Praying...With Breath
Finding peace, sensation, surrender through prayer and breath, a spiritual and physical practice
This morning, after school drop-off, I had a special opportunity to join my dear mama friends in prayer…for our children, for their safety and the safety of all children and their families, for our country, for a prosperous and abundant future, for unity…
After time for personal prayer and quiet contemplation, hands held, electrifying the charge of our magnetic energy…After the breath of God washed over us all through a Soul-stirring and settling breeze, sending our prayers for peace and protection to cover the Earth…We paused, sitting silently.
Sensing there may be some holding of extra tension as we entered this week, we practiced some focused breathing, eyes closed, like prayer again…this time with the physical body…inhaling and exhaling…with each breath offering the body a chance to let go, let go, let go…in the shoulders, neck, back, jaw…wherever tension was held.
Cultivating the awareness that each time we lengthen the exhale, our nervous systems have another opportunity to calm, soften, revel in peace.
Our actions…appealing to God, surrendering tension, allowing our bodies to fill with space and breath, joining in friendship and love…these actions are so g o o d, healthy, healing, invigorating, inspiring…leaving me with hope for all.
The rest of the morning and early afternoon were filled with cleaning, packing for a move, causing me to come across old journals (there are so many!!!), including one from 2018…the year I formed Elk Mountain Wellness, LLC and began teaching yoga in mental health and substance abuse treatment centers in Asheville, NC.
I share the following words from this journal with you here…because…
Any time we can work with and get to know our breath a little better,
entire worlds within us
expand, open up, heal, thrive.
We allow ourselves to unite with friends, family, the Divine.
We learn to surrender ourselves, outcomes…so that all may unfold as intended by the Lord, for our good and the good of all.
I hope the words below, along with the audio included, help, inspire, fuel your awareness and health for the rest of the week. Revisit them whenever you like!
Before you begin, a few important notes…
always find yourself in a quiet, safe, still space before reading and/or listening to this practice and any other practices here
allow yourself to be as comfortable as possible, perhaps even laying down in bed or on your yoga mat (it’s ok if you fall asleep, it just means you were tired and in need of a rest!)
have journaling tools handy…paper, writing and drawing and painting instruments at the ready, so you can create from inspiration during and after this practice
~ Written Monday, November 4, 2024
April 8, 2018
we all have failings, traumas
we are all stuck
in life
what is it we do to love
ourselves
our loved ones
how do we heal the hurts
of the past
in order to leap, heart first
into the future
open the chest
allow a sense of calm
wash over
the mind
the heart
the abdomen
the grounding seat
that is your essence
root with your sit bones, your feet
let the divine light
wash over your entire
body
pause
release
inhale
pause
exhale
pause
repeat
repeat
repeat
love you
love you
love you
the grounding earth
loves you
the Spirit in air
loves you
the fire of passion
loves you
the water flowing in and around
loves you
your existence is purposeful
breath-work is scary
it’s frightening
it opens us to the core of
our lungs
our past
our instincts
our unconscious
our hurts
our fears and anxieties
our past lives
and all the burdens and traumas
stored within
carried in our chest, our heart
breath-work can also set us
f r e e
letting go of what was
opening us up to what is
yet to come
our existence relies on the
breath
in awake and sleeping states
and even when we are
(un)attached from ourselves
without breath
there is nothing
our spirit, soul moves freely
through space, air, atmosphere
but the physical body relies
on the air we breathe
to keep us in this
earthly state
breathe in
breathe out
breathe, within
breathe, without
Journaling Prompts
Contemplate quietly…in stillness…
What are you feeling?
If you feel burdened or tense, why do you feel this way? Where do you feel these sensations in your body?
When and how do you feel unrest or conflict, inside your body or in your outside environment?
If you feel at peace, happy, content, why do you feel this way? Where do you feel these sensations in your body?
What requests, desires, prayers are you holding? How can you soften and let them float into the air, cultivating a sense of surrender and a knowing that the Universe is conspiring with you and for you?
How can you turn your breath into a prayer? What would you like to say to God right now? Ask for all you need while surrendering the outcomes…as all will happen, in divine timing, for your highest good. How does this feel?
Wherever you are in the world, whatever your prayers are in this moment…I wish you a joyful, peace-filled week ahead!
xoxo Michelle
