By Claudia Mair Burney
So you have fibromyalgia syndrome…
If you’re like me and over five million other Americans—many of us women—you hurt. All over. As if the widespread pain of fibromyalgia syndrome isn’t enough, your sleep patterns have probably grown increasingly chaotic. Chronic restlessness and its twin, unrelenting fatigue, have likely dragged depression into your life. None of them go easily. You may find every little thing you do, including praying, has becomes more difficult.
If you’re reading this, help is on the way. I’ve discovered a way to connect with God, intimately, even when I feel like one, big, tired ache: breath prayers. Almost anyone can pray them. And you can do so no matter how bad the fibro flare.
What are breath prayers?
Breath prayers are short bursts of praise or petition that can be prayed, whether you do so aloud or not, in a single breath. The most famous breath prayer is the Jesus Prayer, which the anonymous seeker practiced in the classic, The Way of a Pilgrim. Here are the instructions the pilgrim’s teacher offered:
“Sit down in silence. Lower your head, shut your eyes, breathe out gently, and imagine yourself looking into your own heart. Carry your mind, that is, your thoughts, from your head to your heart. As you breathe out, say, ‘Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.’ Say it moving your lips gently, or simply say it in your mind. Try to put all other thoughts aside. Be calm, be patient, and repeat the process very frequently.”
Using whatever deep breathing technique that feels comfortable to you, try these ten breath prayers to soothe body and soul. Repeat them as often as you wish, and later, try making up your own. Keep it simple and personal. You can even pray your favorite short verses of scripture if your confidence in creating your own breath prayers wavers.
Claudia Mair Burney is the author of Wounded: A Love Story, a novel about a young woman with fibromyalgia and bipolar disorder, who miraculously receives the passion wounds of Christ. She was diagnosed with fibro in 2005, and still prays daily, “Thy will be done.”
