Breathing meditation for tension headaches (12 min), late at night

About this practice

12 minutes to meet tension headaches with less of a fight. A breathing practice, late at night. A guided session of about 12 minutes, suited to all levels. Nothing is recorded and no account is needed.

What this works on: tension headaches

Tension headaches follow a band of tightness across the forehead and around the skull, usually the product of long staring, jaw clenching and neck position.

It tends to show up as:

• A band of pressure across the forehead
• Pressure behind the eyes
• Ache worsening through the day

Softening the jaw, eyes and neck interrupts the pattern early. Once a tension headache settles in it is harder to shift.

Doing this at night

• Skip the clock — knowing the time rarely helps at night
• Keep the room dark, and use headphones rather than a speaker
• Expect to be awake for a while without treating that as a problem

Any practice at night works better with the display off. Looking at a screen resets the whole 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

1. 0:00Start with the noise that is already in the room. We are not going to try to remove it yet.
2. 0:17Let the counting do the work. When you lose the count, start again from one — no penalty.
3. 0:33You can let your eyes close now if they weren't already.
4. 0:45Imagine your thoughts as traffic on a road you're standing beside. You don't have to flag any of it down.
5. 1:02Breathe in through your nose and out through your nose, if that's comfortable.
6. 1:15Follow the breath down into your belly and feel it come back up.
7. 1:28Feel the outline of yourself, from the top of your head to your heels.
8. 1:42Notice your ears, which mostly just receive things.
9. 1:53Notice your elbows. Odd things to have, but there they are.
10. 2:05Feel the parts of you that have gone quiet.
11. 2:16Imagine softening the edges of the band around the forehead. Not erasing it, just letting the sharp parts go a degree softer.
12. 2:34There is a part of you that has handled hard moments before. That part is here now, even if it is quiet.
13. 2:52Feel the last part of the exhale, where it turns into nothing.
14. 3:05If you're distracted by a sound, let the sound be the object for a moment.
15. 3:19Your anchor for the next few minutes is the breath itself. Nothing else needs following.
16. 3:33I'll step back. You stay here.
17. 3:43Notice whether you're breathing or holding. Start breathing again.
18. 3:54Keep the exhale a little longer than the inhale. That is the entire technique.
19. 4:08Let's pause. Just the breathing for a while.
20. 4:19Notice any urge to check something. You can wait two more minutes.
21. 4:32There is no target number here. Only the next breath, and then the one after it.
22. 4:47Let me stop talking. Follow the breath instead.
23. 4:58You might be planning something. Notice the planning, then come back.
24. 5:10If the breath feels tight, do not deepen it. Just watch it, and let it find its own depth.
25. 5:26A gap. Don't rush to fill it with thinking.
26. 5:37If you're thinking about the next thing on your list, that list will still be there.
27. 5:52Notice the first breath of the day versus this one. They're the same mechanism.
28. 6:06Stay a moment longer than is comfortable.
29. 6:16Notice where your body is still holding something. Leave it alone.
30. 6:28Let your breathing be boring. Boring is good here.
31. 6:39No rush to move on.
32. 6:48Feel the skin around your eyes. Let the muscles behind them go loose.
33. 7:01Feel the air as it passes the back of your throat. It's cooler going in.
34. 7:15Let the pause stretch out.
35. 7:24Notice your jaw again. Let your back teeth part slightly.
36. 7:36Let your ribs widen on the in-breath instead of your shoulders lifting.
37. 7:49Let this one be unhurried.
38. 7:58Notice your lower back. Let it curve however it curves.
39. 8:10You are allowed to be unimpressed by the ache from a long staring day. Indifference is a legitimate response.
40. 8:26A few quiet breaths. That's all this is.
41. 8:37Remind yourself, slowly: I am safe in this moment, even while the band around the forehead is here. Safety and difficulty can share a room.
42. 8:56Count four breaths silently. Then stop counting and just follow.
43. 9:08If the pressure building behind the eyes starts telling you a story, let the story finish without you adding to it.
44. 9:25If the ache from a long staring day shows up, let it be there without arguing with it. You are not trying to remove it, just to sit beside it.
45. 9:46Let the in-breath be short and the out-breath unhurried.
46. 9:57Notice any part of you that wants this to be over.
47. 10:09If you're replaying a conversation, let it play. It'll finish on its own.
48. 10:22Silence for a few breaths. Nothing to do in it.
49. 10:34Follow the air from the nostrils down to the belly, then back out. One full trip at a time.
50. 10:50Let the quiet do its work.
51. 11:00Notice if anything has loosened. Even slightly counts.
52. 11:11Give your hands a stretch before you go back to using them.
53. 11:24Stay with it.

Questions people ask

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