Its touch danced across my face so delicately, wooing me toward it, yet its surreal movement left me wondering at its authenticity. The kind of gentle breeze one feels only when completely still. Whimsical, it came at intervals and departed so quickly, childlike, I sat still eagerly waiting for the next moment’s appearance. Eyes closed, imagining the fingers of God caressing the face He formed in the womb, I rest, breathing through the psalms.
Welcome to Mindfulness Monday! Where we learn some easy ways to be more present “in the moment” at our jobs, in our homes, with our families and friends.
Learning to recognize God and what He has for us in each divine moment He offers. We acknowledge the belief that God is with us always.
We confess His presence is available to us, lifting our spirit and helping us with power and grace. Learning the art of “stillness” so we can hear His voice and view ourselves, others and our surroundings through His eyes.
Stillness in the psalms
As you may recall, I recently wrote about “Practicing the Art of Stillness“, where I shared my recent journey from hectic to harmony. While my “To-Do” list mocks me with its length and my responsibilities remain challenging, my chaos resides in the mental realm.
Much like the old expression, “still waters run deep“, my outward appearance of calm, stillness gives no indication of the depth of turmoil beneath the surface. Physical stillness provides rest for your physical body; spiritual stillness provides rest for your soul.
Our loving Savior knows our every need, beckoning us come, rest in His Presence. (Matthew 11:28-29) I praise God the Holy Spirit intercedes for us, for we know not how to pray, nor our deepest needs. (Romans 8:26) I rejoice in the treasure of life giving stillness I find in the Psalms.
breathing new life
Our breath is sacred; God gives us our first breath and takes our last. Yet many of us remain ignorant of the power of our God given breath. With each breath, millions of sensory receptors in the respiratory system send signals to the brainstem through the vagus nerve. Shallow, rapid breathing triggers the brain activation of the sympathetic nervous system, which in turn increases stress hormones, heart rate, blood pressure, muscle tension, sweat production and anxiety. Conversely, deep, slow breathing triggers brain activation of the parasympathtic system, suppressing the above stress response, while increasing mental clarity, relaxation and calm.
The spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life.
Job 33:4
Truly, a practice of mindful breathing through the psalms offers a unique option for breathing new life into your soul, dispelling the weariness of life’s demands. Focusing on the sacredness of our God given breath, in combination with meditation on the God breathed inspired Word, ushers us into the divine Presence.
breathing through the psalms
Breathing through the psalms abides as one of my treasured forms of mindfulness meditation, particularly for times of soul weariness. Combining breathwork with the reading of the Word, naturally slows my pace, my attention and my mind. Resulting in a stillness practice truly nourishing to my spirit.
Today I share two delightful options for the experience of breathing through the Psalms, designed for easy use anytime you long for a break from the hectic demands surrounding you or the turmoil within you. Hearing from you in the comments about which one delighted you the most, rejoices my heart!
Psalms Breathwork
If you follow my Mindfulness Monday posts regularly, my recommendation for beginning every mindfulness practice with a Mindful Check In, is familiar to you. A Mindful Check In enhances making a calm transition from the atmosphere of busyness and activity to the atmosphere of stillness and enhances the practice. Without a transition, your brain and central nervous system remain on the continuum of activity.
- Sitting quietly, eyes closed: (limiting visual distractions), focus on your breath, gently inhaling and exhaling.
- After a moment or two of breathing, focus on physical sensations and any feelings or thoughts that come up. Acknowledge them, but don’t judge or latch onto them.
- Notice how your body feels, and try to identify an emotion you may be feeling in connection with the physical sensation. Simply note it; “that’s what fear, anger, sadness, etc. feels like in my body.”
- Acknowledge any thoughts that come up without following them. Notice the thoughts connected to the emotions.
- End in a moment of gratitude, and then begin one of the breathing through the psalms exercises below.
Breathing the Psalms While Reading
To Illustrate this method, I chose Psalm 63:1-8; but choosing a favorite psalm or a psalm which resonates with you on a particular day or in a specific circumstance works well. Decide whether you will read out loud or silently. I highly recommend reading out loud; hearing your voice read God’s Word is powerful! Additionally, you naturally read more slowly, with more attentiveness.
If you choose reading silently, the method remains the same, but I caution you to truly focus on keeping your breath slow and steady, only reading in cadence with your breathing. When we read silently, our eyes tend toward scanning and we move quickly across the page. You must remain intentional with your breathwork or your reading will exceed your breathing.
Psalm 63:1-8
Basically you are breathing and reading with the punctuation. If you encounter a verse where it seems too long for you until the next punctuation mark, simply read with the inhale and the exhale as able; take a full inhale and exhale, then begin reading again. Remember, the design of the exercises is towards a slow, rhythmic reading, cultivating stillness in the Presence of God. Avoid rushing!
(Inhale while reading) O God, (Exhale while reading) thou art my God; (Inhale while reading) early will I seek thee: (Exhale while reading)my soul thirsteth for thee, (Inhale while reading) my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, (Exhale while reading) where no water is;
(Inhale while reading) To see thy power and thy glory, (Exhale while reading) so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.
(Inhale while reading)Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, (Exhale while reading) my lips shall praise thee.
(Inhale while reading) Thus will I bless thee while I live: (Exhale while reading) I will lift up my hands in thy name.
(Inhale while reading) My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; (Exhale while reading) and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips:
(Inhale while reading) When I remember thee upon my bed, (Exhale while reading) and meditate on thee in the night watches.
(Inhale while reading) Because thou hast been my help, (Exhale while reading) therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice.
