10-minute gratitude meditation for insomnia, on a plane

About this practice

For the times on a plane when insomnia takes up more room than you would like — 10 minutes, gratitude. A guided session of about 10 minutes, suited to all levels. Nothing is recorded and no account is needed.

What this works on: insomnia

Insomnia is often maintained by the fear of not sleeping. Anticipating a bad night raises arousal at bedtime, which produces the bad night.

It tends to show up as:

• Dreading bedtime
• Hours awake with a busy mind
• Sleeping worse as the week goes on

Removing the pressure to sleep is the active ingredient. This gives you something to do that is not trying.

Doing this on a plane

• Use headphones, and keep the seatbelt on
• Bring a layer — being cold works against settling
• Skip alcohol; it makes the alertness worse

Cabin noise is constant and will mask the audio more than you expect. Try the headphones before you settle in.

How gratitude works

Gratitude here is an attention practice, not a demand for a positive mood. Attention defaults to threats because they are urgent, so pleasant and ordinary things get skipped simply for being safe.

• Pick one ordinary thing rather than something impressive
• Stay with it for two breaths — depth beats length of list
• Do not aim at feeling grateful; aim at noticing

What happens, minute by minute

1. 0:00Turn your phone face down if it's within reach. If it's in another room, even better.
2. 0:15Stay with it for two breaths. Gratitude deepens by staying, not by listing.
3. 0:28Notice whether your breathing is high in your chest or low in your belly. Just notice. No fixing.
4. 0:44Let your breathing find its own pace. We're only going to watch it.
5. 0:57Let the out-breath be a little longer than the in-breath, without forcing it.
6. 1:10Let your breathing be boring. Boring is good here.
7. 1:21Notice your shins, which take small knocks all day and never complain.
8. 1:34Now feel both feet at once. That's a lot of contact with the world.
9. 1:48Feel your knees. They're just hinges, but they've worked hard.
10. 2:00Let the whole of your right foot be heavy.
11. 2:11If the wide-awake mind at 2am starts telling you a story, let the story finish without you adding to it.
12. 2:28Give the counting of hours until morning a shape, a colour, a temperature. Turning it into something specific makes it easier to hold.
13. 2:46Notice the exact moment your attention left. You probably won't catch it. That's normal.
14. 3:00We are not forcing positivity. We are just noticing what went right, however small.
15. 3:14Let's rest here in silence. It's short.
16. 3:24If you're bored, stay with the boredom for a moment. It's usually thinner than it looks.
17. 3:39If nothing comes, notice that something did not go wrong. That also counts.
18. 3:52Quiet for a moment. No need to fill it.
19. 4:03If you're replaying a conversation, let it play. It'll finish on its own.
20. 4:16There is no need to feel grateful. Just look, and see what is actually there.
21. 4:30Silence. Let your shoulders drop again if they've crept up.
22. 4:42Notice the difference between the breath at the front of your nose and the breath in your chest.
23. 4:58Remain here for a few more breaths.
24. 5:08Feel your palms. Warm or cool, either is fine.
25. 5:19Follow one full breath from the moment it starts to the moment it ends.
26. 5:33Let the quiet do its work.
27. 5:43Feel your face. It's probably softer than it was five minutes ago.
28. 5:56Let your belly rise first, then your chest, then the tops of your lungs.
29. 6:10A few seconds more.
30. 6:19Notice your heels making contact with the floor or the bed.
31. 6:31Notice that you don't have to start a breath. It arrives by itself.
32. 6:44I'll leave a gap here. Use it however you like.
33. 6:56Feel the weight of the frustration of not sleeping somewhere specific, then let the floor take a share of it.
34. 7:13Say to yourself: this is uncomfortable, and I can stay with it for one more breath. Then take that breath.
35. 7:30Let the breath be shallow if shallow is what your body wants.
36. 7:43Imagine the counting of hours until morning as a room you can walk out of for a minute. The room will still be there.
37. 8:02If your body wants to move, let it move, then come back.
38. 8:15Notice the difference between a thought and the space around it.
39. 8:27I'll stop for a moment. Take the pause at your own speed.
40. 8:40Let it be unimpressive. Small good things are the most reliable ones.
41. 8:53Let your body keep settling.
42. 9:02Take one last look at whatever your attention settled on.
43. 9:14Let the pace of the last few minutes set the pace of the next few.
44. 9:28Just the breath, still.

Questions people ask

Meditation is a practice, not a treatment. If you are dealing with ongoing distress, please also reach out to a professional.