Receiving God and Responding, in Breath Meditation: Praying at the Intersection of Christian Trinitarian Spirituality and the Breath Practice of Zen and Mindfulness

Christian Trinitarian theology of relational love can be put into motion in spirituality. Many persons seek a foundational or new experience of spirituality. For many, Christianity is at risk of losing its dynamism of Trinitarian love by being reduced to a collection of doctrines or moral teachings. Many approaches to spirituality are overly intellectual. Receiving God and Responding, In Breath Meditation introduces an innovative meditation method at the intersection of Christian life and Zen breathing. Zen breath meditation is the basis for Mindfulness practices, which have been so helpful to our contemporaries and prompts interest in spirituality. Persons who are familiar with Mindfulness practice will find Christian breath meditation both a complement to their current practice as well as an invitation to a new path of Christian spiritual practice. Our meditation practice enables the Christian practitioner to enter into ancient Christian spirituality and its loving prayer of the heart. Breath and Beloved are outlined in the foundational section, and relied on for application. Christian contemplative living is intimately related to God, our sisters and brothers, and care for Mother Earth.

Joseph Piccione holds a doctorate in theology (S.Th.D.) is from St Mary’s Seminary and University in Baltimore, MD, and the licentiate (S.Th.L.) from the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, DC, with a concentration in Christian living/moral theology. His practice has been in clinical bioethics in Catholic healthcare.