7-minute guided body scan practice for exhaustion — before you talk

About this practice

For the times before you talk when exhaustion takes up more room than you would like — 7 minutes, body scan. A guided session of about 7 minutes, suited to all levels. Nothing is recorded and no account is needed.

What this works on: exhaustion

Exhaustion is what is left after the reserves are gone. The body has stopped asking; it is now insisting.

It tends to show up as:

• Feeling hollow and drained
• Emotionally flat
• Physical heaviness all day

This is not the state to push in. The whole point here is to ask nothing and let the body be heavy.

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 body scan works

A body scan moves attention systematically through the body, region by region. It does not try to change what it finds — it builds a map of what is actually there, which is often different from what you assumed.

• Move slowly, head to feet or feet to head, and do not skip the uncomfortable areas
• Meet each region with plain curiosity rather than a verdict
• Numbness and absence of sensation are findings too

What happens, minute by minute

1. 0:00Then find the nearest sound. It's probably your own breathing.
2. 0:12Move at the speed of your attention, not the speed of a checklist. There is no schedule to keep.
3. 0:28Imagine your thoughts as traffic on a road you're standing beside. You don't have to flag any of it down.
4. 0:45You can think about other things. When you notice, come back. That's the whole practice.
5. 0:59Feel the last part of the exhale, where it turns into nothing.
6. 1:12Let your breathing be boring. Boring is good here.
7. 1:23Feel the outline of yourself, from the top of your head to your heels.
8. 1:37Move to your forehead. Let it be smooth instead of gathered.
9. 1:49Feel your belly. Let it be soft instead of held in.
10. 2:01Each time your mind hands you the hollow tiredness, treat it like a leaf on a stream. Present for a moment, then carried on.
11. 2:20Imagine the body asking you to stop as a room you can walk out of for a minute. The room will still be there.
12. 2:39Feel the soles of your feet. All the weight of you goes through them.
13. 2:53Remain here for a few more breaths.
14. 3:03Count four breaths silently. Then stop counting and just follow.
15. 3:15Notice if you've been frowning at your own thoughts.
16. 3:26I'll be quiet for a moment. Stay with the breath.
17. 3:38Visit each area with plain curiosity, not with a verdict. Sensation is information, not a problem.
18. 3:53Notice any part of you that wants this to be over.
19. 4:05Let the exhale empty you a little more than usual, but not to the point of strain.
20. 4:20Let me stop talking. Follow the breath instead.
21. 4:31Feel the weight of the drained feeling that rest has not touched somewhere specific, then let the floor take a share of it.
22. 4:49Notice where the hollow tiredness lives in your body. Chest, throat, stomach. Rest your attention there without trying to change it.
23. 5:06Notice the difference between the breath at the front of your nose and the breath in your chest.
24. 5:22Notice the moment you realise you've drifted. That moment is the whole skill.
25. 5:35If you're bored, stay with the boredom for a moment. It's usually thinner than it looks.
26. 5:50No words for a moment. Only the next breath.
27. 6:01If a region feels numb, that is a finding too. Note it and move on.
28. 6:15Stretch whatever feels stiff, then carry on.
29. 6:25Notice the room again: the sounds, the temperature, the light.
30. 6:37No rush to move on.

Questions people ask

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