sownSOUL

Spiritual breathing (exhaling the impure and inhaling the pure) is an exercise in faith that enables you to continue to experience God's love and forgiveness.

1. Exhale — Confess your sin — agree with God concerning your sin and thank Him for His forgiveness of it, according to 1 John 1:9 and Hebrews 10:1-25. Confession involves repentance — a change in attitude and action.
2. Inhale — Surrender the control of your life to Christ and appropriate (receive) the fullness of the Holy Spirit by faith. Trust that He now directs and empowers you according to the command of Ephesians 5:18 and the promise of 1 John 5:14-15.

Breathing is not only vital to our biological life but has also been seen as spiritually important in most religious traditions. In the creation narrative, God breathes life into the nostrils of humankind. The Spirit is the “breath of God” the animating force that fills our lungs. Jesus, in sending out the twelve, breathes on them as a ritual to symbolize the presence of the Spirit with and in them. 

The Jewish people did not speak the name of God. This unspeakability has long been recognized, but now we know it goes even deeper: formally the name of God was not, could not be spoken at all—only breathed. Many are convinced that its correct pronunciation is an attempt to replicate and imitate the very sound of inhalation and exhalation. Inhale-Yah, exhale-weh. 

Therefore, the one thing we do every moment of our lives is to speak the name of God. This makes the name of God our first and last word as we enter and leave the world. 

A simple way to practice. 

1. Begin by connecting with your intention, your desire to be present to God. 
2. Breathe naturally, slowly, and deeply, inhaling and exhaling Yah-weh. Breathe the syllables with open mouth and lips, relaxed tongue: Inhale—Yah Exhale—weh 
3. Let your focus on the syllables soften and fall away into silence
4. You may be distracted numerous times. And perhaps your entire practice will be full of sensations clamoring for attention. If a thought, emotion, or sensation arises, observe but don’t latch on to it. Simply return to breathing. Contemplation is truly an exercise in humility! But each interruption is yet another opportunity to return to Presence, to conscious participation in God’s life.  

Video instruction - HERE

Keep a pack of straws in your car or bag and to do this exercise whenever you're feeling stuck.

1. Inhale normally and naturally.
2. Exhale fully through a plastic drinking straw - make sure you have exhaled all of the air out of your lungs.
3. Inhale normally (not through the straw).
4. Exhale fully out of the straw.
5. Repeat this exercise for 5 minutes.
6. Ideally, do this twice a day.