Breath counting

1. Sit comfortably with your back upright. Close your eyes or rest them low.
2. Pick 1, 3 or 5 minutes and press Start.
3. Feel the air at your nostrils: cool on the way in, a little warmer on the way out.
4. On each out-breath, tap and count: one to ten, then back to one. If you lose count, start again at one, without judging yourself.

Anapana means watching the natural breath as it comes in and goes out, and it is the first step in Vipassana meditation as taught at Goenka's courses (dhamma.org (opens in a new tab)). Those courses just observe the breath. The counting here is our added help, to make it easier to notice when you have drifted. To learn the full practice, the ten-day residential courses are offered freely (dhamma.org (opens in a new tab)).

Counting has some research behind it. In four studies with over 400 people, those who were better at a breath-counting task (counting breaths one to nine, with key presses) had more awareness of their own mind and less mind wandering. Four weeks of breath-counting practice improved mindfulness and reduced mind wandering compared with memory training or no training (Levinson et al., 2014 (opens in a new tab)).

Meditation isn't for everyone. A review summarised by the US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health found about 8 in 100 people had a negative effect, most often anxiety or low mood (NCCIH (opens in a new tab)). If a sit leaves you feeling worse, stop.

• To land in the moment before study, a match or a meeting.
• When your mind is racing and you want one simple thing to hold on to.
• Not while driving or doing anything that needs your attention.

This is a self-help practice, not medical advice. If anxiety or low mood is affecting your daily life, talk to a doctor.