Breath as Prayer - Review

Breath as Prayer: Calm Your Anxiety, Focus Your Mind, and Renew Your Soul

By: Jennifer Tucker

Publication: August 16th 2022 by Thomas Nelson

208 pages

Genre: Non-fiction, Christian, Devotions

Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!)

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Goodreads description--Find hope amid anxiety through the spiritual practice of breath prayer in this beautifully illustrated and practical guide to connecting body, mind, and spirit during times of stress.

Breath as Prayer will lead you through the practice and the proven health benefits of Christian breath prayer: intentional prayers centered around Scripture that focus our minds on Christ as we calm our bodies through breathing.

Breath as Prayer offers:

More than 80 breath prayers focused on Scripture, along with brief meditations
Gorgeous original full-color illustrations
A quick-start how-to guide to refer to as needed
Guidance on how to implement a breath prayer practice
The science behind breath work and prayer and why it works
An invitation to reflect on the effect of breath prayers on your body
With a beautiful foil-accented cover, Breath as Prayer is an ideal gift for:

Anyone experiencing stress, anxiety, or fear
Grief and anxiety support groups
Prayer groups and prayer ministries
Men and women looking for new avenues for connecting with God
Teens and young adults dealing with stress and anxiety
Adult baptism and confirmation
God created our bodies, minds, and spirits to be intimately connected with one another. Purpose-filled breathing is one of the most effective, calming ways to integrate all aspects of who we are, especially during times of intense stress. Breath as Prayer invites you to the crossroads of Christian contemplative practice, Scripture, psychology, and science to deepen your faith, bring peace to your body, and discover a new reliance on Christ.

Breathe deeply, lean into God's Word, and discover why every breath can be an invitation to pray.

I first became exposed to the idea of breath as prayer or breath prayers back in April of 2022. I saw a post on Facebook shared by a page called A David Paul but written by Sandra Thurman Caporale. I'll try to insert a screenshot of that Facebook post at the end of this blog post. Anyway, the idea became utterly fascinating to me, and so when I saw Breath as Prayer by Jennifer Tucker available for review on NetGalley, I knew I had to request this book. And I am so, so glad that I did.

Jennifer Tucker didn't create the concept of breath prayers, and she doesn't claim to have done so either. From what I understand, the concept has been around for quite some time. But I do think she has a unique take on the concept of aligning your physical breath with your spiritual health. She takes the approach of how anxiety and stress cause havoc on the body in a physical and spiritual sense and offers a solution to those results with deep breathing combined with Scripture prayers.

I don't really consider myself to be an anxious person. I have certainly had period of anxiety in my life. Specifically, my thoughts go to the year we spent living with my parents while our house was being remodeled. Several times during that year we faced some higher than usual periods of stress related to our contractors, to the amount of time we were spending on the road, to behavior patterns in our children, to lack of nurturing our marriage during this season. The stress was so high at times that I found myself holding my breath and then almost gasping for air. I would go through weeks at a time when I felt my breathing patterns were off. I didn't feel like I could get a good breath. I felt out of sync or as Jennifer Tucker aptly describes "in a state of dysfunction." The concepts in this book would have helped me tremendously through these seasons, but I also know that the seasons will change and likely we will face other stressful and challenging times where I can continue to apply these principles in the future.

I enjoyed this book so much that I bought a physical copy to send to a lady that we go to church with who struggles with anxiety before I even finished the book. I knew based on what I'd read that she could benefit from this book. I usually don't purchase books I've read for review. It takes a special book for me to be confident enough that I will re-read it enough to purchase it. But I know this is a book I will reference and re-read more than once. And I can see myself gifting it to just about anyone else I come in contact with that I find out is struggling with anxiety. It's just that good.

Giving Breath as Prayer by Jennifer Tucker a 5-Star rating might be the easiest book rating I've had this entire year. I don't think there was a single thing I disliked about this book. And the fact that I desire to re-read, reference, and buy as a gift for others speaks volumes to me. I highly recommend it. Have you read Breath as Prayer? What did you think? Let me know!