10-minute guided breathing practice for tension headaches — on a train

About this practice

When tension headaches shows up on a train, this 10-minute breathing session gives you somewhere to put it down. A guided session of about 10 minutes, suited to all levels. Nothing is recorded and no account is needed.

What this works on: tension headaches

Tension headaches follow a band of tightness across the forehead and around the skull, usually the product of long staring, jaw clenching and neck position.

It tends to show up as:

A band of pressure across the forehead
Pressure behind the eyes
Ache worsening through the day

Softening the jaw, eyes and neck interrupts the pattern early. Once a tension headache settles in it is harder to shift.

Doing this on a train

Pick a window seat if you can and let the view do part of the work
Set an alarm for your stop
Keep the bag on your lap rather than unfastening to find it later

The motion can make reading or screens uncomfortable, which is another reason audio works better here.

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

0:00If you're lying down, let the mattress hold all of you. You can stop holding yourself up.
0:15Your anchor for the next few minutes is the breath itself. Nothing else needs following.
0:29Notice the weight of your arms without moving them.
0:40You can think about other things. When you notice, come back. That's the whole practice.
0:54Let the exhale empty you a little more than usual, but not to the point of strain.
1:09Notice the breath you're taking right now. That's the only one that exists.
1:22Feel your upper arms hanging. They're heavier than you remember.
1:34Notice your ears, which mostly just receive things.
1:45Notice your hands again. Check whether they've loosened on their own.
1:57Let the whole of your right foot be heavy.
2:08You do not have to like the band around the forehead to breathe through it. Liking was never the requirement.
2:25If the pressure building behind the eyes is loud right now, make your attention smaller. Just the next breath. Nothing beyond it.
2:43Notice if you've been frowning at your own thoughts.
2:54There is no target number here. Only the next breath, and then the one after it.
3:09A few quiet breaths. That's all this is.
3:20Notice the moment you realise you've drifted. That moment is the whole skill.
3:33Let the counting do the work. When you lose the count, start again from one — no penalty.
3:49Quiet for a moment. No need to fill it.
4:00If you feel numb, that's a valid thing to feel. Nothing to fix.
4:13Keep the exhale a little longer than the inhale. That is the entire technique.
4:27A few seconds of nothing now. That's on purpose.
4:38Notice the difference between a thought and the space around it.
4:50Breathe as if you had all evening. There's no rush in this part.
5:03Just the breath, still.
5:12Feel the back of your neck. That's a place that holds a lot.
5:25Let your shoulders stay still while your ribs move.
5:36Let the pause stretch out.
5:45Notice your jaw again. Let your back teeth part slightly.
5:57Let the breath move at the speed of a sleeping person.
6:09Let the quiet do its work.
6:19Notice your eyebrows. They're probably doing something small right now.
6:31Follow one full breath from the moment it starts to the moment it ends.
6:45A short silence. Let it be empty.
6:55You have been carrying the ache from a long staring day for a while. You can set it down for the length of this session and pick it up after.
7:16When the band around the forehead arrives, name it once, quietly, and go back to the breath. Naming is not fixing, and that is fine.
7:35Let your belly rise first, then your chest, then the tops of your lungs.
7:49Let the exhale carry a little of the pressure building behind the eyes with it. Not all of it. Just a little, one breath at a time.
8:09Notice whether you're breathing or holding. Start breathing again.
8:20If you're irritated, that's allowed. Irritation is just weather.
8:31Let's rest here in silence. It's short.
8:41Follow the air from the nostrils down to the belly, then back out. One full trip at a time.
8:57Remain here for a few more breaths.
9:07Give your hands a stretch before you go back to using them.
9:20Take one more breath at your own pace, then let your attention come back to the room.

Questions people ask

What does this session help with?

Tension headaches follow a band of tightness across the forehead and around the skull, usually the product of long staring, jaw clenching and neck position. Softening the jaw, eyes and neck interrupts the pattern early. Once a tension headache settles in it is harder to shift.

Where and when should I do this one?

Pick a window seat if you can and let the view do part of the work. The motion can make reading or screens uncomfortable, which is another reason audio works better here.

What actually happens during the 10 minutes?

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