Every night · 9:00 PM

9 PM Wind-down

Close the day without a screen in your hand. Lock the phone, slow the breath, and go to bed with nothing to scroll.

Daily
Recorded
Use it any night

A lit table lamp beside a bed in a dark room — Photo: Jp Valery / Unsplash

When: Every night · 9:00 PM
How long: 20 min
Format: Daily · Recorded · Use it any night
Cost: Free for members

The last hour of the day is where screen time hides. You lie down to sleep, pick the phone up for one thing, and an hour later you are still awake and more tired than when you started.

The Wind-down is twenty minutes that replace that hour. It is recorded, so it runs at nine for anyone who wants company and at whatever time your night actually ends for everyone else.

How it runs

Twenty minutes, three parts

Lock the phone with the Spark key first, then press play.

5 minBreathing10 minYoga nidra or body scan5 minOne gratitude line, screens off

01
0–5 min
Breathing
Lock the phone with the key first. Then five minutes of slow, counted breathing — longer out than in — to bring the body down from the day's pace.
02
5–15 min
Yoga nidra or body scan
Ten minutes lying down, attention moving slowly through the body. It alternates between yoga nidra and a plain body scan, and both do the same job: the mind stops rehearsing tomorrow.
03
15–20 min
One gratitude line, screens off
One line, on paper, about something from today that went right. Then lights down. The phone is locked across the room, so there is nothing left to scroll.

Who it's for

Made for people who…

People who scroll in bed
The phone is locked before you lie down, so the habit has nothing to reach for.
Light or anxious sleepers
A body scan and a slower breath do more for falling asleep than the tenth video of someone else's evening.
Shift workers and late finishers
It is recorded, so nine o'clock is only a suggestion. Use it whenever your day ends.

Before you join

What you need

Your Spark key, left across the room once you have locked
The Spark app, paired with your key
Somewhere to lie down
A notebook and pen by the bed for the gratitude line
Headphones, if the room is not quiet

In the room

The rules

Lock first, then press play.
Leave the key out of reach of the bed.
Paper for the gratitude line, not the phone.
If you fall asleep before the end, it worked.

Questions

About the 9 PM Wind-down

Is it live or recorded?

Recorded. That is the one difference from the Lock-in: a wind-down only helps if it fits the night you actually have, so you can use it at any time.

Do I need to be good at meditation?

No. Every part is guided, and nothing is asked of you except to lie down and follow the voice.

Why lock the phone if it is recorded?

Because the recording is in the Spark app and the rest of your phone is not. Locking with the key means the only thing left on the screen is the wind-down itself.

How do I get it?

It is free for members, in the Spark app. Buy a Spark, pair it with the app, and it is there.

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