seven minute breath focus

About this practice

Use this when you need a quiet pause before sleep or work. A guided session of about 7 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, hands resting on your thighs.
2. 0:20Close your eyes gently, and let the room settle around you.
3. 0:42Notice the weight of your shoulders, how they settle about an inch when you exhale.
4. 1:00Turn your attention to the breath at the tip of your nose, the coolness as you inhale, the soft warmth as you let go.
5. 1:25Count to four as you draw the air in.
6. 1:40Hold for a breath, no longer than two counts.
7. 1:52Exhale slowly to six, feeling your chest loosen.
8. 2:06Feel the rise and fall of your belly, like a kettle warming on a stove.
9. 2:26If a thought drifts in, name it—a dog barking, a phone buzzing—and let it pass.
10. 2:44Return to the counting, inhaling four, pausing two, exhaling six.
11. 3:06Observe the sound of the room, a distant hum, the tick of a clock.
12. 3:22Let each exhale carry a little tension away.
13. 3:36Bring your focus back to the feeling of air entering your nostrils, crisp as rain on a window.
14. 3:54Slow the pace now, inhaling three, exhaling five.
15. 4:06Sense the calm spreading through your chest, like a quiet street after rain.
16. 4:26Breathe naturally now, no counting, just the rhythm.
17. 4:36Allow any remaining tightness to melt, as a candle flame flickers low.
18. 4:51When you’re ready, open your eyes slowly, and notice how the room feels a little softer.
19. 5:11Watch the rise of your chest like a slow tide, steady and sure.
20. 5:39Imagine the air as a soft blanket, wrapping around each rib.
21. 6:05Take a final deep breath, fill the lungs fully, then release it with a sigh.
22. 6:32Rest for a moment, simply being, before you move on with the day.

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