Anxiety doesn’t have to be something that separates us from God but it can draw us closer to him if we use it as an opportunity. I love Jesus with all my heart but I see a therapist regularly and I take antidepressants for my depression because I know I need that extra support along with breath prayers every day. I remind my soul of the truth and then ground myself and my body into this present moment and remember that I’m safe. Continue your prayer for a set period of time or until you feel you have reached a sense of inner stillness as you dwell in the presence of God. I have walked through several setbacks of struggling with my mental health and multiple hospitalizations and taking it one day at a time is even too much.

It came out of the hardest time and darkest days of my life when it was hard for me to see the light or hope at all. Now, they might not see the spiritual relevance for certain, but science has shown that deep breathing, even for a moment, is not only relaxing, but it affects our heart, brain, digestion and immune systems. During that time I remembered a breath prayer I’d written previously based on some words from the apostle Paul. Two Hands: Grief and Gratitude in the Christian Life is available in paperback, audiobook, and for kindle. You inhale on the first line, inhale slowly as you pray the first line, and exhale slowly as you pray.

In helping her learn to manage her anxiety and as we learned what anxiety is, how it manifests in the body and how to manage it, I had to get honest with myself on managing my own. What’s even more amazing about that is the way that I’m much more aware of what God is doing in my life and in those around me because I’m more conscious of His presence. While any text would do, the most common Scripture used for Breath Prayer became “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner,” echoing the petition made by the tax collector in Luke 18:13. Such an experience of prayer supports Paul’s admonition to pray without ceasing and fits with the simplicity of Breath Prayer. Give it a try: print these pages, grab some crayons or colored pencils, hit play on the “b-r-e-a-t-h-e” playlist below, and breathe deep as you color in the pages.

Because of the meditative nature of breath prayers, and because I have some background in various forms of meditation, I prefer to be in a sitting, cross-legged position, but that isn’t required. Wonderfully Made® is 501(c)3 Christian ministry dedicated to helping young women and the women who love them know their true value, while encouraging and equipping them to live spiritually, mentally and emotionally healthy lives. A little phrase that we’ve learned to remember how to breathe is to smell the flowers and blow out the candles so you always inhale through your nose and then exhale through your mouth slowly and fully. Breath prayers help us pay attention to God, and to be aware of the present moment as we connect with God.Here are two talks Lynne gave on listening (recorded in audio form on YouTube): Listening for Mission and Ministry and Why Listening Matters for Mission and Ministry. And that’s what breath prayers that we’ll talk about later have helped me, too: to slow down and pay attention. Aside from intercession and praying for others, the easiest forms of prayer lately have been the Lord’s Prayer, those written by others (there are some beautiful prayers being shared via social media right now, aren’t there? Many scientific studies from people way wiser than me show that slow deep breathing can help with anxiety, depression, insomnia and a whole lot of different symptoms because we’re activating that rest and digestion system in our body. As I’m running four “wonderfully exhausting” kids to school, preparing for the next duty as a corps officer (pastor) and chowing down on whatever grab-and-go breakfast I’ve got for the morning, it just isn’t practical to pull out my Bible, kneel down and chat with God for the hour I’d really like to spend with Him.

Some examples are “Help me rest; give me peace,” “Make clear my way, O Holy One,” “Out of darkness, into light,” or “Fill me, Spirit, with your love. Carrie: It’s very mindful, too, in the sense that it connects us back to the present moment because we’ve talked about mindfulness on the podcast and how that can be helpful for anxiety.One of the first things that her therapist told us was the importance of the breath and how slowing her breathing could help calm her anxiety. They’re great as a way of grounding ourselves or re-centering ourselves when we become anxious or overwhelmed. I took verses that were significant to me that God was teaching me something through or that meant something and I turned it into a prayer. When you’re feeling overwhelmed by the weight of the world, take a breath and say, “Lord, I need you.

We were homeless for a while, staying with my aunt in her 3 bedroom apartment with her, her 3 teenage boys, her son's girlfriend, and their newborn baby and of course the dog.Maybe you’re like I was, and you have no idea what they really are, or if they are something that would be helpful to you or not? God, help me through this day,” “Jesus, you’re so good to me” or “Spirit, guide me,” are phrases that I’m often breathing into prayer in the midst of my crazy day. I had been doing the breath thing but I didn’t have the connection between the breath and the prayer and you’ve made it so easy. Coronavirus has placed our economic and health systems under unprecedented stress, not to mention many of us personally.