Sunday 22nd June - Praying with the breath

 While we were visiting Launde Abbey on Friday, the last day of our holiday, I bought a little book which I thought might be interesting and helpful;

I had bought the teenager version of this book I was involved with Junior Church and looking for ideas. It was certainly full of interesting ideas, all tested by her son!

I thought I'd share some over the next few Sundays and I encourage you to give them a go.

Praying with the Breath is a golden oldie, and features in many world religions. In the Christian context (says Mranda Threlfall-Holmes) you are not so much trying to empty your mind as to fill it with the presence of God.

You take a short prayer, or line of scripture, or phrase, and repeat it in time to your breathing. The most famous is 'the Jesus Prayer'

As you breathe in    Lord Jesus Christ

As you breathe out   Son of God

As you breathe in   have mercy on me,

As you breathe out   a sinner.

Sometimes I will use Psalm 23; the Lord is my shepherd / I shall not want (meaning 'be in need')

Sometimes I'll just repeat the name of someone who has asked for prayer or is going through a difficult time.

Today I put myself in the situation of becoming very badly out of breath (dashing up the stairs to go to the loo, and not realising that the door had blown shut on my very long trailing oxygen cannula!)  I don't get this breathless very often, but it is scary until I recover, as I know I will within about 5 minutes. As I sat there praying for peace and calm I repeated "this too / will pass". No mention of God, but it was definitely a prayer! Thank heavens God is with me even in the bathroom (slightly embarrassing thought). Oh, and we've fixed things so that door won't slam shut again!

Music

The flute seems a suitable instrument for a blog post on breathing; Spring by Debussy, played by Emmanuel Pahud