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New every morning is your love, great God of light, and all day long you are working for good in the world. Stir up in us desire to serve you, to live peacefully with our neighbors and all your creation, and to devote each day to your Son, our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

"A Liturgy for Morning Prayer," Upper Room Worshipbook

Used by permission from the Book of Common Worship, © 2018 Westminster John Knox Press. All rights reserved. This prayer appears in “A Liturgy for Morning Prayer” in Upper Room Worshipbook.

Holy Listening with Breath, Body, and the Spirit

Whitney R. Simpson • November 2016

BUY Print $12.99

BUY eBook (Available in ePub or Kindle) $9.99

Many of us long to hear God's voice, yet we often overlook the great wisdom God gave us in our bodies. There is a deep connection between our bodies and spirits.

What might happen if we listened more deeply to the wisdom of our bodies? How might listening with our whole selves change the way we listen to God?

A stroke at age 31 forced Whitney Simpson to slow down and listen more deeply to her body. In the process she discovered how to listen more deeply to God. During her journey of healing and wholeness, Whitney explored ancient practices that she found helpful in connecting her body and spirit, including:

  • lectio divina (meditative reading of scripture)
  • yoga
  • breath prayer
  • aromatherapy

Listening to God with the entire body, not simply with our ears, may seem like a strange concept. Yet God created the body and the breath as gifts for us to explore. Most important, we don't have to experience a crisis to learn to listen to God's activity in and around us. Each of us can slow down and listen for God just as we are—in breath, body, and spirit.

This 40-day guide to holy listening offers daily meditations that can be completed in as little as 30 minutes. Each meditation includes scripture, yoga postures, a breath prayer, suggested essential oils, and reflection questions. The book provides descriptions and simple illustrations of yoga poses and suggests seated poses as modifications for all poses, making it accessible to both experienced yoga practitioners and those new to yoga.

Allow this book to invite you on a journey of holy listening as you explore ancient tools and new ways of experiencing the presence of God.


Deaconess Whitney R. Simpson is the Founder of Exploring Peace Ministries. She is a soul care practitioner, helping others reach their fullest human potential as they explore the gift of God’s peace. Whitney is a trained spiritual director, experienced yoga and meditation teacher, and the author of Holy Listening with Breath, Body, and the Spirit and Fully Human, Fully Divine: An Advent Devotional for the Whole Self. Whitney holds space for others to meet God through embodied spirituality and the ministry of spiritual formation. Discover more of her ministry offerings at ExploringPeace.com. You can connect with Whitney directly at WhitneyRSimpson.com.

ISBN: 978-0-8358-1631-1

Kindle ISBN: 978-0-8358-1632-8

EPub ISBN: 978-0-8358-1633-5

Imprint: Upper Room

Pub Date: November 2016

Trim Size: 7.5 in (w) x 9.25 in (h) x 0.291 in (d)

Page Count: 136

BISAC Categories: RELIGION / Christian Living / Spiritual Growth

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