Laurie Klein, Scribe

immerse in God, emerge refreshed

  • About
  • Books
  • Blog
    • Small Wonders
    • Soul Mimosas
    • Springboards
    • Wellsprings
    • BiblioDiva
  • Reveries
  • Links
  • Contact
  • Press Kit
  • Playlist

Sigh, Sigh, Sigh (& Stay Alive!)

by Laurie Klein 17 Chiming In

Sigh … audibly. Deeply. Frequently. (So says my fitness instructor)

Sigh: Take One

Dreamer’s latest angiogram date looms. After 5 bypasses, why are we here again? Dismay feels substantive enough to mold—like river sludge between cupped palms.

Sigh. Empty the hands, lift them in trusting surrender. 

An audible sigh re-inflates the vital, occasionally squashed alveoli within our lungs, keeping us alive.

So sigh some more.

A sigh alleviates stress. Research shows that 12 hourly sighs help us regroup, emotionally. Read more here.

  • Yes, bad news strikes, and fear makes us bristle, become thistle-y with those we love
  • Yes, sometimes even the air weighs on us, seemingly saturated with unshed tears
  • Yes, how easily we slide toward the sump of dread

Stalled out again,
going nowhere fast,
I remember
“nowhere”
plus the addition
of one slender space
becomes “now here.”

Presence. One slender pause—a breath, a hum, a prayer—invites a sacred recalibration. The built-in reset for body and soul.

Inhale. Sigh aloud. Repeat.

“there is a changing of everything —
when breath becomes prayer.”*

lauriekleinscribe logo

Richard Rohr teaches a simple breath prayer. Using the name YAHWEH for God: inhale, audibly voicing the YAH; exhale, audibly voicing the WEH.

I also like Dr. Andrew’s Weil’s calming breath exercise:

  • Exhale as much air as possible with a big whoosh
  • Place tongue behind upper teeth, inhale for an easy count of 4
  • Hold breath for a count of 7
  • Exhale audibly for a count of 8

Do this four times. As it becomes easier, increase to eight repetitions, twice a day.

I vary the 4-7-8 exercise by counting on my fingers, simultaneously humming or praying.

*Prayer, Ann Voskamp

Filed Under: Small Wonders Tagged With: breath, pause, prayer, presence, sigh, space, waiting February 15, 2018

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • RSS

Subscribe

Please enter your email address below to receive emails from Laurie twice a month.

Your information is safe with me. I will never spam you. Read my privacy policy here.

Hi, I’m Laurie.

  • Scribe for wonder
  • Contemplative author/artist
  • Reader/performer/speaker
  • Imagination maven
  • Biblio*Diva
  • Expert on chocolate raisins
  • Click here to read more.

House of 49 Doors: Entries in a Life

House of 49 Doors: Entries in a Life
Buy This Book Online
Buy from Amazon
House of 49 Doors: Entries in a Life
Buy now!

Where the Sky Opens, a Partial Cosmography

Where the Sky Opens, a Partial Cosmography
Buy This Book Online
Buy from Amazon
Where the Sky Opens, a Partial Cosmography
Buy now!

Recent Posts

  • Under the Primer
  • Hold Fast
  • Runaway
  • Wholehearted Lent
  • Listening to You Breathe

Categories

  • BiblioDiva
  • Immersions
  • Small Wonders
  • Soul Mimosas
  • Springboards
  • Wellsprings

Tags

adoption adventure attention Beauty blessing Blues change chosen contemplative cookies delight emergence Gift grace gratitude hidden hope joy light longing love Magi music nest pain peace pearls possibility praise prayer regret Risk shelf life soundings space star surrender Time transformation truth waiting wellspring wonder word yes

Copyright © 2025 Laurie Klein, Scribe Laurie Klein, Scribe All Rights Reserved Laurie Klein, Scribe Privacy Policy