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Breathing is something we tend to take for granted until we have to fight to breathe, then it is alarmingly apparent that breathing is a gift from God that can be both given and taken away. Lately, I have been focusing on learning to periodically “take a deep breath” to relax myself and to lower my heart rate and blood pressure. It amazes me how well doing so along with decreasing my caffeine intake has lowered both.
The day before yesterday my centering prayer group discussed the concept of breathing as a way of expressing the very essence of God; historically speaking the name for God was not meant to be spoken—it was communicated by breathing (Rohr, 2009, “The Naked Now: Learning to See as the Mystics See”). For most participants in the group, the concept of God “as breath” was perceived as comforting; however, two of the participants in the group had experienced severe asthma attacks as children and could remember the agony of having to fight for every breath. Thus, the two had a somewhat different perception of the concept of God “as breath.”
Rohr’s (2009) book also points out that the first thing we do when we enter this world is take a breath and the last thing we do when we leave this world is to exhale a breath. I want to focus today’s blog comments on all those breaths that occur between our first and last breath.
As previously pointed out, breathing is often taken for granted. I myself, even though I had severe asthma as a child, did at one point smoke up to two packs of cigarettes per day. Fortunately, for me and my lungs, that lasted only a few years before my doctors told me I was getting emphysema and I was scared into stopping smoking “cold turkey.” So, not only can breathing be taken for granted, it can be abused….much as one’s faith in God can be abused, lost, or forgotten.
Today, I have periodically focused on my breathing not only relax but also to think about the essence of God manifested in my breathing. I can choose to ignore my breathing and God, to put my breathing and my faith in God at risk, or to consciously experience God as reality in the very breaths I take. And about those breaths that one has to fight to take due to illness or injury—-they can be perceived as symbolic of how at times we have to fight to keep God and faith alive in our lives. What are the breaths in your life like? How do they relate, if at all, to your experience of God in your life?
Please share your comments about “God as breath.” I look forward to reading them. Thank you, and may God bless and keep you.
Living One Day at a Time 
God is as close or closer, more intimate, more intrinsically us than even our breath. Breathe and experience the Reality.
Thank you. I’m breathing. I’m learning to experience the Reality.
33 years ago following emergency surgery, I was on life support in an intensive care unit. After about 5 days,it was decided that the dangers of more time on the ventilator outweighed the benefits of it doing my breathing. I was weaned, and brought into an alert state. The vent was extracted and … Nothing happened. I did not breathe. There was a big scuffle as the medical folk tried to get the vent down my throat so it could breathe for me. A harrowing, painful moment: the beginning of a spiritual awakening. A day and a half later. They tried again and as those first breaths came and went I knew that I am not God, and that God is gifting every breath I take and every beat of my trembling heart.
Thank you for sharing your personal story today and before. You may not realize it, but your story gave me the faith to survive my hospitalizations. More importantly, it helps me realize that everything (physical, spiritual, and emotional) is a God-given gift not to be taken for granted. Thank you for helping me get there.
When I, consciously,breathe deeply there is no other thought but to breathe. That is how I feel the presence of God, so that historical idea of not saying God’s name and breathing to indicate His name makes sense. I use breathing to quiet my busy mind which likes to sing repetitively the same song over and over again. When I breathe deeply it clears my mind. One never thinks of his/her breath until one is choking. Then one has to consciously think about breathing. Breathing, how essential, how automatic, but also a gift when one is under stress.
I am learning to use it to quiet my mind, but my mind often would rather chase butterflies/tangents. I am learning to consider the unwanted thoughts as water floating by…being aware of them as they pass but not dwelling on them and quickly re-focusing on creating that quiet, still inner space. Thanks, Betty!