7-minute guided softening practice for contentment — in the late afternoon

About this practice

For the times in the late afternoon when contentment takes up more room than you would like — 7 minutes, softening. A guided session of about 7 minutes, suited to all levels. Nothing is recorded and no account is needed.

What this works on: contentment

Contentment is the absence of the next want, not the presence of everything. It lasts only as long as the wanting pauses.

It tends to show up as:

• Arriving without enjoying the arrival
• Immediately wanting the next thing
• Rest feeling unearned

Not wanting more for a few minutes is a trainable state, and it is available without acquiring anything.

Doing this after a long day

• Something physical first — shoes off, hands washed, water drunk
• Do not review the day during it
• Keep it short rather than thorough

Replaying the day in the practice just carries the day further into the evening.

How softening works

Softening is the practice of releasing held tension degree by degree rather than all at once. It targets the physical grip — shoulders, jaw, gut — that persists long after the stressor has passed.

• Soften one place per exhale rather than everything at once
• Let warmth and gravity do the work instead of muscular effort
• If a place will not soften, leave it and go somewhere that will

What happens, minute by minute

1. 0:00Take a moment to notice the room behind you, without turning around.
2. 0:13Let this be easy, if easy is available.
3. 0:24Let your sense of the room shrink down to just your body and the surface you're on.
4. 0:39Let your attention drop to the level of your shoulders and stay there a moment.
5. 0:53Follow one full breath from the moment it starts to the moment it ends.
6. 1:07Notice that you don't have to start a breath. It arrives by itself.
7. 1:20Feel your heart somewhere in there, doing its work without instructions.
8. 1:32Feel the back of your neck. That's a place that holds a lot.
9. 1:45Move to your forehead. Let it be smooth instead of gathered.
10. 1:57If the calm of not wanting more this minute starts telling you a story, let the story finish without you adding to it.
11. 2:15This is not the last time the settled feeling after striving will visit. That is not bad news. It means you will get more practice.
12. 2:34Let your thumbs rest wherever they landed.
13. 2:44No rush to move on.
14. 2:53Count down from ten, one number per exhale.
15. 3:04Feel the parts of you that have gone quiet.
16. 3:15We'll keep it quiet and unhurried.
17. 3:25Notice if you've been frowning at your own thoughts.
18. 3:36Quiet now. The next part will wait for you.
19. 3:47Small efforts are the whole method.
20. 3:57Notice the exact moment your attention left. You probably won't catch it. That's normal.
21. 4:11Notice how many breaths you take in a minute. Don't change the number, just check.
22. 4:25Let's rest here in silence. It's short.
23. 4:35Notice the space around the enough-ness of right now. It is there, even if it is small. Put your attention in that space.
24. 4:53You are allowed to be unimpressed by the calm of not wanting more this minute. Indifference is a legitimate response.
25. 5:10Notice the small pause before your body decides to breathe in again.
26. 5:23Notice anything you're holding onto from earlier today.
27. 5:34If you're bored, stay with the boredom for a moment. It's usually thinner than it looks.
28. 5:49Silence. Let your shoulders drop again if they've crept up.
29. 6:01Nothing here needs to be efficient.
30. 6:11Wiggle your fingers and toes, gently, like you're testing that they still work.
31. 6:24When you stand up, do it slowly. There's no reason to hurry.
32. 6:37Let your body keep settling.

Questions people ask

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