Breath Prayers

from the Pocket Prayers Summer Series

Breath Prayers are simple, silent prayers that are short enough to ponder on a breath in and out. Read on for more information, or just go straight to the audio file above to hear me lead you through some breath prayers.

I love breath prayers because they’re so accessible. If I have a go-to prayer then I can turn my heart towards the Divine in a moment. It can become like muscle memory - reminding me of God’s presence. And we all know taking a deep breath (or a few) is great for our whole selves.

In the audio I offer a couple of different options for you to try out, but perhaps you might like to write your own. You can take focussed time to repeat a phrase, as we’re doing here, or you could pray it in little moments through your day. 

Find yourself a quiet time and place, and remove all distractions. Get yourself comfortable where you’re sitting. Pause and gently turn your heart and focus towards God, close your eyes if you wish and allow your breath to deepen:

The first phrase is from Psalm 46 ‘Be still and know that I am God’ - breathe in on ‘be still and know’ and out on ‘that I am God’

Breathe in - Be still & know

Breathe Out - that I am God

The second phrase we’ll breathe with is

– Loving God, I belong to you

Breathe in on Loving God, and out on I belong to you.

Why not choose a breath prayer, or write your own for this week? You could tie an object or activity in to remind you to pray your breath prayer, and turn your heart towards God. Set yourself a prompt to help make this a habit: as you wait for the kettle to boil, as you go down the stairs, holding your child’s hand, whatever invites you.

Do you have a favourite Breath Prayer? Please do share it:

I’ll be back on Saturday with a conversation for paid subscribers with Paul about how we’ve found playing with breath prayer this week. I've kept this element for paid subscribers to create space for us to share personally. If you're interested, you can subscribe for a month (£4) and cancel your subscription at the end of the month. And I leave you with some resources below.

Breath Prayer Exercise

– Choose a favourite bible verse and make a short phrase of about 6-8 syllables.

– Select the name that you are most comfortable using to speak with God (some examples would be Creator, Love, Father, Mother). Combine this name with your written short phrase. This is your prayer.

– Breathe in on your choice of God’s name and breathe out the second phrase or word.

This exercise is adapted from the Gravity Center’s article about breath prayer.

Sarah Bessey has also offered some lovely Breath Prayers over at her Substack

This is the First post in our Pocket Prayers Summer Series, see the Introduction below.

The Pocket Prayers Summer Series