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Transform your relationship with sleep through the power of breathwork.
How This Works
This is a 4-week self-guided program designed to restore your natural sleep rhythm. Each week builds on the last, progressively deepening your rest and recovery.
Struggling with insomnia, racing thoughts at night, or waking unrested. Your nervous system is stuck in "on" mode.
Use breathwork to create a wind-down ritual 1-2 hours before bed. This signals your body it's time to transition to rest.
Record your sleep hours, time to fall asleep, and how refreshed you feel upon waking.
Video Tutorials
Watch these guided demonstrations to master the sleep techniques.
Guided Breathing Meditation for Sleep
SOMA Breath sleep meditation - Primary bedtime track
4-7-8 Breathing to Fall Asleep Fast
Dr. Andrew Weil's famous sleep technique
BREATHWORK MEDITATION | 12 Minutes
Rest, Digest, Sleep meditation
Diaphragm Reset
Foundation for parasympathetic activation
Your Daily Sleep Routine
This protocol works by activating your parasympathetic nervous system—the "rest and digest" mode your body needs for sleep.
The One Rule for Sleep
Consistency over perfection. Go to bed and wake at the same time every day—even weekends. Your circadian rhythm craves predictability. If you don't fall asleep in 20 minutes, get up, do gentle breathing, and try again.
The 4:7:8 Breathing Technique
Your primary sleep tool. Developed by Dr. Andrew Weil, this pattern activates the parasympathetic nervous system.
How to Practice 4:7:8 (Do This in Bed)
- Lie on your back, get comfortable
- Place tongue tip on roof of mouth (just behind front teeth)
- Inhale through nose for 4 counts
- Hold breath for 7 counts
- Exhale completely through mouth for 8 counts (make a "whoosh" sound)
- Repeat for 4-8 cycles
Why this works: The 4:7:8 ratio slows your heart rate, lowers blood pressure, and tells your nervous system it's safe to sleep. The extended exhale is key—it activates the vagus nerve.
Charlotte's evidence: "4:7:8 is good for sleep" — This simple ratio has helped thousands fall asleep faster. Practice it every night, in bed, with the lights off.
Weekly Check-In
Every Sunday, evaluate your sleep progress in the Assessment section:
- Body: How many hours did you sleep? How long to fall asleep?
- Mind: Do you understand the sleep-breath connection?
- Belief: Are you starting to trust your body's ability to rest?
Sleep debt takes time. If you've had insomnia for months or years, don't expect perfection in Week 1. Watch for small wins: falling asleep 10 minutes faster, waking less during the night, feeling slightly more rested.
Ready to Begin?
Your first steps to better sleep:
- Scroll down to Week 1
- Set up your sleep environment (dark, cool, quiet)
- Tonight: Practice 4:7:8 breathing in bed for 4 cycles
- Tomorrow morning: Record your sleep hours and quality
Common Sleep Obstacles
Real issues, practical solutions.
Normal. Your sympathetic nervous system is still active. Use 4:7:8 breathing to interrupt the thought loop. If still racing after 10 minutes, try the Rest, Sleep, Heal guided track—Niraj's voice will anchor your attention.
Perfect! That's exactly what should happen. Falling asleep during the session means your nervous system is responding. Let it happen.
Use 4:7:8 breathing on the plane. Upon landing, do an evening breathwork session at your destination's bedtime to reset circadian rhythm faster. Breath controls your nervous system regardless of time zone.
Don't fight it. Get up, do 5 minutes of 4:7:8 breathing in a chair (not in bed), then return to bed. Avoid screens. If still awake after 30 min, repeat.
See a doctor first. Breathwork can help mild cases, but apnea requires medical evaluation. Once cleared, nasal breathing exercises during the day can strengthen airways.
Sleep Profile
Understanding your sleep challenges to design the path forward.
Current State (Point A)
- Difficulty falling asleep (30+ minutes)
- Racing mind at bedtime
- Poor sleep quality, frequent waking
- Waking unrested despite hours in bed
- Jet lag or shift work disruption
Desired State (Point B)
- Fall asleep within 15 minutes
- Deep, restorative sleep throughout the night
- Wake feeling energized and refreshed
- Adapt quickly to time zone changes
- Natural sleep rhythm restored
Sleep Audio Library
Breathwork tracks specifically designed for rest, recovery, and deep sleep.
Before Bedtime Sessions
- Use in bed — these tracks are designed to transition you into sleep
- Headphones optional — can use speakers at low volume
- No screens after — avoid checking phone if you wake during the night
- Dark room essential — even small light disrupts melatonin
Follow-Along: Stress Release, Deep Relaxation
4:8 pattern for evening wind-down
Primary Sleep Track (Week 1-4)
Rest, Sleep, Heal (Niraj Guided)
~20 min · 4:8 guided · Bedtime use · Week 1-4
Best For
Your primary sleep track. Use this in bed, lights off, ready to sleep. Niraj's calming voice guides you into deep parasympathetic rest. Designed to be the last thing you do before sleep.
