7-minute breathing meditation for insomnia, at lunch

About this practice

7 minutes to meet insomnia with less of a fight. A breathing practice, at lunch. A guided session of about 7 minutes, suited to all levels. Nothing is recorded and no account is needed.

What this works on: insomnia

Insomnia is often maintained by the fear of not sleeping. Anticipating a bad night raises arousal at bedtime, which produces the bad night.

It tends to show up as:

• Dreading bedtime
• Hours awake with a busy mind
• Sleeping worse as the week goes on

Removing the pressure to sleep is the active ingredient. This gives you something to do that is not trying.

Doing this at lunch

• Do it before eating rather than after, so you are not working against digestion
• Leaving the desk matters more than the session length
• Take the headphones off afterwards so the break registers

A break that happens at the same desk is only half a break.

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. 0:00Quick check: is anything genuinely urgent in this exact minute? Usually the answer is no.
2. 0:14Small efforts are the whole method.
3. 0:24Notice the weight of your arms without moving them.
4. 0:35Let your body feel heavier than it did a minute ago. Let the chair or the floor take it.
5. 0:51If you're holding your breath at the top, stop. There's no need to hold anything.
6. 1:05Let your breathing be boring. Boring is good here.
7. 1:16Let your throat soften. There's nothing to swallow right now.
8. 1:28Let the whole of your right foot be heavy.
9. 1:39Feel your upper back against whatever is behind it.
10. 1:50Whatever the counting of hours until morning is doing right now, your breathing can keep going underneath it.
11. 2:06When the frustration of not sleeping presses in, put a hand on your chest or your belly. Warmth and pressure are anchors your body already trusts.
12. 2:25Feel your ankles. Let them be loose.
13. 2:35Just the breath, still.
14. 2:44Breathe in for four, out for six, if you'd like something to count.
15. 2:57Feel the front of your chest. Notice it rise and fall once.
16. 3:10You can be as unimpressive as you like for the next few minutes.
17. 3:23Notice any urge to check something. You can wait two more minutes.
18. 3:36Let's rest here in silence. It's short.
19. 3:46We'll keep it quiet and unhurried.
20. 3:56Notice if your attention is in the future. Bring it back to the room.
21. 4:10Let each breath out be a small letting go of the muscles around your ribs.
22. 4:24Nothing to follow for a moment except your own breathing.
23. 4:36Notice where the wide-awake mind at 2am lives in your body. Chest, throat, stomach. Rest your attention there without trying to change it.
24. 4:54If the counting of hours until morning has been with you all day, it is probably tired too. Let it rest alongside you.
25. 5:12Notice if your breathing is faster than you expected. Don't correct it. Just note it.
26. 5:26If you're replaying a conversation, let it play. It'll finish on its own.
27. 5:39If you feel numb, that's a valid thing to feel. Nothing to fix.
28. 5:52I'll leave a gap here. Use it however you like.
29. 6:04There's no need to try harder than this.
30. 6:15Take one last look at whatever your attention settled on.
31. 6:27Come back at your own speed. The room will wait.

Questions people ask

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