10-minute breathing meditation for tired eyes, before a presentation

About this practice

For the times before a presentation when tired eyes takes up more room than you would like — 10 minutes, breathing. A guided session of about 10 minutes, suited to all levels. Nothing is recorded and no account is needed.

What this works on: tired eyes

Screens reduce blink rate sharply, and the muscles that focus at close range stay contracted. The result is strain, ache and blur by the end of the day.

It tends to show up as:

• Aching, gritty eyes after screen time
• Blurring at the end of the day
• Headaches above the eyes

Closing the eyes is the only real rest they get. A few minutes without visual input is the specific thing your eyes are short of.

Doing this before public speaking

• Do it somewhere private, or in the washroom if needed
• Slow the exhale deliberately and check your speaking pace after
• Warm the voice by reading a line aloud, not by staying silent

Rushing is the tell of nerves. A slower breath now is what sets a slower pace in the room.

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. 0:00Let your eyes soften. Not closed, just less busy.
2. 0:11Let the counting do the work. When you lose the count, start again from one — no penalty.
3. 0:27Settle into the fact that for the next few minutes, nothing is required of you.
4. 0:41Let your body be exactly as tired as it is.
5. 0:53Follow the breath down into your belly and feel it come back up.
6. 1:06Feel the slight stretch at the very bottom of the exhale.
7. 1:18Let the whole of your right foot be heavy.
8. 1:29Notice your heels making contact with the floor or the bed.
9. 1:41Notice your fingers, one by one, starting with the little finger.
10. 1:53Notice the space between your shoulder blades.
11. 2:03Notice the space around the ache of staring too long. It is there, even if it is small. Put your attention in that space.
12. 2:22You do not have to like the strained eyes after screens to breathe through it. Liking was never the requirement.
13. 2:39Notice the moment you realise you've drifted. That moment is the whole skill.
14. 2:52Follow the air from the nostrils down to the belly, then back out. One full trip at a time.
15. 3:08Pause here. Count three breaths if you need an anchor.
16. 3:20If a song is stuck in your head, let it play in the background.
17. 3:34There is no target number here. Only the next breath, and then the one after it.
18. 3:49No words for a moment. Only the next breath.
19. 4:00Notice if your attention is in the future. Bring it back to the room.
20. 4:14Keep the exhale a little longer than the inhale. That is the entire technique.
21. 4:28Let me stop talking. Follow the breath instead.
22. 4:39If your body wants to move, let it move, then come back.
23. 4:52Feel the air move past your upper lip. It's the coolest spot on the way in.
24. 5:07Let it be this simple.
25. 5:16Notice the weight of your thighs, all the way down.
26. 5:28Breathe as if you had all evening. There's no rush in this part.
27. 5:41Stay here a little longer.
28. 5:50Feel the parts of you that have gone quiet.
29. 6:01Breathe in for four, out for six, if you'd like something to count.
30. 6:14Let the pause stretch out.
31. 6:23Feel your face. It's probably softer than it was five minutes ago.
32. 6:36Feel the pause at the top of the in-breath. It's shorter than you think.
33. 6:50A few seconds of nothing now. That's on purpose.
34. 7:01Let the exhale carry a little of the heavy lids of a screen-lit day with it. Not all of it. Just a little, one breath at a time.
35. 7:21Give the ache of staring too long a shape, a colour, a temperature. Turning it into something specific makes it easier to hold.
36. 7:39Let your breathing get quieter rather than deeper.
37. 7:50You do not have to win against the strained eyes after screens. You only have to breathe until the next moment arrives.
38. 8:08If you feel emotional, you don't have to explain it to anyone, including yourself.
39. 8:22If a worry shows up, name it quietly and let it sit beside you.
40. 8:36Let's pause. Just the breathing for a while.
41. 8:47If the breath feels tight, do not deepen it. Just watch it, and let it find its own depth.
42. 9:03Nothing changes for a moment.
43. 9:12Come back to your body first, and the rest of the day second.
44. 9:25Stretch whatever feels stiff, then carry on.

Questions people ask

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