7-minute guided softening practice for low energy — on the train

About this practice

7 minutes to meet low energy with less of a fight. A softening practice, on the train. A guided session of about 7 minutes, suited to all levels. Nothing is recorded and no account is needed.

What this works on: low energy

Low energy is a flat battery, not laziness. Pushing through it further drains reserves and produces worse work, faster.

It tends to show up as:

• Everything feeling like an effort
• Procrastinating on simple tasks
• Tiredness sitting deep in the body

A short practice will not restore the reserve, but it removes some of the tension that is draining it.

Doing this on your commute

• Headphones on, eyes open or closed depending on your comfort
• Keep one part of your attention on your stop
• Do it standing if sitting is not possible — nobody is watching

Commuting time is already dead time. Nothing is being given up.

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. 0:00Unclench your jaw. You were probably holding it without noticing.
2. 0:12Unclenching is not the same as relaxing. Just stop adding the tension back.
3. 0:25There's no correct speed. Slower isn't better. Steadier is the only aim.
4. 0:38If your mind is loud, that's information, not failure.
5. 0:49Let your breathing be boring. Boring is good here.
6. 1:00Let the out-breath be a little longer than the in-breath, without forcing it.
7. 1:13Notice your hands again. Check whether they've loosened on their own.
8. 1:25Feel the middle of your back, the part that never gets attention.
9. 1:38Feel your upper back against whatever is behind it.
10. 1:49You are allowed to be unimpressed by the effort everything takes. Indifference is a legitimate response.
11. 2:04When the flat battery feeling arrives, name it once, quietly, and go back to the breath. Naming is not fixing, and that is fine.
12. 2:23Notice your heels making contact with the floor or the bed.
13. 2:35Take the next breath slowly.
14. 2:44Let each breath out be a small letting go of the muscles around your ribs.
15. 2:58Feel your forearms, from the elbow down to the wrist.
16. 3:10If a song is stuck in your head, let it play in the background.
17. 3:24A short silence. Let it be empty.
18. 3:34Find the tightest place and simply breathe near it. Warmth does the softening, not effort.
19. 3:48If you feel emotional, you don't have to explain it to anyone, including yourself.
20. 4:02Feel the pause at the top of the in-breath. It's shorter than you think.
21. 4:16Quiet now. The next part will wait for you.
22. 4:27You do not have to win against the tiredness that sits in the bones. You only have to breathe until the next moment arrives.
23. 4:46If the effort everything takes has been with you all day, it is probably tired too. Let it rest alongside you.
24. 5:03Let your ribs widen on the in-breath instead of your shoulders lifting.
25. 5:16Notice the pull to make this mean something. It doesn't have to.
26. 5:29If you're replaying a conversation, let it play. It'll finish on its own.
27. 5:42I'll step back. You stay here.
28. 5:52We are not forcing anything open. We are letting things unclench by a single degree.
29. 6:06If you're going straight back to work, take ten seconds at the doorway first.
30. 6:20Give your hands a stretch before you go back to using them.
31. 6:33Just 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.