10-minute breathing meditation for sleep, at bedtime

About this practice

10 minutes to meet sleep with less of a fight. A breathing practice, at bedtime. A guided session of about 10 minutes, suited to all levels. Nothing is recorded and no account is needed.

What this works on: sleep

Sleep arrives on a downslope, not on command. Arousal has to fall for some minutes before the switch flips, and trying harder keeps it up.

It tends to show up as:

• Getting a second wind at bedtime
• Mind starting up as soon as the light goes off
• Sleep arriving much later than you intended

The practice is to stop steering. Following a slow voice occupies the part of the mind that would otherwise be trying.

Doing this before bed

• Do it in bed or somewhere you can move straight to bed after
• Lower the light, and do not check anything afterwards
• If you fall asleep before the end, it worked

Falling asleep mid-session is a success, not a failure to complete it.

How breathing works

A breathing practice uses the breath as the object of attention and as the control lever. Because exhaling slows the heart through the vagus nerve, it acts on the nervous system directly rather than through thinking.

• Keep the exhale longer than the inhale — that is the active ingredient
• Count the exhales and start again whenever you lose count
• Do not force depth; let the breath find its own level

What happens, minute by minute

1. 0:00Begin with the simple fact that you got here. That already happened.
2. 0:13Your anchor for the next few minutes is the breath itself. Nothing else needs following.
3. 0:27You can think about other things. When you notice, come back. That's the whole practice.
4. 0:41Let the rhythm of your breathing set the pace, not the words.
5. 0:54Let the in-breath be short and the out-breath unhurried.
6. 1:05Notice the small pause before your body decides to breathe in again.
7. 1:18Notice your ears, which mostly just receive things.
8. 1:29Feel the middle of your back, the part that never gets attention.
9. 1:42Notice your lower back. Let it curve however it curves.
10. 1:54Notice your fingers, one by one, starting with the little finger.
11. 2:06If the day folding itself up has been with you all day, it is probably tired too. Let it rest alongside you.
12. 2:24Let the exhale carry a little of the quiet your mind keeps postponing with it. Not all of it. Just a little, one breath at a time.
13. 2:44Notice if your attention is in the future. Bring it back to the room.
14. 2:58Let the counting do the work. When you lose the count, start again from one — no penalty.
15. 3:14Pause here. Count three breaths if you need an anchor.
16. 3:26Notice if you've been frowning at your own thoughts.
17. 3:37There is no target number here. Only the next breath, and then the one after it.
18. 3:52I'll be quiet for a moment. Stay with the breath.
19. 4:04Notice the moment you realise you've drifted. That moment is the whole skill.
20. 4:17Follow the air from the nostrils down to the belly, then back out. One full trip at a time.
21. 4:33I'll leave a gap here. Use it however you like.
22. 4:45If you feel emotional, you don't have to explain it to anyone, including yourself.
23. 4:59Let each breath out be a small letting go of the muscles around your ribs.
24. 5:13Stay here a little longer.
25. 5:22Feel the front of your chest. Notice it rise and fall once.
26. 5:35Let your shoulders stay still while your ribs move.
27. 5:46Let the pause stretch out.
28. 5:55Feel the outline of yourself, from the top of your head to your heels.
29. 6:09Follow three breaths and let the fourth one go unobserved.
30. 6:21A few seconds more.
31. 6:30Feel the tops of your thighs.
32. 6:40Let your belly rise first, then your chest, then the tops of your lungs.
33. 6:54I'll step back. You stay here.
34. 7:04You do not have to win against the heaviness your body already knows. You only have to breathe until the next moment arrives.
35. 7:22You do not have to like the day folding itself up to breathe through it. Liking was never the requirement.
36. 7:39Breathe in through your nose and out through your nose, if that's comfortable.
37. 7:52Say to yourself: this is uncomfortable, and I can stay with it for one more breath. Then take that breath.
38. 8:09If you're counting the minutes, that's fine. Count them and come back.
39. 8:22If you feel numb, that's a valid thing to feel. Nothing to fix.
40. 8:35Let me stop talking. Follow the breath instead.
41. 8:46If the breath feels tight, do not deepen it. Just watch it, and let it find its own depth.
42. 9:02Let this one be unhurried.
43. 9:11Let the pace of the last few minutes set the pace of the next few.
44. 9:25Notice the room again: the sounds, the temperature, the light.

Questions people ask

Meditation is a practice, not a treatment. If you are dealing with ongoing distress, please also reach out to a professional.