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Let go. Then breathe. · 中文

Practices · 6 min · Still

The long exhale before sleep

Six quiet minutes to end the day on a long out-breath. It will not put you to sleep on command; it gives the day a softer edge.

Begin

How it goes

  1. 01

    Lights low 40″

    Dim what you can. Lie on your back or your side, whichever is easiest, and let the bed hold your weight.

  2. 02

    Soften the out-breath 1′

    Breathe in through the nose, easily. Let the out-breath run a little longer than the in-breath, without pushing. Let your jaw loosen.

  3. 03

    Count down 2′

    On each out-breath, silently say a number, starting at ten and counting down to one. If you lose the count, begin again at ten.

  4. 04

    Drop the numbers 2′

    Let the breath find its own rhythm. Rest your attention on the end of each out-breath, the small pause before the next in-breath.

  5. 05

    Stay as you are 30″

    The practice is over. There is nothing left to do. Stay as you are.

Sleep cannot be forced, and this practice does not try. It only gives the day a softer edge. The long out-breath is the part of the breath that leans toward settling, so we spend more time there: in for a natural count, out a little slower.

Do it in bed if you like. Many people drift off before the end, and that is fine. If you stay awake, you have still spent six minutes lying quietly with your breath, which is a kind of rest too. Keep the light low and the phone out of reach.

The counting down is only something for the mind to hold. When it slips, don’t correct it. Begin again at ten, as if for the first time.

Take care. Practise lying down somewhere safe to rest, never while driving or operating machinery. This is a way to wind the day down, not a treatment for any sleep difficulty. If sleep troubles you for weeks, speak with a health professional.

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