Breathing for a racing mind: 20 minutes, in the air

About this practice

20 minutes to meet a racing mind with less of a fight. A breathing practice, in the air. A guided session of about 20 minutes, suited to all levels. Nothing is recorded and no account is needed.

What this works on: a racing mind

A racing mind is not a thinking problem, it is an arousal problem. When the body is revved up, the brain produces thoughts at the same speed, and each one feels urgent.

It tends to show up as:

• Thoughts arriving faster than you can finish them
• Lying awake running through the day
• Losing your place mid-sentence

Trying to stop the thoughts adds fuel. Narrowing attention to one physical sensation gives the mind a slower thing to hold.

Doing this on a plane

• Use headphones, and keep the seatbelt on
• Bring a layer — being cold works against settling
• Skip alcohol; it makes the alertness worse

Cabin noise is constant and will mask the audio more than you expect. Try the headphones before you settle in.

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. 0:00Notice where your body touches the chair. That contact is doing more for you than it looks.
2. 0:15Your anchor for the next few minutes is the breath itself. Nothing else needs following.
3. 0:29Let your breathing find its own pace. We're only going to watch it.
4. 0:42We'll start broad and narrow down. Nothing sudden is coming.
5. 0:54Feel the last part of the exhale, where it turns into nothing.
6. 1:07Let your breathing find the rhythm it uses when you're almost asleep.
7. 1:20Notice your shoulders, one at a time. The left one first.
8. 1:32Feel your heart somewhere in there, doing its work without instructions.
9. 1:44Let your thumbs rest wherever they landed.
10. 1:54Notice your toes, starting with the big one on the left.
11. 2:06Notice the space between your shoulder blades.
12. 2:16If one thought chasing the next is loud right now, make your attention smaller. Just the next breath. Nothing beyond it.
13. 2:33If you catch yourself fighting thoughts arriving faster than you can answer them, that is worth noticing. The fight usually costs more than the feeling.
14. 2:52Let the breath be shallow if shallow is what your body wants.
15. 3:05When the mind running ahead of you presses in, put a hand on your chest or your belly. Warmth and pressure are anchors your body already trusts.
16. 3:25Notice where one thought chasing the next lives in your body. Chest, throat, stomach. Rest your attention there without trying to change it.
17. 3:43Let your belly rise first, then your chest, then the tops of your lungs.
18. 3:57Notice if you've been frowning at your own thoughts.
19. 4:08There is no target number here. Only the next breath, and then the one after it.
20. 4:23Nothing to follow for a moment except your own breathing.
21. 4:35If you're sleepy, sit up a little. Or let the sleepiness be there.
22. 4:48If the breath feels tight, do not deepen it. Just watch it, and let it find its own depth.
23. 5:04Pause here. Count three breaths if you need an anchor.
24. 5:16Notice whether you're breathing or holding. Start breathing again.
25. 5:27Follow the air from the nostrils down to the belly, then back out. One full trip at a time.
26. 5:43A few seconds of nothing now. That's on purpose.
27. 5:54Notice the exact moment your attention left. You probably won't catch it. That's normal.
28. 6:08Let the counting do the work. When you lose the count, start again from one — no penalty.
29. 6:24A short silence. Let it be empty.
30. 6:34If your body wants to move, let it move, then come back.
31. 6:47A few seconds more.
32. 6:56Let your breathing be boring. Boring is good here.
33. 7:07Feel the soles of your feet. All the weight of you goes through them.
34. 7:21A gap. Don't rush to fill it with thinking.
35. 7:32Notice any urge to check something. You can wait two more minutes.
36. 7:45Let it be this simple.
37. 7:54Notice if your breathing is faster than you expected. Don't correct it. Just note it.
38. 8:08Notice your fingers, one by one, starting with the little finger.
39. 8:20Silence for a few breaths. Nothing to do in it.
40. 8:32If your mind is quiet, don't grab at it. Quiet comes and goes too.
41. 8:46Stay here a little longer.
42. 8:55Notice the breath you're taking right now. That's the only one that exists.
43. 9:08Notice your heels making contact with the floor or the bed.
44. 9:20Quiet for a moment. No need to fill it.
45. 9:31Notice the pull to make this mean something. It doesn't have to.
46. 9:44Let your shoulders stay still while your ribs move.
47. 9:55Nothing changes for a moment.
48. 10:04If you feel restless, that's a feeling, not a failure.
49. 10:16I'll step back. You stay here.
50. 10:26Let your whole body be as heavy as it wants to be.
51. 10:39Breathe in for four, out for six, if you'd like something to count.
52. 10:52No rush to move on.
53. 11:01If you're thinking about the next thing on your list, that list will still be there.
54. 11:16A few quiet breaths. That's all this is.
55. 11:27Feel the outline of yourself, from the top of your head to your heels.
56. 11:41Follow the breath down into your belly and feel it come back up.
57. 11:54Just the breath, still.
58. 12:03If you're judging your performance, that's the same habit as judging everything else.
59. 12:16No words for a moment. Only the next breath.
60. 12:27Feel your upper back against whatever is behind it.
61. 12:38If you're holding your breath at the top, stop. There's no need to hold anything.
62. 12:52No need to open your eyes yet.
63. 13:02Feel your ankles. Let them be loose.
64. 13:12Feel the pause at the top of the in-breath. It's shorter than you think.
65. 13:26Let your body keep settling.
66. 13:35Feel the front of your chest. Notice it rise and fall once.
67. 13:48Notice the small pause before your body decides to breathe in again.
68. 14:01Let the quiet do its work.
69. 14:11Let the whole of your right foot be heavy.
70. 14:22Feel your breath move down your back, all the way to your lower ribs.
71. 14:36Keep following the air.
72. 14:45Notice where your body is still holding something. Leave it alone.
73. 14:57There is no correct amount of thoughts arriving faster than you can answer them to be feeling right now. Whatever is here is the honest amount.
74. 15:16I'll be quiet for a moment. Stay with the breath.
75. 15:28the mind running ahead of you may quiet down, or it may not. Either is fine. We are practising staying, not performing calm.
76. 15:46Notice your breathing getting quieter on its own, without you deciding anything.
77. 15:59Think of one thought chasing the next as a guest that arrived without knocking. You can let it stand in the hallway.
78. 16:17If thoughts arriving faster than you can answer them shows up, let it be there without arguing with it. You are not trying to remove it, just to sit beside it.
79. 16:39Let the breath be slow enough that you can hear it, just barely.
80. 16:52You are allowed to be unimpressed by the mind running ahead of you. Indifference is a legitimate response.
81. 17:08Each time your mind hands you one thought chasing the next, treat it like a leaf on a stream. Present for a moment, then carried on.
82. 17:27Let the out-breath be a little longer than the in-breath, without forcing it.
83. 17:40Notice anything you're holding onto from earlier today.
84. 17:51You might be planning something. Notice the planning, then come back.
85. 18:03If you feel numb, that's a valid thing to feel. Nothing to fix.
86. 18:16Silence. Let your shoulders drop again if they've crept up.
87. 18:28Keep the exhale a little longer than the inhale. That is the entire technique.
88. 18:42Remain here for a few more breaths.
89. 18:52Come back to your body first, and the rest of the day second.
90. 19:05Roll your neck once, slowly, in whichever direction feels good.

Questions people ask

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