Breathing meditation for sleep (7 min), at the airport

About this practice

For the times at the airport when sleep takes up more room than you would like — 7 minutes, breathing. A guided session of about 7 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 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. 0:00Keep your eyes open if you like, resting on one point of the floor a metre or two ahead.
2. 0:16If the breath feels tight, do not deepen it. Just watch it, and let it find its own depth.
3. 0:32There's a difference between relaxing and stopping. We're aiming for the second one, gently.
4. 0:46Nothing here needs to be pleasant. Neutral is fine. Dull is fine.
5. 0:59Let the exhale fall out rather than pushing it.
6. 1:10Let each breath out be a small letting go of the muscles around your ribs.
7. 1:24Feel your belly. Let it be soft instead of held in.
8. 1:36Move to your forehead. Let it be smooth instead of gathered.
9. 1:48Notice your hands again. Check whether they've loosened on their own.
10. 2:00Let the quiet your mind keeps postponing be exactly as big as it is, and let your breath be exactly as slow as it is. They can coexist.
11. 2:20You do not have to like the heaviness your body already knows to breathe through it. Liking was never the requirement.
12. 2:37Notice your elbows. Odd things to have, but there they are.
13. 2:49Stay here a little longer.
14. 2:58Notice where you feel the breath most clearly. Nose, chest, or belly — pick one and stay there.
15. 3:14Let the whole of your right foot be heavy.
16. 3:25Notice if you're waiting for something to happen. Nothing is scheduled.
17. 3:37A short silence. Let it be empty.
18. 3:47Follow the air from the nostrils down to the belly, then back out. One full trip at a time.
19. 4:03If you've lost track of where we were, you haven't lost anything important.
20. 4:16Let the in-breath be short and the out-breath unhurried.
21. 4:27Let me stop talking. Follow the breath instead.
22. 4:38Whatever the day folding itself up is doing right now, your breathing can keep going underneath it.
23. 4:53Let the exhale carry a little of the quiet your mind keeps postponing with it. Not all of it. Just a little, one breath at a time.
24. 5:13Notice if your breathing is faster than you expected. Don't correct it. Just note it.
25. 5:27If you're irritated, that's allowed. Irritation is just weather.
26. 5:38Notice the tone of your own inner voice. Is it kind?
27. 5:50Pause here. Count three breaths if you need an anchor.
28. 6:02Your anchor for the next few minutes is the breath itself. Nothing else needs following.
29. 6:16Stand up when you're ready. The list hasn't grown while you were here.
30. 6:29Notice your feet on the floor. That's where you start from.

Questions people ask

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