Seventeen

"Encourage the patient and all those present to focus on the breathing and to take in as deep a breath as possible without causing distress or pain. As they breathe, remind them that breathing is what unites all living things and that even plants and bacteria breathe. Remind them that in breathing they bring in what it is bodies need (oxygen) and get rid of that which bodies do not need (carbon dioxide and other impurities).

Explain that those present can also use this breathing to bring in what our spirits need. Lead them gently on a breathing meditation wherein as they breathe in air they also imagine that they are breathing in various good things that are needed for spirits to be at peace—light, energy, peace, goodness, compassion, love, hope, strength, etc. As they exhale encourage them to exhale (get rid of) those things that are holding their spirits back—darkness, tiredness, anxiety, worry, anger, hate, fear, weakness, etc.

Encourage them to concentrate on this breathing in and out for several minutes. Then tell them that they can come back to this simple meditation any time they need to, and to imagine each time that they are breathing in the good and breathing out the problems. Also remind them that each time they use this method, know that all of their loved ones are also breathing with them and in fact all of creation is breathing with them. They are connected to all that is living."

Breathing Exercise for Life and Death from At the Deathbed: Using Symbols and Rituals To Connect with the Spiritual in Times of Death and Grieving
~ Rev David Laurance Bieniek ~