7-minute guided noting practice for appreciation — before a presentation

About this practice

When appreciation shows up before a presentation, this 7-minute noting session gives you somewhere to put it down. A guided session of about 7 minutes, suited to all levels. Nothing is recorded and no account is needed.

What this works on: appreciation

Appreciation deepens by staying, not by listing. A moment held for two breaths registers differently from a moment catalogued.

It tends to show up as:

• Rushing past small kindnesses
• Not noticing ordinary comforts
• Thank-yous left unsaid

Slowing down for a moment is what turns something pleasant into something that stays with you.

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 noting works

Noting is a technique from insight practice: when something arises, you give it a single plain label — thinking, hearing, planning — and return to the anchor. The label creates a small distance between you and the content.

• Use one word, not a sentence — explaining means you have joined in
• Label and return; do not follow the thought to see where it goes
• Drop the labelling if it becomes effortful and just follow the breath

What happens, minute by minute

1. 0:00Notice whether you're leaning forward. Most people are, slightly, all day.
2. 0:12You are the one noticing, not the thing being noticed. Stay on that side of the line.
3. 0:27Let the last hour go on its own. You can pick it up again afterwards.
4. 0:41Let your sense of the room shrink down to just your body and the surface you're on.
5. 0:56Let each breath out be a small letting go of the muscles around your ribs.
6. 1:10Let your shoulders stay still while your ribs move.
7. 1:21Let your whole body be as heavy as it wants to be.
8. 1:34Let the whole of your right foot be heavy.
9. 1:45Feel your heart somewhere in there, doing its work without instructions.
10. 1:57Notice how the thank-you waiting to be said changes shape when you stop resisting it. Usually it gets smaller, not bigger.
11. 2:14You do not have to like the overlooked kindnesses to breathe through it. Liking was never the requirement.
12. 2:30Feel the outline of yourself, from the top of your head to your heels.
13. 2:44Take the next breath slowly.
14. 2:53Feel your breath move down your back, all the way to your lower ribs.
15. 3:07If you've lost track of where we were, you haven't lost anything important.
16. 3:20A few quiet breaths. That's all this is.
17. 3:31When something arrives, label it quietly — thinking, hearing, planning, worrying — then return to the breath.
18. 3:46If you feel emotional, you don't have to explain it to anyone, including yourself.
19. 4:00Notice if your breathing is faster than you expected. Don't correct it. Just note it.
20. 4:14Let's rest here in silence. It's short.
21. 4:24Notice where the ordinary moments worth savoring lives in your body. Chest, throat, stomach. Rest your attention there without trying to change it.
22. 4:42You do not have to solve the thank-you waiting to be said in these few minutes. Your only job is to keep breathing while it is here.
23. 5:02Let your ribs widen on the in-breath instead of your shoulders lifting.
24. 5:15If you're counting the minutes, that's fine. Count them and come back.
25. 5:28Notice any urge to check something. You can wait two more minutes.
26. 5:41Silence for a few breaths. Nothing to do in it.
27. 5:53Use one plain word, not a sentence. The moment you explain, you have joined in.
28. 6:07Take one last look at whatever your attention settled on.
29. 6:19Come back to your body first, and the rest of the day second.
30. 6:32Just the breath, still.

Questions people ask

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