Guided meditation · 15 min
Stress Release
Let the day's tension drain out with every long exhale, and settle into a body that finally feels allowed to rest.
With
Rated4.715K plays
- Level
- Beginner friendly
- Style
- Guided meditation
- Sound
- Voice only
- Best time
- Evening or night
About this session
- Eases stress
- Calms the body
- Quiets overwhelm
- Prepares you for rest
Emily Fletcher opens with a breathing pattern that stretches the out-breath to twice the length of the in-breath, building from two and four counts up to four and eight. From there you drop into a quiet two-word phrase repeated in your mind, then listen to a run of soft, probing questions.
It suits anyone carrying the day's pressure into the evening, or anyone who feels stretched thin and wants a reset. Use it at night, after work or before bed, whenever your thoughts keep running and your body hasn't yet got the message to slow down.
After the session
01
A softer body
Feel muscles unclench as the breath lengthens.
02
Presence in the moment
Step out of replaying and rehearsing.
03
Less grip of control
Loosen the need to hold everything together.
04
A fresh reset
Return to your life clearer and lighter.
Who it’s for
Yes, if…
- Anyone who ends the day still buzzing with stress
- People who feel overwhelmed and need a quick reset
- Beginners who want simple breathing to follow along with
- Those who like to let go of the day before sleep
Not now, if…
- Those looking for an energising practice
- People who prefer silent meditation (this is guided)
- Anyone wanting a long, uninterrupted stretch of stillness without questions
About the teacher
Emily Fletcher
Founder of Ziva Meditation
Emily is the founder of Ziva Meditation and the host of the spine-tingling new podcast, Why Isn’t Everyone Doing This? (link.chtbl.com/whythis). She is an international speaker whose superpower is making esoteric tools accessible to a mainstream audience, teaching over 50,000 people meditation and manifesting. Her best-selling book, Stress Less, Accomplish More_, debuted at #7 out of all books on Amazon and has been translated into 12 languages. Her work has been featured by The New York Times, Good Morning America, Google and Harvard Business School. She is also one of the first Mindvalley authors with her Quest, The M Word. A formerly stressed Broadway performer going gray at 27, Emily was desperate for a solution when she found meditation -- which immediately cured her insomnia and anxiety. Her transformation was so dramatic that she quit acting, went to India, and studied the ancient tools Ziva students swear by today. Over the past three years she has dedicated herself to birthing Sacred Secret_ which is both a movement and an embodied manifesting formula helping her students to visualize, alchemize and magnetize their dreams using the most creative force on the planet... their sexual energy. Instagram: @zivameditation Emily’s podcast, Why Isn’t Everyone Doing This?: <https://link.chtbl.com/whythis/> Website: <https://zivameditation.com/podcast/>
See all by Emily FletcherQuestions people ask
Still unsure? Ask your assistant anything about this session.
Why does the exhale get doubled?
Emily explains that breathing out for twice as long as you breathe in is a powerful way to calm the vagus nerve, which connects your brain and body. She describes it as a route out of fight or flight and into what she calls "stay and play." You start at two in and four out, move to three and six, then settle at four in and eight out.
Can I do the breathing while walking?
Yes. At the start Emily says that if you're on the move, you can inhale for two steps and exhale for four steps. When you're ready, she suggests sitting down with your back supported and your head free, then closing your eyes.
How do I use the words "let go" in the second part?
You silently think "let" as you breathe in and "go" as you breathe out, like a faint echo in the background of your mind. There's no need to get the tempo right or concentrate hard. Emily calls it an anchor for the nervous system, something to return to whenever you drift.
What if my mind wanders during the mantra?
That's expected. Emily says thoughts aren't the enemy and you're allowed to have them. When you notice you've taken a "mental field trip," that is your cue to float back to the words let go. The same goes if the mind is racing or you feel sleepy.
Why does she ask questions I'm not meant to answer?
You only listen for an answer rather than think one through. Emily says the questions wake your body's innate intelligence, and that some statements will feel true and others won't, but each carries an emotional charge. The aim is to clear that charge to ease stress.
What kinds of questions come up?
They touch on trust and control: being exactly where you're meant to be, being ahead of schedule, and loving the illusion of control because it feels safe. Others invite you to thank stress for getting you this far while releasing it. The session closes with three big inhales and an audible sigh out.