Breathing for public speaking fear: 12 minutes, before sleep

About this practice

12 minutes to meet public speaking fear with less of a fight. A breathing practice, before sleep. A guided session of about 12 minutes, suited to all levels. Nothing is recorded and no account is needed.

What this works on: public speaking fear

Speaking to a group triggers the same response as physical threat: shallow breathing, a dry mouth, and a voice that rises and speeds up.

It tends to show up as:

Voice wobbling on the first sentence
Speaking too fast to get it over with
Shallow breathing high in the chest

Lengthening the exhale slows speech and steadies the voice. Physically, this is a breath practice before it is a confidence practice.

Doing this before sleep

Dim the lights and put the phone out of reach
Do it in bed if that helps you stay there
Let yourself fall asleep rather than finishing it

Checking anything afterwards undoes most of it. Let this be the last thing.

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

0:00Find one place in your body that already feels fine. Use that as the starting point.
0:15Keep the exhale a little longer than the inhale. That is the entire technique.
0:29Let your attention drop to the level of your shoulders and stay there a moment.
0:43If it helps, imagine your attention is a torch beam. Right now it's wide and soft.
0:58Feel the air move past your upper lip. It's the coolest spot on the way in.
1:13Let your breathing be boring. Boring is good here.
1:24Move to your forehead. Let it be smooth instead of gathered.
1:36Feel the skin around your eyes. Let the muscles behind them go loose.
1:49Feel the parts of you that have gone quiet.
2:00Notice your pelvis resting on the surface below you.
2:11You do not have to win against the room full of faces. You only have to breathe until the next moment arrives.
2:29Whatever the urge to rush off the stage is doing right now, your breathing can keep going underneath it.
2:45Follow three breaths and let the fourth one go unobserved.
2:57Your mind will leave about a hundred times. Come back about a hundred times.
3:11Let the counting do the work. When you lose the count, start again from one — no penalty.
3:27A few quiet breaths. That's all this is.
3:38Notice the exact moment your attention left. You probably won't catch it. That's normal.
3:52Your anchor for the next few minutes is the breath itself. Nothing else needs following.
4:06Pause here. Count three breaths if you need an anchor.
4:18If your body wants to move, let it move, then come back.
4:31If the breath feels tight, do not deepen it. Just watch it, and let it find its own depth.
4:47I'll stop for a moment. Take the pause at your own speed.
5:00Notice if you're waiting for something to happen. Nothing is scheduled.
5:12Follow the air from the nostrils down to the belly, then back out. One full trip at a time.
5:28No words for a moment. Only the next breath.
5:39If your mind has wandered, that's not a mistake. Noticing is the practice.
5:52Let the breath be shallow if shallow is what your body wants.
6:05Stay a moment longer than is comfortable.
6:15Now feel both feet at once. That's a lot of contact with the world.
6:29Count down from ten, one number per exhale.
6:40Keep following the air.
6:49Notice the backs of your knees, which you feel more than you think.
7:02Let the breath be slow enough that you can hear it, just barely.
7:15Stay with it.
7:23Let the whole of your right foot be heavy.
7:34Notice if your breathing is faster than you expected. Don't correct it. Just note it.
7:48Let the pause stretch out.
7:57Notice your lower back. Let it curve however it curves.
8:09This is not the last time the wobble in your voice will visit. That is not bad news. It means you will get more practice.
8:28I'll step back. You stay here.
8:38Notice where the room full of faces lives in your body. Chest, throat, stomach. Rest your attention there without trying to change it.
8:56Let the exhale fall out rather than pushing it.
9:07Notice the space around the urge to rush off the stage. It is there, even if it is small. Put your attention in that space.
9:26If the wobble in your voice is loud right now, make your attention smaller. Just the next breath. Nothing beyond it.
9:43Feel your breath move down your back, all the way to your lower ribs.
9:57Notice anything you're holding onto from earlier today.
10:08Notice the pull to make this mean something. It doesn't have to.
10:21A short silence. Let it be empty.
10:31There is no target number here. Only the next breath, and then the one after it.
10:46No need to open your eyes yet.
10:56Notice the room again: the sounds, the temperature, the light.
11:08Let the next breath be the start of the rest of the day.
11:21Take the next breath slowly.

Questions people ask

What does this session help with?

Speaking to a group triggers the same response as physical threat: shallow breathing, a dry mouth, and a voice that rises and speeds up. Lengthening the exhale slows speech and steadies the voice. Physically, this is a breath practice before it is a confidence practice.

Where and when should I do this one?

Dim the lights and put the phone out of reach. Checking anything afterwards undoes most of it. Let this be the last thing.

What actually happens during the 12 minutes?

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