(Inhale while reading) My soul followeth hard after thee: (Exhale while reading) thy right hand upholdeth me.
End with a Selah moment of stillness; savor the words spoken, listen for God’s voice to you and close with a prayer of gratitude.
Psalm Breath Prayers
The psalms offer a plethora of prayers for God’s people for every circumstance in life. Another restful and restorative mindfulness exercise for breathing through the psalms involves “psalm breath prayers”. Below I share a few examples, but create your own for times of restlessness, overwhelm, uncertainty or sadness.
“God’s breath gives me life” (Psalm 104:29-30).
PRAYER: (Inhale) Grateful for God’s breath in you. (Exhale) Resting in His care and love for you.
“The Lord is my Shepherd…I shall not want.” (Psalm 23:1)
PRAYER: (Inhale) Entrusting your heart’s desire to Jesus. (Exhale) wanting __________ more than Jesus.
“Father into Thy hands I commit my spirit.” (Psalm 31:5)
PRAYER: (Inhale) The Father’s great love for you. (Exhale) Control or worry related to the outcome of ________.
“His steadfast love endures forever”. (Psalm 136, 26 times!)
PRAYER: (Inhale) God’s eternal steadfast love. (Exhale) your hurt and pain.
“I will give thanks to You, Lord.” (Psalm 57:9)
PRAYER: (Inhale) Receiving all from God with gratitude. (Exhale) Submitting to God’s perfect will for you in this circumstance.
End with a Selah moment of stillness; savor the words spoken, listen for God’s voice to you and close with a prayer of gratitude.
breathing in stillness
Breathing through the psalms encourages a drawing near to God which refreshes the soul and spirit. Combining a focus on your breath with reading the psalms, slows your reading pace, allowing more engagement with the Word of God. The attentiveness created opens the door for hearing God speak to you in new ways.
Another benefit of breathing through the psalms in these mindfulness exercises results in regulated breathing. A slower, deeper rate of breathing not only relaxes the body, but it encourages a meditative state of mind. Resulting in deeper understanding of the Scriptures and passive memorization.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, breathing through the psalms facilitates stillness. A surrendered stillness which fosters lingering in the presence of God in full contentment. Enabling the full release of cares, striving and busyness; simply resting in the caress of the One who knows us fully and deeply.
Feature Image Photo by Jerry Wang on Unsplash
I’m so thankful for your post that promotes stillness and peace. Actually, I’m thankful for how so many bloggers are writing on this topic this week! I NEED it…so encouraging! Blessings…
Amy, I’m so glad you enjoyed this post, it’s one of my favorite ways of incorporating stillness and peace into my life. I noticed many bloggers are writing about stillness too, so needed in this busy season!
I love this so much! And much of what you have written about I teach to my yoga students during our rest and relaxation time. I may use a couple of your phrases here!
Lauren, thank you for taking the time to read my post! Praise God you found this helpful! I think this blends well with yoga, I hope your students enjoy it as much as I do!
This is so true, Donna, “Physical stillness provides rest for your physical body; spiritual stillness provides rest for your soul.”
I’ve done mostly the Psalms breathwork method. I will sit in my garden, close my eyes, listen to the doves singing, and tune into what the Lord is saying in that moment. It is always refreshing ‘to be still and know that He is God.’ If I tune into my emotions, then I submit those to Him and try to ‘tune into’ what He is saying in that moment.
I did try the Breathing the Psalms method you developed and illustrated in this Psalm. I appreciate you sharing what has made a difference in your personal life and I will pass it along to several friends I think would also appreciate it.
Lisa, your stillness time sounds lovely! My favorite place to practice stillness is in my garden. Isn’t it refreshing and life giving to sit with our Savior like that? Thank you for trying the method described in this post and sharing it with others! May God richly bless you and them as they learn to truly rest with Him.
I’ve done this with “Lord Jesus Christ. . . Have Mercy on Me” – but had not thought of doing it with Psalms. I am going to practice this. I can see how it will allow me to slow down to better savor the word and still my soul! Thank you, Donna, also, for the visual of the practice! Shalom, my friend, ~ Maryleigh
Maryleigh, I am familiar with the method for “Lord Jesus Christ…Have mercy on me”, I find that very impactful and centering. Try it with the psalms-one of my favorites to do is Psalm 103.
Donna, you’ve shared such practical tips here. Breathing is kind of important—for our bodies and our souls. I read at least one psalm each day. I’m going to try your method of breathing through the psalms. 🙂
Thank you Jeanne, when I developed this method I never realized how much it transformed my reading!
Donna, I love this. I tried this with your writing and was feeling so peaceful. This is a good habit to form. It is one way for me to be intentional and practice my one-word 2021 “Selah”.
Blessings. 🌼
Paula, dear friend, I actually had you in mind as I wrote this. I developed this method on my own, and found it so life giving, just had to share. I hope you find many Selah moments as you practice.
I’m seeing the emphasis on breathing in lots of places. But breathing as your read the Psalms is new to me. Thank you.
Thank you, Debbie for taking the time to read my post. Actually breathing through the psalms is my own method I developed and shared. I found it so refreshing and life giving in my relationship with the Word and with God I decided others might too.
Donna,
Loved this. I have been reading through the Psalms lately and I am going to implament your suggestion of breathing through the Psalms — really being intentional about what I’m reading. I love that at the end of certain segments of the Psalms, there is the exhortation to “Selah” or pause, ponder, and take in what you just read. Thank you.
Blessings,
Bev xx
Thank you, Bev, I developed this method to enrich my reading and thoroughly enjoy using it in the psalms!