When I breathe in,

I’ll breathe in peace.

When I breathe out,

I’ll breathe out love.

Breathe in, Breathe out,

Breathe in, Breathe out

• Sarah Dan Jones

I’ve written about the hymn #1009 before and this month geared towards asking ‘what does it mean to be a people of attention?’ is calling me to write about “Meditation on Breathing” again.  For as the DRE for SoulMatters, Katie Covey, writes “We turn our attention to our breath to find our center. We turn our attention to our breath to find freedom from worry so that we may turn our attention to other people’s pain.”   This time I’ll share the composer’s own reflection on the song found on the blog “Notes from the Far Fringe” (link is external)

“The song has since taken on a life of its own…When folks talk to me about it (like when I sing it when visiting out), they range from parents using it to sing their kids to sleep, adults using it in meditation, hospice choirs. Once, a man told me about how he and his husband had purchased two pigmy goats – they were in the back seat being driven to their new home and making all kinds of noises. The men started singing the chant and the goats calmed down (I often tell that story and note how the chant is multi-species!!).” – Sarah Dan Jones

With full breath and full love,

Your Director of Music – Ebee Bromley