Cultivate A Restful Mind With 4:7:8 Breathing

The 4:7:8 breathing exercise is a gentle technique designed to help settle your nervous system and prepare your body for rest. The longer exhale activates your body's natural relaxation response, helping to ease tension and quiet racing thoughts.

After practicing with guidance, you can move at whatever pace feels comfortable for you. Many people find that practicing 4:7:8 breathing as they lie down to rest creates a helpful transition into sleep, though it's also beneficial to use whenever you need a moment of calm during the day.

Transcript

Hi there,

Welcome back to Insight Timer.

I'm Stephen and I'll be your guide for this meditation.

4-7-8 breathing is a practice that can support you to find calm,

To let go of thoughts,

To support your mind,

To get into a state of rest.

It begins with four counts of inhale,

Then we hold the breath for seven counts,

And then we take a long exhalation of eight counts,

And that can be through the nose or the mouth.

This practice,

When repeated over and over,

Supports the mind and the body to settle into rest.

The extension of the exhalation is a tool that activates the parasympathetic nervous system and helps us to calm down.

Once you've found a comfortable resting position,

You might gently close your eyes and begin to inhale through your nose.

4-3-2-1.

Holding the inhalation for 7-6-5-4-3-2 and exhaling 7-6-5-4-3-2-1.

Now that you're familiar with the practice,

I'm going to continue counting to guide you.

If you notice that my pace is too fast or too slow for you,

Feel free to take it in your own time,

Counting gently and slowly as you inhale,

Hold,

And release the breath.

Inhale for 4.

Hold the breath for 7.

Release 8.

Hold.

Release.

Exhale 8.

Hold.

Release.

Exhale 8.

Hold.

Release.

You can continue with this pattern of inhaling for 4 seconds through the nose,

Gently holding the breath for 7 counts,

And then slowly releasing the breath through the nose or the mouth.

You can anchor yourself in the counting,

Anchor yourself in the breathing.

Sometimes it's hard to let go of thoughts or other energy that might be sitting with us when we're settling into the rest at the end of a long day.

In fact,

The process of holding the breath can also be a powerful tool to support us to let go of those thoughts.

Of course,

Not holding it for too long,

But trusting that the mind will give us a signal when we want to exhale and release the breath.

Let's do it one more time together before you settle into your own sequence of rest.

Inhale for 4.

Hold for 7.

And release 8.

I hope this practice has been supportive.

Self-awareness for you has helped you to cultivate some calm and relaxation.

I thank you for meditating with me and I hope you'll come back soon.