5-minute guided letting go practice for brain fog — on a train journey

About this practice

For the times on a train journey when brain fog takes up more room than you would like — 5 minutes, letting go. A guided session of about 5 minutes, suited to all levels. Nothing is recorded and no account is needed.

What this works on: brain fog

Fog is usually under-recovery showing up as cognition. Poor sleep, undehydrated, or unrelieved stress produce the same slow, cotton-wool feeling.

It tends to show up as:

• Thoughts feeling physically slow
• Losing words mid-sentence
• Difficulty following a conversation

Fog is a state, not a skill deficit. A short practice adds a little clarity without pretending to replace sleep.

Doing this on a train

• Pick a window seat if you can and let the view do part of the work
• Set an alarm for your stop
• Keep the bag on your lap rather than unfastening to find it later

The motion can make reading or screens uncomfortable, which is another reason audio works better here.

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. 0:00Notice whether you're leaning forward. Most people are, slightly, all day.
2. 0:12If you only manage half of it, that's half more than nothing.
3. 0:25Feel the small movements your body makes to keep you upright. They're happening without you.
4. 0:39Let your body be exactly as tired as it is.
5. 0:51Let your breathing find the rhythm it uses when you're almost asleep.
6. 1:04Let the breath be shallow if shallow is what your body wants.
7. 1:17Notice your fingers, one by one, starting with the little finger.
8. 1:29Feel your face. It's probably softer than it was five minutes ago.
9. 1:42Feel your tongue sitting in the bottom of your mouth.
10. 1:54Stay here a little longer.
11. 2:03I'll leave a gap here. Use it however you like.
12. 2:15There's no need to try harder than this.
13. 2:26If a worry shows up, name it quietly and let it sit beside you.
14. 2:40If the slow thinking of an exhausted brain is loud right now, make your attention smaller. Just the next breath. Nothing beyond it.
15. 2:58There is a part of you that has handled hard moments before. That part is here now, even if it is quiet.
16. 3:16Feel your breath move down your back, all the way to your lower ribs.
17. 3:30If the cotton-wool feeling in your head shows up, let it be there without arguing with it. You are not trying to remove it, just to sit beside it.
18. 3:51Notice the exact moment your attention left. You probably won't catch it. That's normal.
19. 4:05Quiet now. The next part will wait for you.
20. 4:16You can be as unimpressive as you like for the next few minutes.
21. 4:29Let your shoulders come back up to their usual place, if they want to.

Questions people ask

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