Breathing into the New Year
25 Breath Prayers for 2025
Toward the end of 2023, I had a panic attack. This is rare for me. I can count on one hand how many times I’ve had such an experience. But that season of life was uniquely pressurized and frenzied. An overwhelming task list, an unruly calendar, and self-imposed expectations combined to create an untenable situation. Something had to give. As I sat in my car, unable to catch my breath, I was confronted with frightening reality that my body that was crumbling beneath the weight of it all.
As we arrive at the end of 2024, I find myself in a much better place. The task list is still long, the calendar is still full, and I still carry the burden of expectations. But I’ve learned to breathe. Literally.
Up until that panic attack late last year, I’d known about and sporadically practiced breath prayers. But on that day, praying as breathing and breathing as praying stabilized me in a way that I’m not sure much else could have. It was such a powerfully visceral experience of saving grace that I haven’t stopped. For over a year now, I’ve practiced breath prayers throughout the day and it’s formative power is just as profound today as it was in my car on that first day.
Breath prayers are an ancient yet accessible practice. Maybe the most accessible prayer practice available to us. Anyone who breathes, meaning anyone who is alive, has full and complete access to one tool necessary.
Breath prayers are simple, repetitive prayers we say aloud or ponder in our hearts and minds in parallel with our physical breathing. It’s a way of anchoring our deep inhale and exhale on the truth that God is as near to us as the air passing through our bodies, energizing, enlivening, and sustaining us.
Breath prayers are not mere words we speak; they are prayers we embody, prayers that integrate our spiritual, emotional, mental, and spiritual selves. In a culture run on productivity, we pray as a way to catch our breath, pause, and relax into the presence of God which is always available and all around.
Here are 25 simple breath prayers for the New Year. I hope a few are helpful to you.
A Breath Prayer for Burnout
Inhale: “I am weary.”
Exhale: “Renew my strength.”
A Breath Prayer for Stress
Inhale: “Your peace within.”
Exhale: “Your peace around.”
A Breath Prayer for Anxiety
Inhale: “You hold the future.”
Exhale: “Teach me to trust.”
A Breath Prayer for Isolation
Inhale: “You see me here.”
Exhale: “You never leave me here.”
A Breath Prayer for Loneliness
Inhale: “You are near.”
Exhale: “I am never alone.”
A Breath Prayer for Fear
Inhale: “Even in this valley.”
Exhale: “You are with me.”
A Breath Prayer for Uncertainty
Inhale: “I don’t know what lies ahead.”
Exhale: “But You go before me.”
A Breath Prayer for Grief
Inhale: “My heart aches.”
Exhale: “Hold me in Your grace.”
A Breath Prayer for Comparison
Inhale: “I long for more.”
Exhale: “Teach me contentment.”
A Breath Prayer for F.O.M.O. (Fear of Missing Out)
Inhale: “You are my portion.”
Exhale: “I lack nothing.”
A Breath Prayer for Exhaustion
Inhale: “Restore my spirit.”
Exhale: “Renew my soul.”
A Breath Prayer for Workaholism
Inhale: “Help me to stop.”
Exhale: “Teach me to trust.”
A Breath Prayer for Hyper-Productivity
Inhale: “What profit is ‘the world’?”
Exhale: “Teach me to regain my soul.”
A Breath Prayer for Cynicism
Inhale: “Renew my hope.”
Exhale: “Expand my imagination.”
A Breath Prayer for Melancholy
Inhale: “Light of the world.”
Exhale: “Shine into the darkness.”
A Breath Prayer for Insecurity
Inhale: “I am safe.”
Exhale: “I am secure.”
A Breath Prayer for Identity Crisis
Inhale: “Who am I?”
Exhale: “I am Yours.”
A Breath Prayer for Boredom
Inhale: “Life is a gift.”
Exhale: “Open my eyes to see.”
A Breath Prayer for Expectations
Inhale: “Earthly success fades.”
Exhale: “Your love is forever.”
A Breath Prayer for Fear of Failure
Inhale: “You hold tomorrow.”
Exhale: “I am unafraid.”
A Breath Prayer for Overcommitment
Inhale: “Guide my priorities.”
Exhale: “Help me choose wisely.”
A Breath Prayer for Consumerism
Inhale: “I surrender my desires.”
Exhale: “I trust Your provision.”
A Breath Prayer for Shame
Inhale: “I am forgiven.”
Exhale: “I am free.”
A Breath Prayer for Hopelessness
Inhale: “All seems lost.”
Exhale: “Be my hope.”
A Breath Prayer for Love
Inhale: “I am loved.”
Exhale: “Teach me to love.”