Meditation for sleep: 12-minute breathing session, in the late afternoon

About this practice

For the times in the late afternoon when sleep takes up more room than you would like — 12 minutes, breathing. A guided session of about 12 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 after a long day

• Something physical first — shoes off, hands washed, water drunk
• Do not review the day during it
• Keep it short rather than thorough

Replaying the day in the practice just carries the day further into the evening.

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. 0:16We'll keep it quiet and unhurried.
3. 0:26There's a difference between relaxing and stopping. We're aiming for the second one, gently.
4. 0:40We'll work through this slowly. If you lose the thread, the thread will wait.
5. 0:54Notice the difference between the breath at the front of your nose and the breath in your chest.
6. 1:10Feel the air as it passes the back of your throat. It's cooler going in.
7. 1:24Feel your palms. Warm or cool, either is fine.
8. 1:35Now the right shoulder. Let it be a centimetre lower than it was.
9. 1:48Feel the middle of your back, the part that never gets attention.
10. 2:01Feel your belly. Let it be soft instead of held in.
11. 2:13Imagine the day folding itself up as a room you can walk out of for a minute. The room will still be there.
12. 2:31Imagine softening the edges of the quiet your mind keeps postponing. Not erasing it, just letting the sharp parts go a degree softer.
13. 2:49Follow three breaths and let the fourth one go unobserved.
14. 3:01Notice if your attention is in the future. Bring it back to the room.
15. 3:15We'll take this slowly, and there's no version of this where you get it wrong.
16. 3:29A short silence. Let it be empty.
17. 3:39If you're thinking about the next thing on your list, that list will still be there.
18. 3:54There's no need to try harder than this.
19. 4:05Quiet now. The next part will wait for you.
20. 4:16Notice the moment you realise you've drifted. That moment is the whole skill.
21. 4:29Let this be easy, if easy is available.
22. 4:40A few seconds of nothing now. That's on purpose.
23. 4:51Notice any urge to check something. You can wait two more minutes.
24. 5:04You can be as unimpressive as you like for the next few minutes.
25. 5:17Pause here. Count three breaths if you need an anchor.
26. 5:29Notice whether you're breathing or holding. Start breathing again.
27. 5:40Nothing here needs to be efficient.
28. 5:50Feel the parts of you that have gone quiet.
29. 6:01If you're holding your breath at the top, stop. There's no need to hold anything.
30. 6:15Let your body keep settling.
31. 6:24Feel your calves, front and back.
32. 6:34Follow the breath down into your belly and feel it come back up.
33. 6:47Let it be this simple.
34. 6:56Let the whole of your left foot be heavy.
35. 7:07Let each breath out be a small letting go of the muscles around your ribs.
36. 7:21Let this one be unhurried.
37. 7:30Feel the tops of your thighs.
38. 7:40Feel the slight stretch at the very bottom of the exhale.
39. 7:52Just the breath, still.
40. 8:01Notice your heels making contact with the floor or the bed.
41. 8:13Each time your mind hands you the heaviness your body already knows, treat it like a leaf on a stream. Present for a moment, then carried on.
42. 8:33I'll step back. You stay here.
43. 8:43You do not have to solve the day folding itself up in these few minutes. Your only job is to keep breathing while it is here.
44. 9:02Count down from ten, one number per exhale.
45. 9:13Notice where the quiet your mind keeps postponing lives in your body. Chest, throat, stomach. Rest your attention there without trying to change it.
46. 9:32Let the heaviness your body already knows be exactly as big as it is, and let your breath be exactly as slow as it is. They can coexist.
47. 9:52Let your breathing get quieter rather than deeper.
48. 10:03If you're replaying a conversation, let it play. It'll finish on its own.
49. 10:16If a worry shows up, name it quietly and let it sit beside you.
50. 10:30Let's rest here in silence. It's short.
51. 10:40If you only manage half of it, that's half more than nothing.
52. 10:53Stay here a little longer.
53. 11:02Roll your neck once, slowly, in whichever direction feels good.
54. 11:14Let the last of the stillness stay with you for a few more seconds.

Questions people ask

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