Late, late, late this week. So really we’ll have two tasks for the coming week. The first task is assigned today, the next task will, God willing, be ready for you on Saturday morn, as usual.

This week (week 4) we’re going to learn to breathe and to practice a very special form of prayer - the Lectio Divina.

Yes, I know you know how to breathe. Most of us have been doing that without any help since birth. However, most adults are not doing it properly. If you have ever watched a child breathe, you will notice that they breathe deeply and slowly. Their little tummies rise and fall with each breath. This is proper breathing. Most adults, especially in industrialised nations where stress is rampant, take very shallow breaths. Many of us even hold our breath without even realising it.

Shallow breathing causes a lack of CO2 in our bloodstream, which constricts the blood vessels. This in turn results in less blood being oxygenated and pushed through the arteries to our organs. A lack of oxygen weakens our immune system, inhibits metabolism, and prevents proper disposal of toxins in the body. This then can cause us to be susceptible to viral illnesses, sets up inflammation in the body, circulatory problems, cell damage and premature ageing. Interestingly, shallow breathing can also cause tension, irritability, brain fog, and anxiety - this is what creates the viscious cycle.

So how can we learn to breathe properly? It is a process and won’t neccessarily happen overnight. The first thing to do is to perform a breathing exercise first thing in the morning, and again throughout the day as you think of it. We have been practicing this technique with our children and noticed a dramatic difference in the level of hyperactivity. It is perfectly safe for both children and expecting Mamas.

Either stand or sit, keeping your back quite straight to allow for the greatest possible expansion of lungs and diaphragm.

1. Inhale for a count of four
2. Hold for a count of sixteen
3. Exhale for a count of eight
4. Take a deep, cleansing breathe ( you ladies may remember this from Lamaze!)
5. Repeat twice more.

You can increase the counts as your lungs regain capacity. Just be sure that your numbers are multiples of 1, 4, and 2 respectively. This is a superb exercise for people with breathing problems, it really does strengthen the lungs. And do not be surprised if you need to use the bathroom afterward. When we say cleansing, we mean it.

This breathing exercise will prepare you very well before practicing the Lectio Divina. St. Benedict, our family’s patron, made the “sacred reading” a cornerstone of monastic life. As a Benedictine family, it must also be a cornerstone of our family life. Lectio can be practiced alone or in a group (perhaps with older children who are able to sit) This is a wonderful tool to give them. It will help them to discern God’s call in their own lives and free them from stress and wordly pressures.

Lectio Divina:

I am deeply indebted to Father Kevin for teaching me how to practice this prayer correctly. It has enriched my spiritual life, my connection with God’s will for me, and my confidence that I am hearing His instruction for my life.
Prayer is an essential part of following this programme. We are seeking to be all that he wants us to be. We want our bodies to fulfill His will for us, but we must also know His will for us - including His will for our bodies, which He created. The more you practice Lectio, the more you will desire to do it. You will feel God’s call in your own life, and thus begin to feel free from wordly pressures. Sounds amazing, but it’s true. And that is what He wants. He wants us to focus on Him. He wants to teach us His will for our lives. He wants us to know Him, love Him, and serve Him in this life so that we can one day be happy with Him forever in Heaven.

There are three steps in Lectio Divina, and you should set aside at least one hour for its practice. You can pray the Lectio daily, but I recommend starting out weekly so that you don’t feel fatigued by it. When you are more comfortable with it, and more practiced, increase the frequency, if you wish. Start by making yourself comfortable, but not in danger of falling asleep. And ask God to open “the ears of your heart” ,as St. Benedict liked to say, so that you may, through this prayer time, truly hear His will for you. Next, choose a passage to pray. It is helpful to use a reading from the Liturgy of the Hours for the day on which you pray the Lectio. If you don’t have a copy, you can print a copy of the readings the day before. Alternatively, ask God to help you choose a passage, and open your Bible to any page, letting your eyes fall on a passage. He’ll guide you to the one He wants you to read.

Introductory Step - Lectio - the Reading
This step is done as part of each of the following steps. Sacred reading is done very differently than what we are generally accustomed to. We should approach this reading with deep reverence and desire to hear His will through the passage. If you are reading alone, do so very slowly. Allow the words to become clear, soft, and resonant. If you are praying a group Lectio, the reader should speak slowly and softly so that the rest of the group must attune themselves to the quiet and gentleness, so that they may ponder the reading in their hearts. Once the passage is read through, sit quietly for about 15 minutes. You may feel that a particular word or phrase has prominence for you with this the reading. Make note of it, while focusing on the passage.

Step 1 - Meditatio - Meditation

Read the passage. See if the passage creates a picture in your mind’s eye. Can you feel yourself in the passage? Do you hear a word or phrase that makes itself more obvious to you? Ponder that word or phrase as you sit quietly for 15 minutes, repeating the passage in your mind, or simply allowing those particular words swirl around in in your heart. Those outside thoughts that creep in are the ones that need to be offered up to Him. Let them come while meditating on your word or phrase. Allow God to speak those words from the passage to you this time.

Step 2 - Oratio - Prayer
Read the passage, as before, slowly and reverently. During the silence, take all your cares, worries, and experiences before God and ask Him to speak to you through the word or phrase you have been given. Empty your heart and soul before him. Softly repeat the word or phrase. Pray it during this time, it is a blessing for you. If you are quiet in your heart and mind, you will hear what He wants you to know.

Step 3 - Contemplatio - Contemplation

Read the passage one last time. Sit in silence, and be filled by and surrounded by His love. “Be still and know that I am God”. Just bask in His love and care during this last step. Understand that you have made His will your will and that He will care for you tenderly. He will never leave you comfortless. This last step is very much like an embrace. When we embrace someone we love, there is no fear, no mistrust. There is a dying to oneself in order to give all of ourselves to the other person in an act of love. When we hold an infant child, the love is palpable. We are completely absorbed in him or her. Words are seldom necessary. You have opened your heart and He can read it. Sit quietly and enjoy this time with your Heavenly Father.

If you have practiced a group Lectio, you may wish to share your experiences. This is especially true if you are helping children to understand the practice. Remember, however, it is not for us to assign meaning. We must rely on God and His listener to do that.

***Note: You may find it helpful to cover your head in a veil, or to wear a monastic robe, poncho or cape. Even a warm wrap or blanket can help to keep you comfortable and focused during your prayer time. It is a long time to sit still!

I hope that these tools will be helpful to you throughout the programme and especially during Christmastide when outside pressures can be so great. May God truly bless you and your family on your journey to physical and spiritual fitness.

Posted: 12|27|07 at 10:58 am. Filed under: from our hearth and home, Fit in 40.
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