Breath Prayer
John Michael Talbot

One powerful tool for meditation is breath prayer. Many of us exclusively associate this method with Eastern Religions. But it is also a venerable ancient method used in Christian meditation. It has similarities to the Eastern methods on a physical and psychological level, but has its own distinct Christian flavor and tone from a theological and mystical perspective.

The Hebrew words for Spirit mean "wind" and "intimate breath" of God. Jesus says that the Spirit of God is like the wind, and he breathes the Spirit upon the apostles for leadership before he ascends to heaven after his resurrection. The Spirit descends upon the whole assembly at Pentecost like a, "strong driving wind."

Because of these scriptural meanings, the monastic tradition of the Christian East found that uniting prayer with the breath helped in fulfilling St. Paul's further admonition to, "pray without ceasing," since we must breath to stay alive. Uniting the prayer with the breath was also a way to intuitively pray in the Spirit of God constantly, in a way beyond formal thought or emotion. They found that uniting the breath with the name of Jesus was a way to pray in the name of Jesus intuitively, beyond concepts or words. This finally developed into the formal Jesus Prayer, which is united with our breathing throughout the day.

In Hinduism and Buddhism uniting meditation with breath is fundamental. It is a way to give the body and mind something to do without distracting it into complications. It also slows the body, the emotions, and the thoughts, so as to better focus all of them on the meditation at hand, Focusing on the breath is often the beginning stage of meditation.

For the Christian, breath prayer is a way to do several things. It unites us with Jesus in the Spirit of God. It slows the body down so that both thoughts and emotions are also minimized, and stabilized. It gets us in touch with gospel poverty regarding the basic thing we must do to physically be alive: breath, and makes completely satisfied with this ultimately simple act. Once the formal prayer is learned and mastered, it teaches us to intuitively pray constantly with every breath.

With both Christian and non Christian expressions some bodily posture is recommended that will enable the practitioner to stay relatively still and quiet for an extended period of time, say twenty to thirty minutes.

How do we do it? I teach that we must first find a quiet place that will be relatively free from intrusion for the meditation time. Next we sit either in the traditional cross-legged position, or in a straight back chair with feet flat on the ground, and head and shoulders lined up as best we can, to provide a stable and comfortable posture. I encourage resting the hands in the lap to give them something to do that is minimal and restful. Likewise, gently rest the tongue against the back of the front upper teeth on the upper palate. We keep the eyes slightly open, without focusing on any particular object to stay awake, and to keep from getting distracted on a particular object.

We breathe deeply from the diaphragm, or the "navel." This the way we breathe at night when sleeping, and the way infants breathe constantly. It is also the way we singers are taught to breathe during singing. It relaxes the whole being, yet brings the greatest amount of oxygen to the lungs and blood, making us alert and healthy. During most meditations we breathe gently and quietly through the nose.

We begin simply by learning to breathe deeply.

Next, we go through the human person, and let everything go to God trough Christ. We start with the body, emotions, and thoughts, and simply acknowledge how we are doing today with each. It may be positive or negative. We simply acknowledge, and let go.

Next, we recognize that these things are all interdependent with creation in immediate, and far reaching ways. This awakens us to the wonder of our being, to God's creation and Incarnation, and generates gratitude for all.

But we also recognize that, while these things are all part of out being, they are not our deepest and most essential being, for they are all impermanent and transitory. Our bodies will pass away. Our emotions and thought rise and fall with the conditions of the transitory life all around us. Even with the Christian belief in the resurrection of the body, we know that the resurrected body of Jesus was far more multidimensional than the limited, and fragile bodies we now inhabit. We will be similar, but radically changed and completed. Recognizing this, we let these things go and die through the cross of Jesus. This enables us to let everything go in Christ.

When we practice this Christian breath prayer daily for a few months and years, we slowly find a whole new person being reborn through the cross of Jesus Christ. It happens day at a time, and breath at a time. We become a person freer from enslavement to the sensual appetites, the whirlwind of disordered emotions, and negative and confused thoughts. We break through to the realm of our spirit in His Spirit, and see all of life as a miracle of rebirth, awakening, and resurrection. Then we find peace in a whole new way of thinking, feeling, and sensually perceiving all of Reality in God.

John Michael Talbot