Before we begin

Observe the instructions below as you enter through the door

  • ·Laptop closed, every device off
  • ·Phones away, screens dark, headphones out
  • ·Let the room be quiet for the next few minutes

The work will still be here. Let us start somewhere else.

The practice

Breath Prayer

hands on your lap · feet on the floor · a slow breath

One short line, carried on the breath, repeated until it prays itself.

  • ·Take a line of your own, or take this one: Lord, hold the ship
  • ·Breathe in on the first half, out on the second
  • ·Let the circle on the next slide set the pace
  • ·When your mind wanders, begin again. That is the practice, not a failure

Spiritual Disciplines Handbook · Adele Ahlberg Calhoun · Part 7 · Pray

breathe

“Sailors do not abandon the ship because of the wind.
Attacked by the storm, they wait a while and resume sailing.”

Amma Syncletica

Her longer image: those who set out to sea first enjoy a favourable wind, and then meet a contrary one.

Amen.

Open your laptops. Let’s begin.