How To Use Your Breath To Pray | By Tiffany Florian

Pull up a chair, and take a seat. Now, take a deep breath — perhaps the first deep breath you’ve taken all day. Imagine your entire body filling up with air, becoming weightless. Now, release that breath. Let’s use our breath to form a prayer.

Breath prayer may be a familiar practice you are incorporating into the rhythms of your life, and it may be a completely new concept for you. Either way, I invite you to be intentional about encountering and experiencing God’s presence during this practice!

When you breathe, it gives your earthly body life. When you sit in a breath prayer, it gives your spirit life.

Psalm 150 says, “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.” If it’s God’s breath in your lungs, then a natural response would be to direct that breath back to him. Breath prayer is simply synchronizing your mind, heart, soul, and body by intentionally turning your attention to Jesus.

Here are some examples of breath prayer:

Inhale: The Lord is my Shepherd

Exhale: I shall not want (Psalm 23:1)

Inhale: Jesus

Exhale: Help me to seek you

Inhale: Speak, Lord

Exhale: For your servant is listening (1 Samuel 3:9 LINK)

My favorite thing about breath prayer is that it takes the pressure off of prayer. You don’t have to worry about saying the right words or not knowing what to say. It allows you to focus on the embrace of God’s presence as he holds you in the stillness of your breath.

The Bible reminds us over and over again to be constant and consistent in prayer (Romans 12:12 ) and to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17 ). This practice is a great way to do just that. Here are some practical ways to practice breath prayer:

In the morning:

It’s easy to pick up your phone the moment you wake up. I challenge and encourage you to start your day with a few moments centering yourself in a breath prayer. It doesn’t have to be a lengthy amount of time, but starting your day breathing and leaning into God’s presence changes the rhythm of your entire day!

When you are anxious or stressed:

Unfortunately, there is a lot to be anxious or stressed about. Breath prayer can provide you with a form of release. Maybe you feel like you can’t catch a breath or are on the edge of your seat holding your breath. This practice invites and allows you to reframe your reality and place it in God’s hands. When I am overwhelmed, I often and simply breathe, “Jesus … be my center.”

With your community:

Breath prayer is a simple, helpful practice. It doesn’t take that much time, but it has the potential to radically shift how you feel, what you notice, and how you show up as a non-anxious presence in the world and to the people around you! In a time of hurry and hustle, keep inviting yourself and others to practice breath prayer to start shifting your default mode to responding and turning first to the truth of God in prayer.

However you choose to practice breath prayer, I hope it helps your body and spirit find rest in God’s presence. I pray it allows you to seek and draw near to the One who breathed the breath of life into you and those around you!