Ten minutes, four segments. Deliberately hold-free. If you only record one breathing script for anxious listeners, record this one.
What we're not going to do
1 min 30[normal speaking voice, warm and plain — this segment builds the trust everything after depends on]
Ten minutes of breathing for a body that's already wound up. Two things we're not going to do.
We're not going to hold the breath anywhere. Holding raises the heart rate, and when you're already activated that's the wrong direction — which is why box breathing sometimes makes things worse rather than better.
And I'm not going to tell you to take a deep breath. Being told that when you can't is its own small misery. We'll work with the out-breath instead, which is the half that does the calming. [pause for 10 seconds]
Sit or stand, whatever you're already doing. Eyes open is fine.
The physiological sigh
3 min[demonstrate the double inhale audibly — people cannot work it out from a description]
We'll start with something the body already does on its own, usually after crying or when you're settling down to sleep. Two inhales, then one long exhale.
Like this: a normal breath in through the nose, then a second short sip of air on top of it, then a long slow breath out through the mouth. [demonstrate the full pattern audibly, then pause 5 seconds]
Your turn. In through the nose. A second sip on top. And a long way out. [pause for 12 seconds]
Again. In. Sip. And out, slowly, all the way. [repeat this three more times, roughly 12 seconds apart]
If the second sip doesn't happen, don't fight for it. One breath in and a long one out does most of the same work. [pause for 15 seconds]
Longer out than in
3 min 30[never count the in-breath aloud — only the out; counting the inhale makes people over-breathe]
Now we settle into something you can hold for a few minutes. Leave the in-breath completely alone — whatever it wants to be, however short. We only work on the way out.
Breathe in however you like. And out — two, three, four, five, six. [pause for 10 seconds]
Again. In, whatever comes. And out — two, three, four, five, six. [repeat, counting only the out-breath, for about six cycles]
If the breath is tight and shallow, leave it tight and shallow. You're not fixing it. A short in-breath and a slightly longer out-breath still works. [continue quietly for a further minute, marking only the out-breaths]
Back to the room
2 min[honest close — don't claim relief you can't deliver, and give the practical takeaway plainly]
Let the counting go. Let the breath do whatever it's doing. [pause for 20 seconds]
You might feel a bit steadier. You might feel much the same. Both are ordinary, and neither is a verdict on you. [pause for 15 seconds, then lift the voice]
Look around the room properly before you move on.
The part worth keeping is the double breath in and the long breath out. Three of those, on your own, takes about twenty seconds and works standing in a corridor. If most days feel like this rather than just today, that's worth mentioning to a doctor.