How to Use
Get completely ready for bed first (teeth brushed, pajamas on). Lie down, press play, close eyes. Don't fight sleep if it comes early in the track. Falling asleep during the session is success, not failure.
What to Expect
First few nights: you may stay awake through the whole track. Week 2-3: you'll start drifting off mid-session. Week 4: often asleep within first 10 minutes. This is your nervous system learning to trust the cue.
Evening Wind-Down Tracks (Week 1-2)
Bliss Breath (Guided)
~10 min · 4:8 pattern · Evening calm · Week 1
Best for: Evening wind-down 1-2 hours before bed (not in bed). Gentle introduction to 4:8 extended exhalation. Use sitting in a chair or on couch. Helps transition from day mode to evening relaxation.
Tranquility (Female Counting)
~22 min · 4:8 pattern · 3 rounds · Week 1-2
Best for: Evening sessions before your bedtime routine. Smooth, calming beats create a peaceful state. Great for unwinding after stressful days. Do this 1-2 hours before bed, then transition to Rest, Sleep, Heal when actually getting into bed.
Deep Recovery Sessions (Week 3-4)
Alpha Healing (60 min)
60 min · 4:8 extended · Alpha brainwave · Week 3-4
Best for: Weekend afternoon naps or deep recovery sessions. Extended 4:8 pattern induces alpha brainwave state—between waking and sleeping. This is "Yoga Nidra" territory: you may feel deeply rested even if you don't fully sleep. Use when sleep-deprived or recovering from illness.
Building Your Sleep Protocol
Week 1-2: Use Bliss Breath or Tranquility for evening wind-down (7-8pm), then Rest, Sleep, Heal in bed (10pm).
Week 3-4: Stick with Rest, Sleep, Heal as your bedtime anchor. Add Alpha Healing on weekends for deep recovery if needed.
4:7:8 technique: Use anytime, no audio needed. Your emergency sleep tool when traveling or stressed.
Sleep Transformation Stories
Real transformations from the SOMA Breath community.
Wind-Down Ritual
15-20 min dailyEstablish your evening breathwork routine and teach your body the transition to sleep mode.
Day 1-2: Sleep Environment Setup
Creating Your Sleep Sanctuary
- Cover or remove all light sources (electronics, clocks)
- Use blackout curtains or eye mask
- Cool temperature (your body needs to cool down to sleep)
- White noise or silence (personal preference)
- Phone on airplane mode or in another room
Why this matters: Your circadian rhythm responds to environmental cues. Light tells your brain to stay awake. Darkness triggers melatonin. Temperature drop signals sleep time.
Day 3-4: Introduce 4:7:8 Breathing
4:7:8 Technique Checklist
- Tongue on roof of mouth (behind teeth)
- Inhale quietly through nose (4 counts)
- Hold breath (7 counts)
- Exhale audibly through mouth with "whoosh" (8 counts)
- Repeat 4 cycles minimum, 8 cycles ideal
Charlotte's note: "4:7:8 is good for sleep" — The extended exhale (8 counts) is longer than the inhale (4 counts), which activates your parasympathetic nervous system and slows your heart rate.
Day 5-7: Add Guided Bedtime Track
Week 1 Success Markers
- You've practiced breathwork in bed at least 5 nights
- You've eliminated screens 1 hour before bed most nights
- You can perform 4:7:8 breathing without counting (muscle memory)
- You may notice: slightly faster sleep onset, or deeper initial sleep
Sleep Architecture
20-25 min dailyDeepen your practice and build the structure of consistent, restorative sleep.
Day 1-3: Consistent Bedtime Anchor
Why Same Bedtime Matters
- Your circadian rhythm runs on a 24-hour cycle
- Irregular sleep times confuse your internal clock
- Consistent bedtime strengthens sleep drive at that hour
- Within 2-3 weeks, you'll naturally feel tired at that time
The rule: Same bedtime and wake time every day—even weekends. This is more important than total hours slept in Week 2.
Day 4-5: Body Scan Visualization
Sleep Body Scan Technique
- Lie flat on back, arms at sides
- As you breathe, bring attention to forehead → relax it
- Move to jaw → soften it (jaw tension blocks sleep)
- Shoulders → let them drop away from ears
- Continue down: chest, belly, hips, legs, feet
- Each exhale: imagine that body part getting heavier, sinking into bed
Day 6-7: Dream State Entry Protocol
Yoga Nidra Connection
This visualization technique is similar to Yoga Nidra—"yogic sleep" or "sleep without sleeping." You're training your brain to enter the hypnagogic state (between waking and sleeping). The more you practice, the faster you'll transition from awake to asleep.
