“My biggest win with Closer Than Breath has been a tremendous sense of peace and gentleness with myself and others, and a sense of connection with a beautiful community.”
My name is Lynn Keiner and I have been practicing centering prayer on a regular basis since 2020, which is when I met Keith. That was during the pandemic which was a frightening time for everyone.
I had left my regular church and I was attending a little chapel with some sisters, but then they no longer did mass. Church was not doing it for me anymore. It does not really speak to how I see the divine.
It is awesome that I am now with people who are of the same mind.
In Closer Than Breath, we do not all think the same, but we are focused on seeing the goodness of the divine. We are all focused on making that connection and when we sit in silence, which is the ultimate prayer, the feeling is amazing.
It is an amazing feeling. We care about each other and we know each other better than people that we know physically, even though we have only seen them on calls.
People share very intimate things from the heart, and they feel safe because they know that everyone will respect them and honor what they have to say. That is what a faith community should be.
I think that Closer Than Breath has helped me grow spiritually.
I have learned so much and it gives you a whole new way of viewing everything. I have become less involved in organized religion as a result.
I go to mass occasionally. It is nice to see other people, but they are all old. There is nobody young in church anymore, so I was ripe for Closer Than Breath.
I even wrote Keith an email and said that Closer Than Breath is my church now! It could be your mosque or your temple. It could be your synagogue. It could be whatever you want it to be. It is my gathering place.
Closer Than Breath is absolutely worth it. When you belong to a church, a mosque, or a temple, you are going to give donations.
Closer Than Breath is worth every penny, and it is really not much money. Obviously you have to support organizations that are beneficial, and it is such a beneficial organization. The courses are worth every penny.
I have recommended Closer Than Breath. I do it all the time! I think that anyone who is seeking will benefit. You do not need to have any sort of faith background at all, or you could be from any faith tradition and you will fit in.
Anyone who comes upon the Closer Than Breath website will be happy there. If you are seeking, you will be happy, and you will find what you have been looking for.
“My biggest win since joining Closer Than Breath is acceptance. By that, I mean acceptance of myself, and acceptance of others who might have different views from mine.”
My name is Robert Currie, and I have been practicing centering prayer for about 15 years now. The thing that motivated me to join Closer Than Breath was wanting to go a little bit deeper with the centering prayer practice.
Meditation practice is one of these things that gives us an opportunity to create a little space. I was looking for a way to deepen that sense of spaciousness in my life.
I think that this spaciousness has increased in this short time that I have been working with Closer Than Breath.
Closer Than Breath takes a different approach to their centering prayer gatherings than the one that I do here locally.
There is a short reading, then we sit and meditate, or contemplate. They end the session with the same reading, and then there is a pause to see if anyone is willing to share.
We might sit there for several minutes in silence before somebody chooses to bring something forward. In this setting, it’s perfect. We allow the time for something to rise up in a person.
I am starting to own the fact that I shine in the world. I do not naturally see myself in that way. It is not the way I was brought up, or what I learned through my education.
I am retired now, but I have seen in a work setting how people could see so much more in me than I felt in myself. This is one of the things that has really been growing during my time with Closer Than Breath.
The first thing that attracted me to Closer Than Breath was the diversity in age and race during the Centering Prayer Summit. The differences in opinions and perspectives were amazing.
To have this exposure, and to see the world from a different point of view is so good for me. To get this level of resonance is probably going to be good for the world that I move in.
You could tell, just based on what I have told you, how much money would I pay to get this kind of awareness about who I am in the world.
I have lived so much of my life not appreciating my own light. I can feel some sadness about that, but I am here now and I can let my light shine.
I think it really helps if you are a seeker, the kind of person who is looking for some more meaning in their life.
You may even have the sense that there is something missing in your life, or some part of yourself that you have not connected with.
If you sense that, and you think that meditation might be able to help, then this is the place for you!
“I have so much peace, and I am at rest with myself, with God, and with other people. I am not as frantic or reactive now, I am just calm.”
