A Six Second Breath
Greetings SOS Participants and Alumni,
In our recent January retreat with Cohort 13, we had a wonderful opportunity to learn and practice the Welcoming Prayer together. The Welcoming Prayer is a beautiful and powerful tool for letting go and receiving grace for the moment. The trouble is that the moments when we need it most are often the moments we are least likely to have this prayer at the forefront of our minds.
Let’s pause now and practice a simple way to help us remember the Welcoming Prayer in the moments we most need to welcome God’s grace in our lives.
Take a moment to settle back in a relaxed posture.
Close your eyes.
Take a deep breath.
Now count slowly to six.
Exhale slowly.
How do you feel in this moment?
Do you notice anything different than before you took that 6 second breath?
It’s amazing how fast six seconds goes by, and yet when we are intentional about focusing on our breath for just that tiny moment, it’s as if the whole world has a chance to pause and reset. Whatever thoughts and emotions were racing through our mind only a moment ago have been stopped in their tracks and we now have an opportunity to intentionally choose how to re-engage them, or even which thoughts or emotions to re-engage at all.
Friends, welcome to the 6a window. This is what we talked about in that beautiful diagram of the human condition, the moment when the Welcoming Prayer opens our hearts and lives to the transforming work of the Holy Spirit in the moment right before we instinctively react to our circumstances and go off the rails.
You know it’s coming. You feel your heart beating a little faster, your breathing growing shorter, your chest or throat tightening, perhaps a slight ache in your head. One, or perhaps more than one of your energy centers have been triggered. Your security has been threatened. You crave approval or affirmation no matter what it takes to get it. You feel like you’re losing control of the present moment.
You are in the window. You have about 6 seconds before all the bells and whistles go off and perhaps you say or do something you’ll regret. Even if you bottle it all up inside, your silent reaction still adds another groove to the damaging tapes playing over and over again in your head.
It’s not easy to remember to practice the welcoming prayer in such challenging moments. Perhaps it would be easier to breathe. What if you could train your brain to associate those alarms and triggers with a relaxing six second breath instead of the high stress that comes from trying to protect whichever energy center feels threatened.
Six seconds doesn’t seem long, but it’s long enough to remind us of the welcoming prayer.
It’s long enough to let go our desire for security.
It’s long enough to let go our desire for approval.
It’s long enough to let go our desire for control.
So the next time you feel triggered, welcome your breath. Welcome the Holy Spirit. Welcome the love and presence of God and the healing action and grace within.
Welcome. Welcome. Welcome.
Which of the three energy centers is triggered most often for you; security, approval, or control?
What do you feel in your body when those needs or desires arise?
How has the welcoming prayer practice helped you reset in these moments?
How might this simple six second breath help you deepen the welcoming prayer practice when you most need it in your life? After trying it out, you may want to take a few moments at the end of the day to write and reflect on how your feelings may have shifted during those six seconds.
Craig J. Sefa
School of the Spirit retreat team
Contact Craig through his website, “Echo,” at https://craigsefa.org or by email at sefacj@gmail.com.
LET’S CONNECT
I would be honored to talk if you would like to have a conversation partner on how you sense God inviting you to more fully engage the Welcoming Prayer practice into your life. Email me, and we can set up a time. Scroll down to view upcoming offerings.
❤️Ashley
Ashley Pickerel Thomas, School of the Spirit Missioner
(704) 408-4248 | ashleygpthomas@icloud.com
Upcoming Offerings
Lenten Retreat: open to alum, their congregations, and friends.
Friday/Saturday, March 17-18: The Spiritual & Psychological Value of Knowing & Being Known through Examination, Confession, & Celebration. Learn more and register here
Alumni Fall Refresher: October 2-3, Living in Sacred Balance: The Journey Toward an Undivided Life in the Kingdom. Registration open. Learn more and register here.
Second Mile Mentoring
Second Mile Mentoring is an opportunity for SOS alumni who desire to share the contemplative practices they have learned with their community of faith. More info here
Creating space for God to strengthen souls and nurture growth toward vibrant wholeness in Christ for the sake of others.
