"How has praying the psalms seven times a day, every day, through the years formed your faith?" Perhaps it was a presumptuous question for me to ask. But the one place at the Abbey of Gethsemani , a Cistercian monastery in Kentucky, where the silence imposed on our four day retreat could be broken was in the lobby of the retreat house, staffed at times by one of the … [Read more...] about “It is like breathing”
Archives for April 2015
Breath Prayer
In my last post, I talked about how I have begun to pay attention to my breathing as I climb up steep mountain slopes. Attention to filling my lungs with air and pacing breath with my steps will certainly be a part of the long trek up, down, and across the heights and valleys of Virginia. But my focused breathing can also be a component of something other than physical … [Read more...] about Breath Prayer
Breathe In, Breathe Out
Let’s face it: breathing is essential. We cannot live on this earth without breathing. As humans we may be different in many ways, but the one thing that unites us is our breathing. Most of the time we pay little attention to this common activity. Singers and respiratory therapists would be notable exceptions. But breathing doesn’t stop for lack of notice. In a number of … [Read more...] about Breathe In, Breathe Out