Question: What is the #1 tool in most people’s sculpting tool box?
Answer: Breath
Why?
1. It is always available, whether we are resting or running.
2. It is easy to use.
3. It is a powerful link between our thoughts and feelings, and our body.

Breath has been a sculpting tool used by Christians throughout history, assisting us in becoming quiet and open to the heart of God.

God created us to breathe without thinking (involuntary body function), yet gave us the ability to control breath (voluntary). This ability to choose the way we breathe gives us a key for controlling emotions and operations of the involuntary nervous system.

A few of the many benefits of intentional breathing practices that have been demonstrated in research:

Relates to lowering heart rate and blood pressure
Move from fight or flight response to rest and digest response
Reduce physical and psychological effects of stress
Lower anxiety
Better sleep
Reduces heart burn
Helps control panic attacks
Reduces asthma difficulties
Improved athletic performance
Boosts energy
Changes your brain wave states, especially to alpha and theta states

The Project:

Choice 1: Simply Pay Attention

Take a few minutes each day and simply pay attention to the way you are already breathing.

God’s gift of breath.

You do not need to change it, just watch it.
In this project you pay attention to your in-breath, your out-breath and the space in-between.
You begin by becoming aware of your breath somewhere in your body.
Then you pay attention to one breath.
Then you pay attention to a second breath, then adding a third.
When your mind wanders you just note the wandering and return to attending to the next breath.

Choice 2: Breathing On The Go

1. As you do activities pay attention to the way you are breathing.
2. Experiment with changing your breath to deeper, smoother and more regular.
Optional: add a mental prayer to your inhale and exhale. ( Inhale: Holy Spirit, Exhale: fill me with your ( joy…), or Inhale: Father, God, Exhale: I give myself to you.)

God formed Adam from “the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life.” Genesis 2:7