Breathe In, Breathe Out
“As long as my breath is in me and the spirit of God is in my nostrils...”
I wish I were more meditative. One reason I strive to make meditation part of my daily routine is that I would be better able to handle uncomfortable situations. For example, I don’t like snakes, and I am not thrilled with heights or confined spaces, but I have held a bag of snakes, shingled roofs, and shimmied through a narrow cave entrance. What I cannot rationally overcome are needles, and especially having blood drawn. It can be my blood or someone else’s blood, and my first response is to get lightheaded and even, on a couple of occasions, pass out. Even the smell of the alcohol swab can be a dizzying trigger. Now, imagine your pastor coming to console you in the hospital and passing out at the sight of your IV!
Over the years, hospitals have become more tolerable, and while I refuse to look at a shot or the IV puncturing my skin or that of another, I no longer pass out or even become dizzy. Part of my improvement is from the sheer number of shots I’ve received through the years. I am even required to give myself a shot every other week now. (Thank goodness it is an EpiPen and I don’t have to see the needle.) Another part of my improvement has been in focusing on controlling my breathing. Meditation comes in handy by controlling my breathing.
I never sit on a floor, cross-legged with my index and middle fingers touching, and sing “ohm.” But I do regularly sit quietly, focus on slowing my breathing, breathing deeper, and attempt to empty my mind of all thoughts. Meditation helps lessen anxiety and regain a sense of control over my body and the external situations I must experience. I also use an app that provides guided meditation. The app sets the timer, and someone else guiding the process allows me to focus on my breathing.
Breathing is central to all activity. If you ain’t breathin’, you ain’t livin’. But more than that, I was a cross-country runner in high school, and being a runner required me to control my breathing, getting it into a rhythm, so that the timing of my stride and the breathing in through my nostrils and out through my mouth flowed easily. Once a runner gets the timing and flow down, whether running slowly or sprinting, the running becomes more successful. You can bench press significantly more weight when you breathe in as you lower the weight to your chest and exhale as you push the weight up. The same is true with prayer. The more meditative you become in your prayer, the more you can relax, relieve anxiety, and focus on your soul and God’s still small voice. Today, pray by focusing on your breathing, because practice brings your prayers a deeper meaning. Your prayer life will improve, just as a runner who can now run faster and longer. Plus, your own phobia will no longer have control over your life!