My name is Sow Lan and I have been doing centering prayer with Closer Than Breath for almost two years now.
I find it amazing that they have people from all over the world, Eastern and Western. We have the same heartbeat, and the same heart issues. We struggle.
The benefit of the online community is how inspiring and encouraging it is. I am constantly introduced to different authors and books to read.
The course and community is so rich. I love this community so much that I participate three times a week!
The facilitators of Closer Than Breath are such humble leaders that live the life of what they teach and what they say, which makes this program truly unique.
We are all in this together with such unity and oneness that you are inspired to keep coming back. There is such a union together with God and with each other. It is really beneficial.
Closer Than Breath is so worth it for the price you pay. I gained so many meetings, teachings, sessions, monthly contemplative practices, and weekly centering prayers.
You also get access to other courses at a 25% discount for members. I have been Introduced to books and authors I never knew about. Ultimately, it is worth it because I gain my soul!
I would recommend Closer Than Breath Membership to those who are receptive to silence, stillness, and encountering God, and who are willing to commit to the process.
It is good for those who sense that God is directing, or are already seeking the path.
“My two biggest wins with the Closer Than Breath community was having the courage to quit my job and start my own practice, and the second big win was that I wanted to be more like Jesus, and it is happening.”
My name is Carin Dove and I have been practicing centering prayer for about two years now. I was feeling overworked, stressed out, and quite lonely. I really did not like myself or my life.
I felt stuck and I did not know how to get unstuck. Between working all the time and not having any relational support, I was in a pretty dark place.
At first I found it very challenging, but the community really helped me stick with the course.
We got to talk together about our experience and ask questions. When I got stuck, there was somebody who could empathize with me and reassure me.
I was really surprised how much centering prayer gave me a hunger for scripture and gave me a hunger to be together with other people.
We had our meditation time which we spent becoming present and experiencing the love of God together in our own little spaces all over the place. That sense of love and groundedness has put me in a better place.
What really attracts me to Closer Than Breath is the quiet and the silence. I have been part of other groups where we did group spiritual direction and that has its own beauty, but there is not as much quiet and stillness.
I am very aware that centering prayer is not the contemplative practice for everyone, but it sure is mine. It is like I was made for this.
Closer Than Breath is definitely worth the investment. There are three days of sessions that I can go to at different times.
There is an opportunity to journey together and be in each other’s lives in a small, and manageable way. I think their facilitation is really good. When I think of how much I am getting out of it, I think they don’t get paid enough.
I actually recommended the Closer Than Breath community to somebody yesterday!
I made the recommendation because she wanted more silence, stillness, and togetherness with God in her life. I thought centering prayer could really help that.
I invited her to join us because we are able to talk about those deep things that connect us on a human level.
“My biggest win with the Centering Prayer Summit was the reconnection that I got with God.”
My name is Gayle Turner, and I have been practicing centering prayer for almost three years now. I feel a deeper connection with God and see God in more things because of the Centering Prayer Summit.
It has made me more accepting of people, and I now recognize that God’s love is there for all of us. The inpouring of ideas that I got from the summit has begun to change my life.
My husband even noticed something different about me. He could not pinpoint it exactly, but felt that I had more patience and understanding.
The Centering Prayer Summit has definitely been worth the investment, because I have grown in so many ways as a result of hearing these amazing speakers.
It is a beautiful way to connect with other seekers and the shared time afterwards is very rich. To be able to hear other people’s thoughts and questions, and understand that you are not by yourself in this journey is invaluable.
I would pay more than I did for the lessons I have learned. It has given me so much value!
I think anybody could benefit from joining the Centering Prayer Summit. Especially somebody who is seeking and questioning. If you are on that journey it is important not to feel alone.
Even if I were on top of the world I would still love it, because the speakers in the summit are so rich in their knowledge. I cannot think of anyone that would not benefit from the Centering Prayer Summit.
The whole experience is life changing, and if you are open to listening, hearing, and receiving you are going to get so much out of it. It certainly was life changing for me!
