Description: Christine Valters Paintner, abbess of Abbey of the Arts, introduces us to the spiritual practice of breath prayer and offers beautiful poem-prayers for walking, working, dressing, cleaning, sitting in silence, doing the dishes, living in community--breathing the divine into our daily lives.
Brief description: Christine Valters Paintner is the online abbess at the Abbey of the Arts, a virtual global monastery without walls, offering retreats, classes, books, and resources to nurture contemplative practice and creative expression. A writer, artist, spiritual director, retreat facilitator, and teacher, she earned her PhD in Christian spirituality from the Graduate Theological Union at Berkeley and is a Registered Expressive Arts Consultant and Educator (REACE). Paintner is author of The Artist's Rule: Nurturing Your Creative Soul with Monastic Wisdom. She and her husband, John, live on the west coast of Ireland, where together they shepherd Abbey of the Arts and lead pilgrimages.
Review Quotes:
"Breath prayer--harmonizing the sacred rhythm of the body with words that sing to the soul--is a practice both ancient and universal. Christine Valters Paintner has blessed us with an insightful guide to reclaiming this practice of the heart, in every moment and setting of the day." --Carl McColman, author of Eternal Heart and The Big Book of Christian Mysticism
"This book is an invitation to the sacred intimacy of breath prayer, welcoming us to the grace and stillness available in the here and now. Slowing down, we become a healing presence in our own life and the lives of others. Such is the gift of this book." --Ando, spiritual director, silence coach, and poet
"In this lovely book, from one of the most profound spiritual writers of our time, Christine Valters Paintner invites us into the ancient, yet ever-new practice of breath prayer--linking it to breathing in the sacredness of the holy ordinary of our daily lives. What a blessing this book is." --J. Brent Bill, author of Holy Silence and Sacred Compass