For the first ten years of my parenting I had a ritual before going to bed. I would quietly tiptoe into each of the girls’ rooms and make sure they were breathing. All I needed was a quick glimpse of the rise and fall of their little chests to satisfy myself. Is this strange? Probably. But I slept better knowing I had done this visual check-in on each of them.
Breath is life.
Until this pandemic began back in March, I didn’t consciously think about breathing throughout the day. But since COVID is a respiratory illness, we’ve all seen the illustrations of how transmission happens. Our breath, and the invisible droplets it contains, are the issue. So I think more about the little gas clouds all of us are producing. And every time I put a mask over my mouth and nose, I’m immediately more aware of my compulsive need for oxygen.
I bring exactly zero chill to any situation. I’m certain I breathe shallow and fast most of the time as a typically anxious, intense, and hurried type. So it’s probably good that once an hour a reminder pops up on my watch from a pre-installed app that simply says, “Breathe.” It’s so silly, but I appreciate the reminder.
Let’s try something. Wherever you are, pause and take a deep breath.
James Nestor, who wrote Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art, says this: “Inside the breath you just took, there are more molecules of air than there are grains of sand on all the world’s beaches. We each inhale and exhale some 30 pounds of these molecules every day—far more than we eat or drink. The way that we take in that air and expel it is as important as what we eat, how much we exercise and the genes we’ve inherited.”
What we’re breathing and how we’re breathing matter. And science says intentionally practicing deep breathing has health benefits that go far beyond relaxation. Better breathing can reduce inflammation, lower blood pressure, improve sleep, lessen anxiety, and increase alertness. In studies on its effects on certain ailments, it’s even more effective than prescription medication.
Whether it’s yoga, diaphragmatic breathing, the 4-7-8 method, or any other deep breathing practice, there is proven power in simply being aware of what’s happening in our body and our brain as we inhale and exhale.
And if we need a spiritual convincing of the immense power of breath, we see it as early as the second chapter of the Bible:
“Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” (Genesis 2:7)
Breath is (literally) life.
Earlier this week I opened an email with the subject: The Holy Spirit. It was a short thought from Frederick Buechner on the definition of “spirit”:
“…the Latin word spiritus originally meant “breath” (as in expire, respiratory, and so on), and breath is what you have when you’re alive and don’t have when you’re dead. Thus spirt = breath = life, the aliveness and power of your life… When your spirit is unusually strong, the life in you unusually alive, you can breathe it out into other lives, becoming literally in-spiring.”
Breath is life.
We know the depth and quality of our literal breathing can change our mood and our health. But what if the depth and quality of our figurative breathing (the things we’re meditating on) could change our relationships and our perspectives? What if it could change our lives?
Greg Pinkner, Lead Teaching Pastor at Fellowship Church of Knoxville, says: “The Bible is your life. It is God’s life being breathed into you. And you neglect it only at your peril.”
The kind of breath God breathes into us via the Word is 100% pure. No virus particles. No need for a mask or a filter. It’s better than fresh air. It’s life itself.
Let’s be people who breathe deeply. Of the air. Of the Word. For our health and for our hearts.
Breath is life.
Leave a Reply