive Life: “Choose a brief sentence or a simple phrase that can be repeated in one breath….Pray it as often as possible so it is rooted deep in your heart."