7-minute guided grounding practice for the inner critic — on a Saturday morning

About this practice

7 minutes to meet the inner critic with less of a fight. A grounding practice, on a Saturday morning. A guided session of about 7 minutes, suited to all levels. Nothing is recorded and no account is needed.

What this works on: the inner critic

The inner critic often formed as a protective strategy, keeping you small to keep you safe. It is loudest where you feel most exposed.

It tends to show up as:

• A judge commenting on everything
• Anticipating criticism before it comes
• Difficulty accepting praise

You can notice the voice without obeying it. Distance between the voice and the response is the whole gain.

Doing this at the weekend

• Do it without a schedule to justify it
• Later in the morning, in better light, usually works well
• Let the length be open-ended if the time allows

Recovery is not something you have to earn first, and treating it as a reward keeps it conditional.

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. 0:00Notice the temperature of the air on the backs of your hands.
2. 0:13Small efforts are the whole method.
3. 0:23Nothing here is a test of concentration. Drifting off is part of it.
4. 0:36Notice the weight of your arms without moving them.
5. 0:47Let your shoulders stay still while your ribs move.
6. 0:58Notice the small pause before your body decides to breathe in again.
7. 1:11Notice the small movement in your belly when you breathe.
8. 1:23Notice your hands again. Check whether they've loosened on their own.
9. 1:35Notice your lower back. Let it curve however it curves.
10. 1:47Let the exhale carry a little of the voice that grades everything with it. Not all of it. Just a little, one breath at a time.
11. 2:06This is not the last time the judge in your head will visit. That is not bad news. It means you will get more practice.
12. 2:25Feel your calves, front and back.
13. 2:35Just the breath, still.
14. 2:44Let the breath get soft, the way it goes when someone is reading beside you.
15. 2:58Feel your face. It's probably softer than it was five minutes ago.
16. 3:11If you only manage half of it, that's half more than nothing.
17. 3:24Notice the pull to make this mean something. It doesn't have to.
18. 3:37Let's rest here in silence. It's short.
19. 3:47You can be as unimpressive as you like for the next few minutes.
20. 4:00If your mind has wandered, that's not a mistake. Noticing is the practice.
21. 4:13Notice the difference between the breath at the front of your nose and the breath in your chest.
22. 4:29I'll stop for a moment. Take the pause at your own speed.
23. 4:42Picture the running commentary on your flaws as a weather front passing over. You are not the weather. You are the sky it moves through.
24. 5:01Notice the space around the voice that grades everything. It is there, even if it is small. Put your attention in that space.
25. 5:19Feel your breath move down your back, all the way to your lower ribs.
26. 5:33Notice if your attention is in the future. Bring it back to the room.
27. 5:47Notice whether you're breathing or holding. Start breathing again.
28. 5:58Quiet for a moment. No need to fill it.
29. 6:09We'll keep it quiet and unhurried.
30. 6:19Stretch whatever feels stiff, then carry on.
31. 6:29Stand up when you're ready. The list hasn't grown while you were here.

Questions people ask

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