4-7-8 Breathing for Sleep, Then Slow Breathing | Guided, Counted, Brown Noise (35 min) (Video)

Transcript

Before we begin

This is a breathing session for sleep. A few slow rounds of four, seven, eight breathing, then easier paced breathing that fades into quiet. Lie down somewhere safe, never while driving.

Nothing here is medical treatment. If sleep has been difficult for weeks, that deserves a doctor's attention. Tonight is only a way to slow down.

A gentle rule before we start. Never force the breath. If a count feels too long, shorten it. Breathing should feel easy, never like holding on.

If you are pregnant, or have high blood pressure, a heart condition or a breathing problem, skip the holding part. Just breathe in slowly and out slowly with me. That is enough.

If at any point you feel dizzy, light headed or tight in the chest, stop counting and breathe normally. The quiet will carry on without you, and that is fine.

Settling

Let the body settle into the bed. Head heavy on the pillow. Shoulders loose. One hand can rest on the belly if you like, to feel it rise and fall.

Let the jaw loosen. Let the tongue rest. Let the eyes close, or half close on the dark. The small muscles of the face can stop working now.

Breathe out fully once, through the mouth, as if you were quietly sighing. Let the shoulders drop with it.

Notice the breath as it is, without changing it yet. Where you feel it most. The nose, the chest, the belly. There is no right answer. You are only saying hello to it.

Some people find a short pattern of breathing helps them settle at night. It goes like this. In through the nose for a count of four. A gentle pause for seven. Out slowly through the mouth for eight.

The out breath is the long one. That is the only part that matters. If seven feels too long to pause, pause for less, or not at all. We will do a few rounds, and then let it go.

Breathe through the nose on the way in, and out through the mouth, lips soft, as if you were gently cooling a cup of tea. Quiet. Nothing forced.

Four, seven, eight

Breathe in through the nose. Two. Three. Four.

Pause gently. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven.

Out slowly through the mouth. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight.

Again. In. Two. Three. Four.

Rest. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven.

Out. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight.

Once more. In. Two. Three. Four.

Hold softly. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven.

Out, long and easy. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight.

Let that be enough. Breathe however you like for a moment. Notice the body. Heavier, perhaps. A little warmer. Nothing to measure.

Some people notice a slight heaviness in the arms and legs after a few rounds. Others notice nothing at all. Both are fine. The breath is not a test you can fail.

Slower, easier

Now something simpler. No holding at all. In for four. Out for six. Just a slow tide, a little longer going out than coming in.

Do not worry about matching my counts exactly. Use them as a loose rhythm. If your breath is naturally a little faster or slower, let it be, and just keep the out breath longer.

In. Two. Three. Four. Out. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six.

In. Two. Three. Four. Out. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six.

In, slow. Out, slower.

In. Two. Three. Four. Out. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six.

If the counting becomes effort, drop it. Keep only the feeling. A little in. A longer out.

In. Two. Three. Four. Out. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six.

In, slow. Out, slower.

Let the belly rise. Let it fall.

In. Two. Three. Four. Out. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six.

Letting the counts go

The breath knows this now. You can stop counting. Let it be a little slower than usual, a little longer on the way out, and otherwise leave it alone.

Let the body grow heavier with each out breath. The bed holds you. There is nothing you need to hold up, nothing you need to check on.

Thoughts will come. Let them pass with the out breath. You do not have to follow them anywhere.

If you notice you have stopped breathing slowly and gone back to your ordinary breath, that is fine too. The body is choosing what it needs. Let it.

In, slow.

Out, slower.

The low steady sound in the background is only there to cover the night. You do not have to listen to it.

You have done what there was to do. Slow in, slower out, and then nothing at all. The rest is not your job.

Resting

Heavy and warm.

Nothing to count. Nothing to do.

The sound will stay with you for a while, and then it will fade. There is nothing more to do.