In this blog, we are going to take a look at the practice of breathwork. What exactly is breathwork and how is it beneficial to us? We are also going to look at verses about breath in the Bible and find out what the Bible says about the breath of God.
As Christians living in the 21st century, it can sometimes seem that we have no choice but to go at a breakneck speed, trying to catch up to everything and everyone around us. But this isn't true. Let's remember what Paul said about the way that we should live our lives: "Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit." Galatians 5:25 Keeping in step with the Spirit means understanding the pace of God. It means finding the pace that is well-fitting, neither too fast nor too slow. Not racing or dawdling, but listening, intuiting and feeling the way that He wants us to live. I have practiced breathwork many times in my life, and much of it is innate. If we are feeling stressed by a certain situation and wondering what to do, we will breathe in and out deeply. It is part of our nature, but if we look a little more into some breathwork practices, we will find that they have physiological and emotional benefits. Since discovering the 478 breathing method, I have begun to use that when I am feeling overwhelmed and need a burst of energy. You can read more about this method here.
Healthline.com defines breathwork as "different breathing techniques, programs, and exercises. All of these exercises focus on your conscious awareness of your inhales and exhales. These exercises use deep, focused breathing that lasts a specific amount of time." There are several different types including box breathing, diaphragmatic breathing, pursed lip breathing and alternate nostril breathing. The emphasis with all of these different methods is to gain a sense of control of your breathing, to become mindful by slowing down and paying attention to your body as it responds to the different types of breathwork. Your body will reap the rewards by being flooded with oxygen. Breathwork will help you to relax, lower your heart rate, lower your blood pressure and improve your core muscle stability.
The significance of breath echoes throughout the Bible. Right back at the beginning, when God created the world, He spoke things into being. When God created Adam and Eve, He put the breath of life into them: "The Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature". Genesis 2:7 God breathed life into Adam because He is the giver of life. It all starts with Him. When we practice breathwork, we are connecting again to Him, the One who came before all things. 2 Timothy 3:16 tells us that: "All Scripture is breathed out by God", so not only did He breathe life into the first human beings ever to walk the planet, He breathed out scripture, the words that have inspired countless millions of believers over the years. When Jesus walked the earth, He breathed on His disciples as a way of anointing them with the Holy Spirit, so we see here that breathing can be a way of bestowing a gift. "Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that, He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit." John 20:21-22 Breath is also used in the Bible to signify change and power. "For He will come like a pent-up flood that the breath of the Lord drives along." Isaiah 59:19
There is something primal in breathing. It is the first thing we do when we are born. It is the most important action, that we repeat over and over again throughout our whole lives. It is an automatic reflex that keeps us alive. We fall asleep but we still breathe. The act of breathing sustains us from the day we are born until the day that we die. Breathing speaks of birth because it is where things first begin. When God speaks, He creates. "Let there be light", He said, and there was light. When it came to healing, reinstating, and bringing back to life, Jesus spoke. He breathed the words of life and changed the world forever.
The incredible passage of Ezekiel 37 shows how words bring forth life. Take a moment to read it now if you can. In this vision, the prophet sees beyond the hopeless reality of the situation. Words literally clothe the bones with flesh and put breath in their lungs: "I will put breath in you, and you will come to life."
The very act of breathing is a signifier of life. And since we are co-creators with God, doesn't that also mean that we get to co-create with God? To call things into being with our words too? (Rom. 4:17) With our breath, we get to give glory to God, to release all of our pent-up stress, to be mindful and thankful for each day that we live on this planet. We get to speak hope into situations, to speak life over our friends and family. We get to call things into being as God does, and speak creative words of life over jobs, situations, illness and despair. We remember that it all comes back to Him, the One who gave us life right at the beginning, and every day our breath is His, to speak forth hope into a fallen world. We consider our breathing because we are sons and daughters of the Most High God and it is not in our DNA to be weighed down, stressed or rushed. We give Him our breath and along with that, all the words that we will utter in our lifetime. "The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life." Job 33:4 We hope that this blog has encouraged you to think about Bible verses about breath and how they can help us on our walk today. We hope it also gives you a reason to take a moment to appreciate the breath of God in your lungs. Photos by Wolfgang Hasselmann on Unsplash
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