Advent 18 - Prayer as Breath

By Ruth Rice

One of the things I love about Christmas is that first moment in the day when I come downstairs and switch on all the tree lights. I do love Christmas lights! The child in me surfaces and the awe of the light that shines in the darkness fills me with wonder. I am someone who would keep the tree up all year if I could.  

This is one time of the year when the pause at the start of the day seems more essential than usual. And it is a time of year when it is easy for our normal habits of wellbeing to slip. If the house is full of people, the TV is full of good films and the kitchen is full of snacks, it can be hard to spend an empty moment just breathing. But that is my intention this year. I will be using that early morning light switch on moment to pause to breathe and to settle myself into the presence of the One who is the whole reason we have this season.  

Breath prayer became a habit in my life when I was unwell. Simply breathing in the truth was a building block for a new way of life, a wellbeing adventure. In my book The A-Z of Wellbeing and the subsequent book A-Z of Wellbeing for Children that I wrote with my sister Deb, the letter B is for Breath. 

Breathing is a pretty basic thing isn’t it? And yet I had to learn to slow down and breathe more deeply.  Pairing this with the habit of meditating on Scripture - of taking a simple phrase that is good and true and using it to steady my restless mind - this practice has been a life saver.   

Breath prayer is quite simply that ... to breathe in the presence of God using a few simple words. I find I need to sit in my prayer chair and remind myself that God is holding me just like that chair is holding my weight. I put both feet on the ground and remind myself God is here with me in this present moment, and I take a few words of truth, for example, “Immanuel: God with us” … breathing in and saying the phrase, then breathing out and repeating it again. I sometimes even set a timer so I don’t keep checking or rushing through it.  

As my breathing slows and steadies, so my mind and heart fill with the truth of the words I am saying or thinking. This is the work of the Spirit of God who is described as breath. 

I wonder if you have tried a version of breath prayer. This time of year, the reminders of peace and goodwill all around us; the welcome of the twinkling lights etc are all invitations to breathe deeply. So it will be the tree lights for me - my prompt to breathe more deeply. How about you?  Breathe deeply with me. “Immanuel: God is with us.” Give it a go.  

Renewable Wellbeing

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