Financial stress: 10-minute breathing meditation, on the way in

About this practice

Nothing to learn and nothing to fix: 10 minutes of breathing for financial stress, on the way in. A guided session of about 10 minutes, suited to all levels. Nothing is recorded and no account is needed.

What this works on: financial stress

Money worry runs at night, when there is nothing to do about it. The lack of any available action keeps the nervous system activated for hours.

It tends to show up as:

• Lying awake doing arithmetic
• A clenched stomach opening the bank app
• Irritability about small spending

At 2am there is no decision to make, only a night to get through. That is the whole job of this practice.

Doing this on your commute

• Headphones on, eyes open or closed depending on your comfort
• Keep one part of your attention on your stop
• Do it standing if sitting is not possible — nobody is watching

Commuting time is already dead time. Nothing is being given up.

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. 0:00Turn your phone face down if it's within reach. If it's in another room, even better.
2. 0:15Let the counting do the work. When you lose the count, start again from one — no penalty.
3. 0:31Everything that happens in the next few minutes is allowed to happen.
4. 0:44We'll work through this slowly. If you lose the thread, the thread will wait.
5. 0:58Let your breathing get quieter rather than deeper.
6. 1:09Let the breath be shallow if shallow is what your body wants.
7. 1:22Feel your hips. Wide, heavy, and doing nothing.
8. 1:33Feel your heart somewhere in there, doing its work without instructions.
9. 1:45Notice your lower back. Let it curve however it curves.
10. 1:57Notice your shins, which take small knocks all day and never complain.
11. 2:10There is no correct amount of the arithmetic that will not balance to be feeling right now. Whatever is here is the honest amount.
12. 2:29Let the exhale carry a little of the worry that follows the bills with it. Not all of it. Just a little, one breath at a time.
13. 2:49Notice if you've been frowning at your own thoughts.
14. 3:00There is no target number here. Only the next breath, and then the one after it.
15. 3:15I'll leave a gap here. Use it however you like.
16. 3:27If your mind is quiet, don't grab at it. Quiet comes and goes too.
17. 3:41Follow the air from the nostrils down to the belly, then back out. One full trip at a time.
18. 3:57A few seconds of nothing now. That's on purpose.
19. 4:08If you feel emotional, you don't have to explain it to anyone, including yourself.
20. 4:22Keep the exhale a little longer than the inhale. That is the entire technique.
21. 4:36Let's rest here in silence. It's short.
22. 4:46Notice if your attention is in the future. Bring it back to the room.
23. 5:00Feel your breath move down your back, all the way to your lower ribs.
24. 5:14No need to open your eyes yet.
25. 5:24Notice your pelvis resting on the surface below you.
26. 5:35Let your shoulders stay still while your ribs move.
27. 5:46A few seconds more.
28. 5:55Notice your whole body as one shape, sitting or lying here.
29. 6:07Let your breathing find the rhythm it uses when you're almost asleep.
30. 6:20Let this one be unhurried.
31. 6:29Notice your fingers, one by one, starting with the little finger.
32. 6:41Notice where you feel the breath most clearly. Nose, chest, or belly — pick one and stay there.
33. 6:57Let's pause. Just the breathing for a while.
34. 7:08If the fear about money in the night has been with you all day, it is probably tired too. Let it rest alongside you.
35. 7:27Remind yourself, slowly: I am safe in this moment, even while the arithmetic that will not balance is here. Safety and difficulty can share a room.
36. 7:46Let your belly rise first, then your chest, then the tops of your lungs.
37. 8:00Nothing about the worry that follows the bills has to be explained or justified in this room.
38. 8:15If you're replaying a conversation, let it play. It'll finish on its own.
39. 8:28Notice the difference between a thought and the space around it.
40. 8:40A short silence. Let it be empty.
41. 8:50Your anchor for the next few minutes is the breath itself. Nothing else needs following.
42. 9:04Just the breath, still.
43. 9:13Let your jaw, shoulders and hands be loose as you finish.
44. 9:25Notice whether you feel any different. If not, that's also normal.

Questions people ask

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