Week 2 Success Markers
- Same bedtime at least 6 out of 7 nights
- You're falling asleep 10-15 minutes faster than Week 1
- You can perform body scan without audio guidance
- You may notice: waking less during the night, deeper sleep quality
Deep Recovery
20-30 min dailyExtend your sessions and access deeper states of rest and cellular recovery.
Day 1-3: Extended Evening Sessions
Two-Session Evening Protocol
- 8pm session (living room): Tranquility track, sitting comfortably. This signals your nervous system to begin the transition.
- Screen-free time: 8:30-10pm. Read, journal, light stretching—no bright lights.
- 10pm session (bedroom): Rest, Sleep, Heal in bed. Your body is now primed for deep sleep.
Why two sessions work: The first session downregulates your nervous system. The gap allows adenosine (sleep pressure) to build. The second session guides you into sleep from an already-relaxed state.
Day 4-5: Sleep Visualization
Sleep Recovery Visualization
As you breathe, imagine: Blue healing light entering your body with each inhale. This light travels to areas that need repair—muscles, organs, brain. With each exhale, see gray or dark smoke leaving (stress, toxins, fatigue). Visualize waking up tomorrow fully restored.
Day 6-7: Alpha Healing Recovery (Optional)
Deep Recovery Naps (Yoga Nidra Style)
The 60-min Alpha Healing track induces alpha brainwave state—you may not "sleep" but will enter deep rest. 30 minutes of Yoga Nidra rest = 2-3 hours of sleep in restorative value. Use this when catching up from sleep debt.
Week 3 Success Markers
- You're consistently getting 7+ hours of sleep
- Time to fall asleep: under 20 minutes most nights
- You wake feeling more rested than Week 1-2
- You may notice: vivid dreams (sign of REM sleep returning), sleeping through the night
Sleep Mastery
15-20 min dailySolidify your sleep ritual and develop tools for lifelong sleep hygiene.
Day 1-3: Sustainable Sleep Hygiene
Sleep Hygiene Checklist (Maintain Forever)
- Consistency: Same bedtime/wake time (±30 min)
- Light: Bright light in morning, dim lights evening, dark bedroom
- Temperature: Cool bedroom (65-68°F ideal)
- Caffeine: None after 2pm (6-8 hour half-life)
- Alcohol: Avoid before bed (disrupts REM sleep)
- Exercise: Finish intense workouts 3+ hours before bed
- Screens: Blue light off 1 hour before bed
- Breathwork: Your nightly anchor—4:7:8 or guided track
Day 4-5: Travel Sleep Protocols
Jet Lag Breathwork Protocol
- Before flight: If flying east, go to bed 1 hour earlier for 2 nights before
- During flight: 4:7:8 breathing every hour (resets nervous system)
- Upon arrival: Stay awake until local bedtime (use breathwork to manage fatigue)
- First night: Full bedtime breathwork session at destination time
- Days 2-3: Morning sunlight + evening breathwork = fast circadian reset
Why this works: Breath controls your autonomic nervous system regardless of time zone. You're manually overriding your body's confusion about when to sleep.
Day 6-7: Maintaining Sleep Rhythm
Your Minimal Viable Sleep Practice
After Week 4, you don't need the full protocol every night. Your minimum to maintain gains:
- Essential: 4:7:8 breathing in bed every night (4 cycles, 2 minutes)
- Ideal: Rest, Sleep, Heal track 3-4x per week
- As needed: Tranquility for stressful days, Alpha Healing for sleep debt recovery
Week 4 Success Markers (Sleep Mastery)
- You're sleeping 7+ hours consistently
- Time to fall asleep: 10-15 minutes
- Waking refreshed most mornings
- You have tools for travel, stress, and sleep disruptions
- Sleep feels effortless, not effortful
You've reprogrammed your nervous system. Sleep is no longer something you "try" to do—it's something your body naturally does when given the right signals. The breath is that signal.
Weekly Assessment
Track your sleep transformation across body, mind, and belief.
Self-Assessment (Do This Every Sunday)
Honest self-evaluation helps you see progress even when it feels slow. Sleep improvement is gradual—small wins compound.
Sleep Metrics
Understanding Sleep-Breath Science
The Science (Simple)
- 4:7:8 breathing → Extended exhale activates parasympathetic nervous system, slowing heart rate and signaling safety
- Circadian rhythm → 24-hour internal clock regulated by light, temperature, and routine. Consistency strengthens it.
- Parasympathetic activation → Shifts body from "fight or flight" to "rest and digest," necessary for sleep
- Yoga Nidra/Alpha state → Conscious relaxation that provides restorative benefits even without full sleep
Sleep Beliefs
Check statements that feel TRUE for you:
The Real Target
4:7:8 breathing and bedtime tracks are tools. The goal is to believe you can sleep.
When you trust your body's ability to rest, sleep stops being a battle and becomes a natural state you return to each night.