Meditation · Sleep
Evening Inventory
Elena Marsh · 13 min
13:00
remaining
What to do, minute by minute
1. Settle in
0:00–2:36Sit 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
2:36–5:12Breathe 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
5:12–7:48Move 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
7:48–10:24Stop 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
10:24–13:00Deepen your breath, wiggle your fingers and toes, and open your eyes slowly. Carry a little of this quiet into whatever comes next.
Setting the day down deliberately before sleep.
Run through the day quickly, without judging any of it. Note one thing that went well and one thing you would do differently. Say to yourself: that is enough for today. Then let the whole day close like a door in another room.