calm breathing with simple pranayama

About this practice

Use this before bedtime when your mind feels busy. A guided session of about 10 minutes, suited to beginners. Nothing is recorded and no account is needed.

What happens, minute by minute

1. 0:00Sit on the edge of your chair, feet flat on the floor, spine tall but relaxed. Let the weight of your thighs settle into the seat like a warm mug on a table.
2. 0:55Close your eyes gently, as if you were lowering a curtain over a window. Notice the air at the edge of your nostrils, cool as the breath that slips over a kettle.
3. 1:50Place one hand on the rise of your chest, the other on the soft curve of your belly. Feel the subtle rise and fall, like a dog’s chest moving as it sighs.
4. 2:45Feel the length of your spine, a straight line from the base of your skull to the tailbone. Imagine a thin thread pulling the crown of your head toward the ceiling, just enough to straighten.
5. 3:40Notice the natural rhythm of your breath before you change it. Let a few breaths pass without interference, as if you were listening to rain on a window.
6. 4:35Bring your attention to the inhale, drawing air in through both nostrils for a count of four. Count silently in your mind: one, two, three, four.
7. 5:30Turn the exhale into a slow release through the mouth, lengthening it to a count of six. Feel the air leave like steam from a kettle, soft and steady.
8. 6:25Let the next inhale fill for five counts, then pause two.
9. 6:49Breathe out through the nose for seven counts, emptying the lungs completely. Imagine the air slipping out like a sigh from a sleeping cat.
10. 7:13Count each cycle, but keep the numbers in the background, like a distant clock ticking. If your mind wanders, bring it back to the sound of your own breath.
11. 7:37Pause now for a moment, keeping the breath natural.
12. 8:01Observe how your shoulders have dropped about an inch since you began.
13. 8:25Gently shift to a three‑second inhale, a three‑second hold, and a six‑second exhale.
14. 8:49Now return to the longer rhythm you practiced earlier, feeling the steadiness in your chest.
15. 9:13When you feel ready, open your eyes slowly, as if lifting a lid off a pot.
16. 9:37Finally, notice the calm that remains, like the quiet after a rainstorm, and carry it with you.

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