10-minute guided letting go practice for morning energy — in the evening

About this practice

A 10-minute letting go session for morning energy, in the evening. No app, no account — press start. A guided session of about 10 minutes, suited to all levels. Nothing is recorded and no account is needed.

What this works on: morning energy

Morning energy depends on how you come out of sleep and when light hits your eyes, more than on the number of hours.

It tends to show up as:

• Heavy eyelids at the start
• Struggling out of bed
• Needing to hit snooze repeatedly

Movement and breathing raise alertness without caffeine, and the effect holds better through the early hours.

Doing this in the evening

• Dim the lights first — bright light works against the point
• Put the phone in another room
• Keep it slow rather than interesting

Something too engaging will wake you up rather than wind you down.

How letting go works

Letting go is about loosening grip rather than dropping things. It works on the effort attached to a problem — the holding, rehearsing and bracing — which is separable from the problem itself.

• Pick one thing you are gripping and loosen a single finger
• Release the effort with the exhale, not the issue
• Set down temporarily; you can pick it up again after

What happens, minute by minute

1. 0:00Start with the noise that is already in the room. We are not going to try to remove it yet.
2. 0:17You can be as unimpressive as you like for the next few minutes.
3. 0:30Nothing here needs to be pleasant. Neutral is fine. Dull is fine.
4. 0:43There's a difference between relaxing and stopping. We're aiming for the second one, gently.
5. 0:57Feel the last part of the exhale, where it turns into nothing.
6. 1:10Notice the difference between the breath at the front of your nose and the breath in your chest.
7. 1:26Notice your heels making contact with the floor or the bed.
8. 1:38Let the whole of your left foot be heavy.
9. 1:49Notice your whole body as one shape, sitting or lying here.
10. 2:01Feel the outline of yourself, from the top of your head to your heels.
11. 2:15You do not have to like the wish to begin without the scramble to breathe through it. Liking was never the requirement.
12. 2:33Notice where the heavy eyelids at the start lives in your body. Chest, throat, stomach. Rest your attention there without trying to change it.
13. 2:52If your body wants to move, let it move, then come back.
14. 3:05We'll keep it quiet and unhurried.
15. 3:15Silence. Let your shoulders drop again if they've crept up.
16. 3:27Notice any part of you that wants this to be over.
17. 3:39Let this be easy, if easy is available.
18. 3:50No words for a moment. Only the next breath.
19. 4:01Notice any urge to check something. You can wait two more minutes.
20. 4:14Nothing here needs to be efficient.
21. 4:24A few quiet breaths. That's all this is.
22. 4:35If you're sleepy, sit up a little. Or let the sleepiness be there.
23. 4:48Let your breathing get quieter rather than deeper.
24. 4:59Let your body keep settling.
25. 5:08Notice your fingers, one by one, starting with the little finger.
26. 5:20Let the breath move at the speed of a sleeping person.
27. 5:32Let the pause stretch out.
28. 5:41Feel the front of your chest. Notice it rise and fall once.
29. 5:54Notice how many breaths you take in a minute. Don't change the number, just check.
30. 6:08Stay here a little longer.
31. 6:17Notice your ears, which mostly just receive things.
32. 6:28Let your belly rise first, then your chest, then the tops of your lungs.
33. 6:42Quiet for a moment. No need to fill it.
34. 6:53Each time your mind hands you the day arriving before you are ready, treat it like a leaf on a stream. Present for a moment, then carried on.
35. 7:13Let the exhale carry a little of the wish to begin without the scramble with it. Not all of it. Just a little, one breath at a time.
36. 7:33Notice where you feel the breath most clearly. Nose, chest, or belly — pick one and stay there.
37. 7:49Imagine the heavy eyelids at the start as a room you can walk out of for a minute. The room will still be there.
38. 8:08Notice anything you're holding onto from earlier today.
39. 8:19Notice how quickly your mind labels things: good, bad, boring, nice.
40. 8:31A few seconds of nothing now. That's on purpose.
41. 8:42If you only manage half of it, that's half more than nothing.
42. 8:55Take the next breath slowly.
43. 9:04Stretch whatever feels stiff, then carry on.
44. 9:14If you're going straight back to work, take ten seconds at the doorway first.
45. 9:28Nothing changes for a moment.

Questions people ask

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