Breath Prayers for Advent
Teach us how to wait well / with defiance and compassion.
Hi friends,
Advent began on Sunday 1 December. I took a bit of time to compose 24 breath prayers for myself this year, so I thought I’d share those with you as the season begins. There are 24 breath prayers here, one for each day of Advent, but honestly you could just grab one or two that are meaningful to you and call it good. (I’m never a fan of putting a lot of pressure or expectation on yourself during this season.)
But before we jump into those, I thought I’d point you towards a couple of popular Advent essays I’ve written in years past, too.
And last year’s Advent 4-week series is still up and waiting for you, along with audio recordings for each:
24 Advent Breath Prayers
How to Practice Breath Prayers
Breath Prayer is an ancient form of prayer and it is easily adaptable. Simply choose one or two lines to meditate on and inhale and then exhale through them.
A Centring Practice to Begin
You can pray a breath prayer literally anywhere without any special rituals or whatever but I’ve found that I like to find a quiet corner for a few minutes and I usually start by lighting a candle.
Then just quietly become aware of your body. Sit in a way that is comfortable for you, a position that will allow you to take a deep breath in and out. Close your eyes.
Imagine a room or a place where you feel safe, your own sanctuary: it can be a real place or one that exists in your imagination. Imagine yourself in that sanctuary. Imagine the way the air smells and the way the light feels.
Breathe slowly and deeply while holding that place in your mind for a few moments, until you have all the details of it gathered around your soul.
You’ll enter into your time of prayer or meditation from within that sanctuary.
One historic form of breath prayer is known as The Jesus Prayer.
So, with that as an example, here’s how it works:
Inhale. Fill your whole self with breath. Feel the air in your lungs. And then pray aloud or to yourself:
“Lord Jesus Christ, son of God,”
Exhale slowly and fully.
“Have mercy on me, a sinner.”
And then simply repeat this practice. Start with ten good breaths in and out, with the words being spoken aloud or quietly held in your mind, it’s up to you. I often choose a couplet and just pray that one for a whole day, off and on. Don’t feel the need to pray these all at once lickety-split or in an order or to rush things or include all of them by any means.
Take what works, chuck the rest, and let yourself be loved, right where you are.
Now let’s begin.
New Breath Prayers for Advent
Each couplet of inhale/exhale stands is its own stand-alone prayer - you can choose one per day or one to use every day or just do whatever you like.