God created us to experience joy and peace. We need both. Joy is high energy (sympathetic nervous system), Peace is low energy (parasympathetic nervous system). We experience both joy and peace as we learn to be with Immanuel, Jesus with us. We feel joy when we experience that Immanuel is glad to be with us, and we feel peace when we take a breather - practicing solitude and silence. Peace is shalom, the sense that God is working out what is best for me - I may not know when or how. It’s a sense we get when everything is in the right relationship, at the right time, and in the right place. We can cultivate this in our lives through the practice of quieting.

Breath Prayer
Breath Prayer involves slow breathing - inhaling through the nose (imagine enjoying the aroma of your favorite soup), then exhaling pursing your lips (like you are blowing out a candle). As we do this we notice our breathing. The Hebrew word for breath is “ruach” which is the same word for “spirit”. When we notice our breathing we focus our attention on Holy Spirit’s presence.