Hello,
And welcome to Methods,
An exploration in guided prayer and meditation.
We're continuing with our season 2 focus on the breath as a basis for future prayer and meditations.
This week,
We're using what is called a three-phrase cycle.
In this method,
A certain phrase paired with an exhale has a slightly different feel than that same phrase paired with an inhale.
When we have a three-phrase cycle,
One approach is to simply rotate through all three sentences.
The result of this is that each phrase gets connected to both inhales and exhales.
We can experience,
Therefore,
What those phrases feel like as we say them or think them.
Today we will practice two different three-phrase cycles.
These phrases are based in the Christian contemplative tradition and thus are Christocentric.
You can,
Of course,
Replace them with something more to your liking.
The method goes like this.
Begin in your typical prayer or meditation posture and setting.
Breathe a cleansing breath in through your nose and a slow breath out through your mouth.
Do this three more times on your own.
With your next inhale,
Say silently or aloud,
Christ was born.
With your next exhale,
Christ has died.
With your next inhale,
Christ will come again.
Continue this pattern,
Working your way through the entire cycle.
Christ was born.
Christ has died.
Christ will come again.
When you are ready,
Release the phrases.
Wordlessly,
Enjoy some much needed quiet time with God.
More silence.
.
Spend some time when your practice is done.
Considering the omnipresence of God,
God is everywhere and we do not have to carry him with us,
As he carries us and must be discovered in every new place.
Nicholas of Cusa,
A Catholic mystic,
Says that God is an infinite circle whose center is everywhere and whose circumference is nowhere.
We are now going to implement part two of this practice.
Breath does not have to be a two-part process.
We can create a three-count in our breath by pausing for a moment,
Holding the breath as we consider a phrase.
Holding the breath is an interesting thing.
It creates a distant and deeply submerged sort of terror.
It's similar to a small fast.
Breathing,
Like eating,
Is a requirement and so to abstain for a time from either one is to confront our physical limitations and our animal nature.
Some of this emotional intensity may transfer itself to the feelings associated with the phrases.
The method goes like this.
You should already be in your meditative or prayer posture from the previous exercise,
So just relax more fully into it.
Breathe slowly.
Soften your breath.
With your next inhale,
Think,
Here I am,
God.
As you exhale,
Think,
Here you are,
God.
Holding your breath,
Think,
Here we are,
Together.
Repeat the process with the inhale,
Here I am,
God.
With the exhale,
Here you are,
God.
Holding the breath,
Here we are,
Together.
Give most of the time in your practice today to these three steps.
Breathing,
Like breathing,
Here I am,
God.
With your next inhale,
Think,
Here we are,
Together.
With your next inhale,
Think,
Here we are,
Together.
With your next inhale,
Think,
Here we are,
Together.
With your next inhale,
Think,
Here we are,
Together.
With your next inhale,
Think,
Here we are,
Together.
With your next inhale,
Think,
Here we are,
Together.
With your next inhale,
Think,
Here we are,
Together.
When you are ready,
Release these words.
Resume a normal two-part breathing pattern without holding the breath.
Enjoy a time of further solitude with God.
Enjoy a time of further solitude with God.
Enjoy a time of further solitude with God.
When you are ready,
Slowly open your eyes and come back to the room.
Throughout your day,
Know that you are here,
And God is here,
And you are here,
Together.
Thank you for participating in this episode of Methods.
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Until next time.
