breath

Usually, air is invisible. Though it is not clearly seen, its influence is made known by the things it holds and the objects it moves. Similarly, the influence of our prayer is usually not immediately known. We ask God for things, and we don’t always get them. We cry out to the universe, and we are unsure if our anguish is heard. We send good intentions toward others, and yet they are not always visibly healed, nor do we always do the good we may intend. Nonetheless, both air and prayer are real. Though most often invisible and unknown, the fire and fruit of their influence really does hold and move things in the world.

It may seem counterintuitive that the wisdom that ‘prayer is movement’ arises from a contemplative practice of stillness and silence. But one of the first things I discovered in the practice of stillness and silence, is that there’s no such thing as stillness. As soon as I learned to still my external and internal movements; I began to notice the small yet constant movement of my breath.