The Hall, Exeter: an hour of quiet before work, for men
Details
An hour on a weekday morning, before work, breathing slowly and sitting quietly with other men. Sitting in silence is hard to do cold; the slow breathing is what settles you enough to manage it, a few minutes at a time, and the silence is what the hour is for.
The doors open at 6:45am and there is tea. The first ten minutes are just that, tea and a bit of a chat, and if you're new that is when I'll show you the room and tell you what's coming. Find a spot and get comfortable: on a chair, a stool, a cushion on the floor, or lying down if you'd rather. At seven the room goes quiet and a soft light at the front of it begins to rise and fall, slowly, about five and a half times a minute. You breathe with it, in as it rises and out as it falls. There is nothing to count and nothing to get right.
After four minutes or so the light goes out, and you sit quietly, breathing however you like, with nothing to follow. After a few minutes the light comes back and you breathe with it again. The hour goes like that, breathing and quiet, breathing and quiet, with the quiet stretches getting a little longer and the last one running to ten minutes. At eight you're out of the door and on your way to work. Nobody speaks during the hour, including me, and nobody asks you anything afterwards.
Expect nothing in particular. For some it is calming from the first few minutes. For others it is the first time in years with nothing to look at and nothing to do, and the noise that comes up is loud. Both are the thing working. The light is an invitation and not an instruction; drop the pattern and breathe normally whenever you want. You are never holding your breath or straining for air.
The Hall, Stepcote Hill, Exeter EX1 1BD. Free, every Tuesday and Thursday, whatever the numbers, even if it's just me. Wear whatever you'll be comfortable sitting in; there's nothing to bring.
I'm Alexei Janssen, and I run it; a learning and performance coach with 25 years of experience, seventeen of them with the Royal Marines.
Not sure? Message me first and ask me anything: https://wa.me/447424799151
The WhatsApp channel confirms the week ahead each Sunday (one-way; nobody will message you): https://www.whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbCxatp0VycN8w2ynv0A
Full details: https://thepractice.works/hall