Calm a busy mind9 min
Meditation for stress
A free 9-minute session for a wound-up day. Start with five slow sighs, let the body unclench, then rest.
Voice: Sedona (synthetic)
First time? Lie down or sit back. Headphones are optional, and it's fine if you drift off.
- Best for
- A wound-up day when you can stop for ten minutes
- When to use it
- After a hard meeting, at the end of the work day, or in the evening when you can't switch off. Sit back or lie down. Close your eyes, or let your gaze rest on the floor.
- What you'll hear
- 0:00Arrive: sit back or lie down, eyes closed or resting on the floor
- 0:43Five guided sighs: a deep breath in through the nose, a short top-up sip, a long breath out through the mouth. Then a few at your own pace
- 3:33A tension check: the jaw and tongue, the eyes and forehead, the shoulders, arms and hands, then the belly
- 5:39Quiet rest, with longer silences
- 7:43Return: a fuller breath, small movements, eyes open when you're ready
- 8:32A short close
How the session runs
The recording runs just under nine minutes. It opens with about 40 seconds to settle, then five guided rounds of the physiological sigh and a few at your own pace, to about 3:30. Next comes a tension check: the jaw and tongue, the eyes and forehead, the shoulders, arms and hands, then the belly. From about 5:40 there are two minutes of quiet rest, then a return and a short close. You never hold your breath.
The sigh is two breaths in through the nose, the second a short sip on top of the first, then one long breath out through the mouth. For more on it, see the physiological sigh.
When to use a short stress session
A short reset for a stressful afternoon. Use it after a hard meeting, at the end of the work day before you walk in the door, or in the evening when your head won't switch off.
It is a reset, not a way to solve what is stressing you. The meeting, the inbox and the bills will still be there afterwards.
If the problem is too much input rather than too much pressure, see feeling overstimulated.
How long should a stress meditation be?
There is no tested right length. About ten minutes is a practical default for a break in the day, and you can find shorter and longer sessions on the NSDR shelf.
What the research says
In two small trials of healthy, physically active adults, 10 minutes of NSDR lowered self-rated stress more than a control condition (65 people in 2024, 102 in 2026). The effect in the larger trial was small. Neither trial studied people with an anxiety disorder. Sources: Boukhris et al. (2024); Boukhris et al. (2026a)
Those were trials of NSDR, not of mindfulness meditation for stress, and not of this recording.
In a 2023 Stanford trial (108 people enrolled), five minutes a day of cyclic sighing for a month raised daily positive mood and slowed breathing more than mindfulness meditation. Anxiety fell about equally in every group. Source: Balban et al. (2023), Cell Reports Medicine
The research is early. Four small trials have tested NSDR itself, with mixed results. A 2026 review of 73 yoga nidra studies found significant benefits for stress and anxiety, but its authors say the low study quality means those effects likely reflect inflated estimates. Source: Ghai et al. (2026), review of 73 yoga nidra studies
Questions
How do I start meditation for stress?
Sit back or lie down, press play and follow the voice. You can stop at any time.
Can meditation help with stress?
A short reset for a stressful afternoon. In two small trials of healthy, physically active adults, 10 minutes of NSDR lowered self-rated stress more than a control condition (65 people in 2024, 102 in 2026). The effect in the larger trial was small. Neither trial studied people with an anxiety disorder. Those trials tested NSDR, not mindfulness meditation.
Is a short meditation enough?
There is no tested right length. This one runs about nine minutes, which fits into most days, and the shelf has shorter and longer sessions if it doesn't suit you.
Do I need to close my eyes?
No. The session gives you the choice: close your eyes, or let your gaze rest on the floor in front of you.