The Breath in My Lungs

There is a worship song that says that God is the breath in our lungs. 

Have you every felt out of breath?  I get that way sometimes coming up our steps with my hands full of laundry or groceries.  Some deal with anxiety of some sort which physically manifests in the feeling of a tight chest and finding it hard to breathe and get oxygen into the body.  This isn’t comfortable and can be alarming.  I know firsthand – but this is for another day. 

Anyways, I wanted to talk about breathing because it’s actually a huge sign that we are ALIVE.  Our breaths are gifts.  How many of us wake up in the morning thankful for the breath that we have and that our lungs, heart, and brain are working?  Maybe this is something that the distraction of the world can take us away from – the very simple fact that we are breathing and we are alive, our body is functioning.  Paying attention to our body can bring great awareness to how we are actually doing – even internally.

Have you ever stopped for a few minutes to feel your heart beat – to its slow, steady pace?  Have you ever watched someone who is sleeping peacefully take slow deep breaths in dreamland?  Some of you perhaps have done or still do yoga – where breathing and the connection to the body is a focus. Today, let’s be aware of our breathing and what it means for everyday life. 

Reflection: 

Today you will need to find a place where you can have some quiet space.  Lay down and put your hand over your heart and feel it beating for five minutes to calm you down.  Next, observe your breathing rate.  After awhile when you feel ready, try some deeper breathing.  What happens? 

Was it hard for you to stop?  Slow yourself down?  Become aware?  What was this like for you?  What did you personally learn from this?  What does your breath mean to you? 

Have you ever experienced struggle in breathing?  If so, write more about that experience.  Ask God to reveal more to you about that time/those times.  Where was he?  What was your experience like?  What was the cause(s)? 

We will be coming back to this topic, but for today I just wanted to get you to write/think briefly about this theme of breathing. 

Journeying Together,
C