10-minute guided letting go practice for waking up — before a presentation

About this practice

For the times before a presentation when waking up takes up more room than you would like — 10 minutes, letting go. A guided session of about 10 minutes, suited to all levels. Nothing is recorded and no account is needed.

What this works on: waking up

On waking, the brain passes through a slow transition rather than switching on. Rushing it leaves you foggy for the first hour.

It tends to show up as:

Needing a long time to feel awake
Foggy, irritable mornings
The day starting before you are ready

Giving the body a few unhurried minutes at the start changes the tone of everything that follows.

Doing this before public speaking

Do it somewhere private, or in the washroom if needed
Slow the exhale deliberately and check your speaking pace after
Warm the voice by reading a line aloud, not by staying silent

Rushing is the tell of nerves. A slower breath now is what sets a slower pace in the room.

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

0:00Let the floor take your weight through your feet, and stop holding yourself up for a second.
0:15With each exhale, let a little of the effort go. Not the problem — just the effort.
0:30Notice whether your breathing is high in your chest or low in your belly. Just notice. No fixing.
0:46Let your attention drop to the level of your shoulders and stay there a moment.
1:00Count four breaths silently. Then stop counting and just follow.
1:12Follow the breath down into your belly and feel it come back up.
1:25Notice your wrists. They bend a lot in a day.
1:37Feel the front of your chest. Notice it rise and fall once.
1:50Feel the parts of you that have gone quiet.
2:01Feel your belly. Let it be soft instead of held in.
2:13Imagine the slow start of the day as a room you can walk out of for a minute. The room will still be there.
2:32You do not have to like the fog of just-woken to breathe through it. Liking was never the requirement.
2:48Notice any urge to check something. You can wait two more minutes.
3:01Setting something down is not the same as giving up. You can pick it up again after.
3:16Let's pause. Just the breathing for a while.
3:27Notice whether you're breathing or holding. Start breathing again.
3:38Pick one thing you are gripping — a plan, a worry, a grudge — and loosen a single finger.
3:54A few quiet breaths. That's all this is.
4:05If you're replaying a conversation, let it play. It'll finish on its own.
4:18We are not solving anything in the next few minutes. We are setting it down, temporarily.
4:33Nothing to follow for a moment except your own breathing.
4:45Let your belly rise first, then your chest, then the tops of your lungs.
4:59Just the breath, still.
5:08Notice your pelvis resting on the surface below you.
5:19Let your ribs widen on the in-breath instead of your shoulders lifting.
5:32Stay here a little longer.
5:41Feel your heart somewhere in there, doing its work without instructions.
5:53Notice the first breath of the day versus this one. They're the same mechanism.
6:07No need to open your eyes yet.
6:17Notice the weight of your thighs, all the way down.
6:29Let the exhale empty you a little more than usual, but not to the point of strain.
6:44No words for a moment. Only the next breath.
6:55Imagine softening the edges of the morning body that needs a moment. Not erasing it, just letting the sharp parts go a degree softer.
7:14If you catch yourself fighting the slow start of the day, that is worth noticing. The fight usually costs more than the feeling.
7:32Notice if your breathing is faster than you expected. Don't correct it. Just note it.
7:46You do not have to solve the fog of just-woken in these few minutes. Your only job is to keep breathing while it is here.
8:05If a worry shows up, name it quietly and let it sit beside you.
8:19Notice the exact moment your attention left. You probably won't catch it. That's normal.
8:33Quiet now. The next part will wait for you.
8:44Ask yourself what you could stop holding for the next sixty seconds. That one is a good start.
9:00Stay a moment longer than is comfortable.
9:10Before you open your eyes, notice how you feel compared to the start. It might be small.
9:25Come back to the room through your senses, one at a time.

Questions people ask

What does this session help with?

On waking, the brain passes through a slow transition rather than switching on. Rushing it leaves you foggy for the first hour. Giving the body a few unhurried minutes at the start changes the tone of everything that follows.

Where and when should I do this one?

Do it somewhere private, or in the washroom if needed. Rushing is the tell of nerves. A slower breath now is what sets a slower pace in the room.

What actually happens during the 10 minutes?

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.

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