Breathe describes itself as a “space” where like-minded people can come together in conversation to share the highs and lows of their own attempts at living more simply.
There are no Breathe ‘members’ per se, but anyone is welcome to subscribe to a regular email that lets them know how others in the network are coming along in their efforts and how they might start up new conversations about simple living where they are.
“Breathe was launched not for people who have arrived at a simple life already, but rather for those feeling a bit trapped, a bit guilty, a bit clueless in today’s consumer driven society,” says Rev Mark Powley, Associate Pastor at St Paul’s Hammersmith and Breathe co-founder.
Launched in Edinburgh at the time of the Make Poverty History march, concern for the world’s poor has formed a consistent backdrop to the network’s conversations and particularly the question of what difference individuals can make to the world when they start with themselves.
“Make Poverty History was a very powerful moment for people campaigning around that message but I think there was a sense in all that of ‘where do I fit into all this?’ ‘Where’s the challenge to me?’” says co-founder Chris Webster, who works for World Vision. “It’s important to challenge poverty but there needs to be a cost somewhere along the line and some of that I am responsible for."
With that in mind, Breathe is keen to support people in having conversations about how they can live differently and more simply, and how they can encourage others in doing that as well.
The changes may seem small, but they are all crucial to seeing a shift in mindset and lifestyle, Mark believes.
