Breathing meditation for tired eyes (10 min), in the afternoon slump

About this practice

10 minutes to meet tired eyes with less of a fight. A breathing practice, in the afternoon slump. A guided session of about 10 minutes, suited to all levels. Nothing is recorded and no account is needed.

What this works on: tired eyes

Screens reduce blink rate sharply, and the muscles that focus at close range stay contracted. The result is strain, ache and blur by the end of the day.

It tends to show up as:

• Aching, gritty eyes after screen time
• Blurring at the end of the day
• Headaches above the eyes

Closing the eyes is the only real rest they get. A few minutes without visual input is the specific thing your eyes are short of.

Doing this in the mid-afternoon

• Sit upright and open a window if you can
• Expect heaviness rather than fighting it
• A short session here beats a longer one that never happens

The dip is a normal circadian low. You are riding it out, not correcting a fault.

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. 0:00If you're tired, you can let that be true. Tired is allowed here.
2. 0:13If you only manage half of it, that's half more than nothing.
3. 0:26You can think about other things. When you notice, come back. That's the whole practice.
4. 0:40Let your attention rest on the out-breath. The in-breath can take care of itself.
5. 0:54Notice the first breath of the day versus this one. They're the same mechanism.
6. 1:08Notice if your breathing is faster than you expected. Don't correct it. Just note it.
7. 1:22Feel your upper back against whatever is behind it.
8. 1:33Now the right shoulder. Let it be a centimetre lower than it was.
9. 1:46Let your thumbs rest wherever they landed.
10. 1:56Notice your wrists. They bend a lot in a day.
11. 2:08If you catch yourself fighting the ache of staring too long, that is worth noticing. The fight usually costs more than the feeling.
12. 2:26Imagine softening the edges of the strained eyes after screens. Not erasing it, just letting the sharp parts go a degree softer.
13. 2:44Notice if you're being hard on yourself about any of this.
14. 2:56There's no need to try harder than this.
15. 3:07Silence. Let your shoulders drop again if they've crept up.
16. 3:19If you feel emotional, you don't have to explain it to anyone, including yourself.
17. 3:33Let this be easy, if easy is available.
18. 3:44A gap. Don't rush to fill it with thinking.
19. 3:55If nothing much is happening, that's not a problem. Nothing much is often the point.
20. 4:09Nothing here needs to be efficient.
21. 4:19I'll step back. You stay here.
22. 4:29Notice if you've been frowning at your own thoughts.
23. 4:40Feel the skin around your eyes. Let the muscles behind them go loose.
24. 4:53Feel the pause at the top of the in-breath. It's shorter than you think.
25. 5:07Stay with it.
26. 5:15Feel the parts of you that have gone quiet.
27. 5:26Let your belly rise first, then your chest, then the tops of your lungs.
28. 5:40Take the next breath slowly.
29. 5:49Notice your breathing, without changing it.
30. 5:59Breathe in for four, out for six, if you'd like something to count.
31. 6:12No rush to move on.
32. 6:21Notice your jaw again. Let your back teeth part slightly.
33. 6:33Let your breathing be boring. Boring is good here.
34. 6:44No words for a moment. Only the next breath.
35. 6:55Each time your mind hands you the heavy lids of a screen-lit day, treat it like a leaf on a stream. Present for a moment, then carried on.
36. 7:15Let the exhale carry a little of the ache of staring too long with it. Not all of it. Just a little, one breath at a time.
37. 7:35Follow one full breath from the moment it starts to the moment it ends.
38. 7:49When the strained eyes after screens arrives, name it once, quietly, and go back to the breath. Naming is not fixing, and that is fine.
39. 8:08If you're distracted by a sound, let the sound be the object for a moment.
40. 8:22If you're sleepy, sit up a little. Or let the sleepiness be there.
41. 8:35Nothing to follow for a moment except your own breathing.
42. 8:47We'll keep it quiet and unhurried.
43. 8:57Let it be this simple.
44. 9:06Let the last minute of quiet be the last minute of quiet.
45. 9:19Take one breath that's a little fuller than the others, and let it out through your mouth.

Questions people ask

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