20-minute breathing meditation for sleep, on the way in

About this practice

Slow, spoken guidance for sleep. A breathing session you can do on the way in. A guided session of about 20 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 on your commute

Headphones on, eyes open or closed depending on your comfort
Keep one part of your attention on your stop
Do it standing if sitting is not possible — nobody is watching

Commuting time is already dead time. Nothing is being given up.

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

0:00Keep your eyes open if you like, resting on one point of the floor a metre or two ahead.
0:16Keep the exhale a little longer than the inhale. That is the entire technique.
0:30Notice whether your breathing is high in your chest or low in your belly. Just notice. No fixing.
0:46If some part of you is resisting this, that resistance is worth noticing too.
1:00Follow three breaths and let the fourth one go unobserved.
1:12Feel the air as it passes the back of your throat. It's cooler going in.
1:26Feel your calves, front and back.
1:36Feel your ankles. Let them be loose.
1:46Notice your fingers, one by one, starting with the little finger.
1:58Notice your breathing, without changing it.
2:08Feel your palms. Warm or cool, either is fine.
2:19If the quiet your mind keeps postponing starts telling you a story, let the story finish without you adding to it.
2:36If the heaviness your body already knows is loud right now, make your attention smaller. Just the next breath. Nothing beyond it.
2:54Let the breath be slow enough that you can hear it, just barely.
3:07If the day folding itself up has been with you all day, it is probably tired too. Let it rest alongside you.
3:25Whatever the quiet your mind keeps postponing is doing right now, your breathing can keep going underneath it.
3:41Let the in-breath be short and the out-breath unhurried.
3:52Notice whether you're breathing or holding. Start breathing again.
4:03Follow the air from the nostrils down to the belly, then back out. One full trip at a time.
4:19A gap. Don't rush to fill it with thinking.
4:30If you're judging your performance, that's the same habit as judging everything else.
4:43If the breath feels tight, do not deepen it. Just watch it, and let it find its own depth.
4:59I'll leave a gap here. Use it however you like.
5:11You might be planning something. Notice the planning, then come back.
5:23Let the counting do the work. When you lose the count, start again from one — no penalty.
5:39No words for a moment. Only the next breath.
5:50Notice the tone of your own inner voice. Is it kind?
6:02Your anchor for the next few minutes is the breath itself. Nothing else needs following.
6:16A few seconds of nothing now. That's on purpose.
6:27Notice how quickly your mind labels things: good, bad, boring, nice.
6:39Take the next breath slowly.
6:48Let the breath get soft, the way it goes when someone is reading beside you.
7:02Feel your heart somewhere in there, doing its work without instructions.
7:14A short silence. Let it be empty.
7:24Notice how you're sitting. Adjust if you need to. Then settle again.
7:37Stay with it.
7:45Notice the breath you're taking right now. That's the only one that exists.
7:58Let your throat soften. There's nothing to swallow right now.
8:10I'll stop for a moment. Take the pause at your own speed.
8:23If you feel numb, that's a valid thing to feel. Nothing to fix.
8:36Just the breath, still.
8:45Notice the small gap after each exhale. Rest there for half a second.
8:58Feel the middle of your back, the part that never gets attention.
9:11Nothing to follow for a moment except your own breathing.
9:23Notice the moment you realise you've drifted. That moment is the whole skill.
9:36Let your breathing find the rhythm it uses when you're almost asleep.
9:49Let it be this simple.
9:58If you're thinking about the next thing on your list, that list will still be there.
10:13Pause here. Count three breaths if you need an anchor.
10:25Notice your pelvis resting on the surface below you.
10:36Notice the difference between the breath at the front of your nose and the breath in your chest.
10:52Let the quiet do its work.
11:02Notice the exact moment your attention left. You probably won't catch it. That's normal.
11:16Let's pause. Just the breathing for a while.
11:27Move to your forehead. Let it be smooth instead of gathered.
11:39Notice if your breathing is faster than you expected. Don't correct it. Just note it.
11:53Let this one be unhurried.
12:02If your mind has wandered, that's not a mistake. Noticing is the practice.
12:15I'll be quiet for a moment. Stay with the breath.
12:27Feel your tongue sitting in the bottom of your mouth.
12:39Breathe in through your nose and out through your nose, if that's comfortable.
12:52No rush to move on.
13:01Let your whole body be as heavy as it wants to be.
13:14Let your shoulders stay still while your ribs move.
13:25A few seconds more.
13:34Feel your forearms, from the elbow down to the wrist.
13:46Follow one full breath from the moment it starts to the moment it ends.
14:00Let your body keep settling.
14:09Notice your elbows. Odd things to have, but there they are.
14:21Feel the slight stretch at the very bottom of the exhale.
14:33Stay a moment longer than is comfortable.
14:43Now the right shoulder. Let it be a centimetre lower than it was.
14:56the heaviness your body already knows may quiet down, or it may not. Either is fine. We are practising staying, not performing calm.
15:14Silence for a few breaths. Nothing to do in it.
15:26When the day folding itself up presses in, put a hand on your chest or your belly. Warmth and pressure are anchors your body already trusts.
15:45Breathe in for four, out for six, if you'd like something to count.
15:58Nothing about the quiet your mind keeps postponing has to be explained or justified in this room.
16:13Each time your mind hands you the heaviness your body already knows, treat it like a leaf on a stream. Present for a moment, then carried on.
16:33Let the breath be shallow if shallow is what your body wants.
16:46You do not have to like the day folding itself up to breathe through it. Liking was never the requirement.
17:03You do not have to win against the quiet your mind keeps postponing. You only have to breathe until the next moment arrives.
17:21Notice the first breath of the day versus this one. They're the same mechanism.
17:35Notice any part of you that wants this to be over.
17:47If you're sleepy, sit up a little. Or let the sleepiness be there.
18:00Notice the difference between a thought and the space around it.
18:12Let's rest here in silence. It's short.
18:22There is no target number here. Only the next breath, and then the one after it.
18:37Nothing changes for a moment.
18:46Notice your feet on the floor. That's where you start from.
18:58Stand up when you're ready. The list hasn't grown while you were here.
19:11Remain here for a few more breaths.

Questions people ask

What does this session help with?

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

Where and when should I do this one?

Headphones on, eyes open or closed depending on your comfort. Commuting time is already dead time. Nothing is being given up.

What actually happens during the 20 minutes?

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