We take our breathing for granted and rarely if ever stop to take a breath and examine it in depth.  For the new year ahead it may be a worthwhile experience to become more consciously aware of what breathing is all about.

The ancient Hebrew word for breath is RUAH  which means BREATH or SPIRIT.
We hear in Genesis 1:2: “The Spirit hovered over the waters.”   This Spirit or breath is a gift to each one of us each time we breathe.  God, you are closer to me than my own breath.  Breathing is the gateway to the unconscious and can unleash a flow of energy that leads to enlightenment. By becoming more aware of my breathing, my whole system slows down and I can touch into my strength. As a result in tense situations, one is enabled to affect a situation rather than to be affected by it.  It can be a wonderful experience to take the time to be silent to allow God`s Spirit, God`s  Ruah or Breath, to permeate and penetrate every part of my being with God`s own loving Presence.

To practice DEEP BREATHING, find a quiet spot where you can be alone and quiet and uninterrupted.  Sit in a comfortable position with a straight back, feet on the ground, hands on your knees and relax!  Consciously, inhale through the nose slowly and feel the breath entering and filling the lungs deeply.  Hold the breath for the count of three. Then through your open mouth exhale with the sound of the breath making an exhalation which can be heard by you. Do this again until you find your rhythm, then if you wish you can take the next step to deepen your experience of God`s  Presence.  Become consciously aware that as you breathe in, you are breathing the Breath of God`s own deep love into your very self.  Invite God in, relax in God`s  loving  presence, then remember to exhale and allow all that is not of God to be blown away in that exhalation.  

This is a key to unlock nervousness.  Use it anytime before an interview, in preparation for reading at Mass or whenever you want to be quietly in God`s Presence. When we become more aware of the quotation from Is 65:18: “There shall always be rejoicing and happiness in what I create”  we can see our breath as a gift from God to us and experience it deeply and with sincere gratitude.

At birth we received our first breath.  We breathe 20,000 breaths daily or a litre of oxygen per minute and there are 1440 minutes in a day.  What if we were to consciously thank God at least mornings and evenings for this gift?  We may be more prepared to draw our last breath with thankfulness and praise for another year of gracious living.       

Sr Dympna Travers, OP