Breathe

Breathe, just breathe. These are the words of wisdom that I gave my wife last night after a meeting at church where the comments from one of our members made her stomach do flip-flops. These are the same words that EMT's tell the victims of an accident, a heart attack or other trauma. Life saving words! Studies have shown that if a person in this situation is able to focus on their breathing, they have a much higher success rate.

Breathing is something our subconscious controls, but when we are disturbed or injured our breathing usually becomes quick and shallow. Most people take about thirteen breaths per minute when the suggested proper breathing rate (one that delivers the most oxygen and nutrients to our blood) is about six breaths per minute. My experience with meditation and mindfulness always focuses on breathing. Breathing that comes from the diaphragm, your Xi, a place in the center of your body, behind your navel.

The Greek word, pneuma, means breath. It also is the same word that the Greeks used for Spirit. As we breathe, we breathe in the Spirit and the Spirit gives us life. As God created Adam from the earth, He blew into him the breath of life. God's breath - Our Spirit!

Pastor Rob Bell of Mars Hill Bible Church has a series of videos entitled Nooma. In one of these videos, he talks about the early Hebrews and the name that they used for God. The name was so holy that they just used letters to identify God in their writings. The letters YHVH would be pronounced ya-heh-veh-heh (most of us say Yahweh, but there is no "w" sound in Hebrew). When said slowly they actually sound like a person taking breaths. It's an interesting concept that each time we breathe, we speak the name of God.

Breathing is another thing that we all take for granted! Try not breathing for a while and see how you do. Become aware of your breath and the rate at which you breathe today. Slow your breath down to the proper rate, breathe from your Xi and reflect on the idea that with your first breath you called out the name of God and with your last breath you will speak the name of God. All the while that we are alive we are filled with the Spirit.

Breathe, just breathe!