Breath Prayers

Praying with one’s breath is an old Christian tradition. This sheet offers reflections and instructions which can be used to lead or facilitate a group practice.

I created and used this document for teaching breath prayers in a small group setting. The first section draws heavily on the work of James Nestor in the book "Breath" (which I highly recommend for learning more about the value of breath in general!).

Breath prayers for me have been incredibly valuable to my prayer life... helping me to notice God's presence throughout my day, to listen and attend to God's voice, and to always be ready to offer up a quick prayer in any circumstance.

There is a famous story is of a Russian pilgrim who prayed the Jesus prayer on every breath — and eventually the prayer sunk from his head into his heart so that he could pray continually, with the rhythm of his breath, no matter what activity he engaged with. For more on developing Christian contemplative practices, I recommend Henri J. Nouwen’s book: The Way of The Heart.