7-minute gratitude meditation for waking up, before sleep

About this practice

For the times before sleep when waking up takes up more room than you would like — 7 minutes, gratitude. A guided session of about 7 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 sleep

• Dim the lights and put the phone out of reach
• Do it in bed if that helps you stay there
• Let yourself fall asleep rather than finishing it

Checking anything afterwards undoes most of it. Let this be the last thing.

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. 0:00Part of you is still in the last conversation you had. That's fine. It can sit here too.
2. 0:16We'll take this slowly, and there's no version of this where you get it wrong.
3. 0:30We're going to move through the body in order, roughly from top to bottom.
4. 0:44Let your attention rest on the out-breath. The in-breath can take care of itself.
5. 0:58Notice the small pause before your body decides to breathe in again.
6. 1:11Let the out-breath be a little longer than the in-breath, without forcing it.
7. 1:24Notice the small movement in your belly when you breathe.
8. 1:36Notice your hands again. Check whether they've loosened on their own.
9. 1:48Move to your forehead. Let it be smooth instead of gathered.
10. 2:00Notice the space around the slow start of the day. It is there, even if it is small. Put your attention in that space.
11. 2:19This is not the last time the fog of just-woken will visit. That is not bad news. It means you will get more practice.
12. 2:38Feel your knees. They're just hinges, but they've worked hard.
13. 2:50Let the quiet do its work.
14. 3:00Let your breathing find the rhythm it uses when you're almost asleep.
15. 3:13Notice your ribs on both sides. Wide, not squeezed.
16. 3:24If you've lost track of where we were, you haven't lost anything important.
17. 3:37A few seconds of nothing now. That's on purpose.
18. 3:48Nothing here needs to be efficient.
19. 3:58If you're irritated, that's allowed. Irritation is just weather.
20. 4:09Let the breath be slow enough that you can hear it, just barely.
21. 4:22A few quiet breaths. That's all this is.
22. 4:33Remind yourself, slowly: I am safe in this moment, even while the morning body that needs a moment is here. Safety and difficulty can share a room.
23. 4:53You are allowed to be unimpressed by the slow start of the day. Indifference is a legitimate response.
24. 5:09Notice if your breathing is faster than you expected. Don't correct it. Just note it.
25. 5:23If you feel restless, that's a feeling, not a failure.
26. 5:35If your body wants to move, let it move, then come back.
27. 5:48I'll step back. You stay here.
28. 5:58We'll keep it quiet and unhurried.
29. 6:08Before you open your eyes, notice how you feel compared to the start. It might be small.
30. 6:23Before you move, notice one thing that's fine right now.
31. 6:35A few seconds more.

Questions people ask

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