7-minute grounding meditation for fatigue, at bedtime

About this practice

A 7-minute grounding session for fatigue, at bedtime. No app, no account — press start. A guided session of about 7 minutes, suited to all levels. Nothing is recorded and no account is needed.

What this works on: fatigue

Fatigue is deep tiredness of the kind that sleep does not fully clear, usually after a stretch of sustained demand.

It tends to show up as:

• Tired behind the eyes all day
• Heavy limbs
• Rest that does not refresh

Here the practice should be restful rather than stimulating. Quiet and unambitious is the right dose.

Doing this before bed

• Do it in bed or somewhere you can move straight to bed after
• Lower the light, and do not check anything afterwards
• If you fall asleep before the end, it worked

Falling asleep mid-session is a success, not a failure to complete it.

How grounding works

Grounding brings attention to physical contact and the immediate environment. It works on the principle that the body cannot be somewhere else, so contact with the surface you are on is always available as an anchor.

• Feel the contact points — feet, seat, back — and let them take your weight
• Use the senses deliberately: what you can see, hear, touch
• Return to solidity whenever attention drifts

What happens, minute by minute

1. 0:00Your breathing doesn't have to change yet. Let it be whatever size it currently is.
2. 0:14Name what you can see, hear and touch. Counting senses is not a distraction; it is the practice.
3. 0:30Everything that happens in the next few minutes is allowed to happen.
4. 0:43There's a difference between relaxing and stopping. We're aiming for the second one, gently.
5. 0:57Notice that you don't have to start a breath. It arrives by itself.
6. 1:10Feel your breath move down your back, all the way to your lower ribs.
7. 1:24Notice your ears, which mostly just receive things.
8. 1:35Feel your upper arms hanging. They're heavier than you remember.
9. 1:47Notice your fingers, one by one, starting with the little finger.
10. 1:59Notice the space around the end of the reserves. It is there, even if it is small. Put your attention in that space.
11. 2:17When the bone-deep tiredness presses in, put a hand on your chest or your belly. Warmth and pressure are anchors your body already trusts.
12. 2:36Notice your lower back. Let it curve however it curves.
13. 2:48Stay with it.
14. 2:56Feel the air move past your upper lip. It's the coolest spot on the way in.
15. 3:11If you're distracted by a sound, let the sound be the object for a moment.
16. 3:25Quiet now. The next part will wait for you.
17. 3:36The floor is holding you right now. You do not have to hold yourself up.
18. 3:50If you feel restless, that's a feeling, not a failure.
19. 4:02Notice the difference between the breath at the front of your nose and the breath in your chest.
20. 4:18A few seconds of nothing now. That's on purpose.
21. 4:29Notice where the heaviness behind your eyes lives in your body. Chest, throat, stomach. Rest your attention there without trying to change it.
22. 4:47If the end of the reserves shows up, let it be there without arguing with it. You are not trying to remove it, just to sit beside it.
23. 5:07Notice how many breaths you take in a minute. Don't change the number, just check.
24. 5:21If you're judging your performance, that's the same habit as judging everything else.
25. 5:34You might be planning something. Notice the planning, then come back.
26. 5:46Let's rest here in silence. It's short.
27. 5:56Feel the contact points — feet, seat, back. That contact is the whole anchor.
28. 6:10Let the pace of the last few minutes set the pace of the next few.
29. 6:24Take your time opening your eyes. Nothing is waiting urgently.
30. 6:36No need to open your eyes yet.

Questions people ask

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