Meditation · Anxiety
Counting Down From Ten
Aya Fujimoto · 6 min
6:00
remaining
What to do, minute by minute
1. Settle in
0:00–1:12Sit or lie down somewhere you won't be disturbed. Let your shoulders drop, close your eyes or soften your gaze, and take three slow breaths.
2. Follow the breath
1:12–2:24Breathe in for a count of four, out for a count of six. Let the out-breath be longer than the in-breath — that's what calms the nervous system.
3. Scan and release
2:24–3:36Move your attention slowly from your jaw to your shoulders, hands, belly and legs. Wherever you find tension, breathe into it and let it go.
4. Rest in stillness
3:36–4:48Stop steering. Let thoughts come and go like passing traffic — when you notice you've wandered off, that noticing is the practice. Return to the breath.
5. Come back gently
4:48–6:00Deepen your breath, wiggle your fingers and toes, and open your eyes slowly. Carry a little of this quiet into whatever comes next.
A simple descending count that gives the mind somewhere to stand.
Breathe out and say ten to yourself. Breathe out again and say nine. Keep going down, one number for each exhale. If you lose the number, start again at ten — losing it is part of it. By one, notice the body has already slowed without being asked.