“The Closer Than Breath community is a different way of looking at faith. You feel accepted and engaged on a journey of exploration with like-minded people.”
My name is Duncan Ferguson, and I have been practicing centering prayer for seven or eight years now.
On a podcast recently, I heard the term ‘a space of grace’, and I would use that for the Closer Than Breath community. It is a real space of grace where I feel accepted. I do not feel like you can say the same about some other church experiences sometimes.
With Closer Than Breath, they are not there to keep you on the right track. Instead, they facilitate exploration.
In Closer Than Breath, I feel listened to, and I feel like I can deeply listen to others. It has helped in centering prayer.
One great feature of the Closer Than Breath community is being able to sit with people who disagree and allow those disagreements to exist without trying to change them.
What makes Closer Than Breath special is being with like-minded people and being encouraged in your journey. It is all about how you get there, not just the act of getting better.
Keith always reminds us that we are beginners every time, which helps you to approach each task with a fresh mind and be open to new ideas.
I would definitely recommend the Closer Than Breath membership. Anybody could benefit from it because it is open and welcoming.
You come as you are, no matter the level of faith you think you do or do not have. You are able to bring all of your unique experiences to the table and go on a journey together.
“My biggest win with Closer Than Breath has been locating precious heart to heart relationships with new brothers and sisters around the world.”
My name is Karen Colenbrander, and I have been practicing centering prayer for two years. Like everybody else on the planet, I was figuring out how to live through a pandemic.
I felt very much adrift, and as an extrovert, I found it particularly difficult to be without people. It almost felt like we were being trained to be afraid of people because of disease.
My church community eventually came on board with Zoom for worship and other meetings, but the intimacy of opening your heart with other people was missing in that.
Closer Than Breath offered the opportunity for closeness.
One thing for which I am very grateful is that there are a variety of times, in both the morning and evening. Depending on when I plug in, I meet a different branch of the family!
I like the flexibility that it offers as well, because sitting on my own brings one way of being and sitting with a group brings another way of being.
I love that depending on what day you go, there can be a different feel or flavor to the group. Every group is precious and different.
I found myself in two other communities online during the pandemic so I am getting a lot of different flavors and experiences.
My favorite part about Closer than Breath are the people that I share my time with. There have been friendships formed that I know will stand the test of time because we are one, and that is very precious to me.
My investment in Closer Than Breath has definitely been worth it. The main investment is my time and commitment toward whatever program is being offered.
Closer Than Breath is building who I am as a human and a person of faith, which is priceless. You can not put a price on becoming fully human.
“Closer Than Breath keeps me grounded in the sense that it gives me centering prayer practices I can use throughout the day.”
My name is Julien Fradette, and I am from Winnipeg, Manitoba in Canada. I have been practicing centering prayer since the early to mid 1980s, for over 30 years.
My spiritual practice since the early ’80s, has been one where I would arise in the morning, and spend at least half an hour with what I refer to as my ‘beloved’.
Occasionally, I would attend a retreat for maybe a week in the summertime, but lately I have not had that community. Having a community is so important and that is what Closer Than Breath was able to give me.
In centering prayer, we don’t solve the problems. In centering prayer, we allow the divine physician to heal us.
When we enter into situations where our buttons have been pushed, we can pause, breathe deeply, and come forward with words and actions that are based on love, mercy and compassion.
That is what the Closer Than Breath and their community gives us. Being with a community is absolutely integral to this process.
When we come together on a weekly basis, there are 10 to 20 people there. You get to know each individual person, and they get to know you if you are prepared to be open. You will learn from them.
Joining the Closer Than Breath community is about more than just centering prayer. What Keith offers with Closer Than Breath is centering prayer groups, as well as guided meditation.
There are weekly meetings and monthly contemplation days that you can take part in.
Those who seek to have an interior life that brings them peace, joy and love will benefit from joining Closer Than Breath.
True peace, joy, and love comes from our ‘beloved’. That inner peace comes from the Christ center, the God center, and the grace of the Holy Spirit. If you are seeking that, this is the place for you.
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