Twelve minutes, four segments. No breath holds anywhere, which makes this the one to reach for when holds are the problem.
Why this one is different
1 min 30[calm and even from the first line — this practice is about steadiness, and the voice should model it]
This is coherent breathing, sometimes called resonant breathing. Equal in, equal out, at about five and a half breaths a minute — slower than normal, but nothing held anywhere.
That last part matters. If breath holds make you uneasy — and for a lot of people they do — this is the practice to use instead. There is nothing to brace for. [pause for 10 seconds]
Sit or lie comfortably. Eyes open or closed. Breathe through the nose the whole way through if you can. [pause for 15 seconds]
Finding the rhythm
3 min[count all six beats each way here — they are learning a pace they'll hold for nine more minutes]
Take one ordinary breath first, just to notice the starting pace. [pause for one breath]
Now in, slowly. Two. Three. Four. Five. And out. Two. Three. Four. Five.
Again. In. Two. Three. Four. Five. Out. Two. Three. Four. Five. [repeat this counted cycle six more times at exactly the same tempo]
If that feels too slow, shorten it slightly — four and four is still coherent. What matters is that in and out are equal and nothing is forced.
Dropping the count
5 min[name only the turns now, then go quiet altogether — this is where they take it over]
I'll count less now. You keep the same rhythm.
In. And out. In. And out. [keep marking the turns only, for about eight breaths]
Now on your own for a while. If the rhythm slips, don't correct it sharply — just come back to it on the next breath. [silence for 2 minutes]
Still going. Nothing to hold, nothing to hurry. [silence for a further 2 minutes]
Letting the pace return
2 min 30[unhurried close — no need to lift the energy much; this practice leaves people level rather than sleepy]
Let the count go now, and let your breath find its own pace again. Don't push it back to normal — just stop steering. [pause for 40 seconds]
Notice whether it has stayed slower than it was twelve minutes ago. Quite often it has, without any effort from you. [pause for 25 seconds]
Open your eyes if they were closed. This is the one worth doing daily — ten minutes of it, at whatever time you'll actually remember.