Body scan meditation for fatigue (10 min), after a shock

About this practice

A 10-minute body scan session for fatigue, after a shock. No app, no account — press start. A guided session of about 10 minutes, suited to all levels. Nothing is recorded and no account is needed.

What this works on: fatigue

Fatigue is deep tiredness of the kind that sleep does not fully clear, usually after a stretch of sustained demand.

It tends to show up as:

• Tired behind the eyes all day
• Heavy limbs
• Rest that does not refresh

Here the practice should be restful rather than stimulating. Quiet and unambitious is the right dose.

Doing this after bad news

• Do not make any decisions during it
• Let it be simple — you do not need to process anything today
• Tell one person where you are, even briefly

The first hours after bad news are not for planning. Deliberately doing nothing useful is the right move.

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. 0:00Unclench your jaw. You were probably holding it without noticing.
2. 0:12We'll keep it quiet and unhurried.
3. 0:22This is not a performance. Nobody is listening to how well you're doing it.
4. 0:36Let your breathing find its own pace. We're only going to watch it.
5. 0:49Breathe in for four, out for six, if you'd like something to count.
6. 1:02Feel the last part of the exhale, where it turns into nothing.
7. 1:15Notice your heels making contact with the floor or the bed.
8. 1:27Feel your upper back against whatever is behind it.
9. 1:38Notice where your body is still holding something. Leave it alone.
10. 1:50Notice the space between your shoulder blades.
11. 2:00When the end of the reserves arrives, name it once, quietly, and go back to the breath. Naming is not fixing, and that is fine.
12. 2:19Feel the weight of the bone-deep tiredness somewhere specific, then let the floor take a share of it.
13. 2:35If your body wants to move, let it move, then come back.
14. 2:48Let this be easy, if easy is available.
15. 2:59Let's rest here in silence. It's short.
16. 3:09If you feel emotional, you don't have to explain it to anyone, including yourself.
17. 3:23If you only manage half of it, that's half more than nothing.
18. 3:36Nothing to follow for a moment except your own breathing.
19. 3:48Notice any tension that arrived while you weren't looking.
20. 3:59There's no need to try harder than this.
21. 4:10Let me stop talking. Follow the breath instead.
22. 4:21If you're distracted by a sound, let the sound be the object for a moment.
23. 4:35Start at the top of your head. Notice the scalp, which you almost never notice.
24. 4:49Feel the air move past your upper lip. It's the coolest spot on the way in.
25. 5:04Let your body keep settling.
26. 5:13Feel the front of your chest. Notice it rise and fall once.
27. 5:26Notice if your breathing is faster than you expected. Don't correct it. Just note it.
28. 5:40Let this one be unhurried.
29. 5:49Now the right shoulder. Let it be a centimetre lower than it was.
30. 6:02Let your belly rise first, then your chest, then the tops of your lungs.
31. 6:16A few seconds more.
32. 6:25Notice your elbows. Odd things to have, but there they are.
33. 6:37Let the breath move at the speed of a sleeping person.
34. 6:49A few quiet breaths. That's all this is.
35. 7:00the heaviness behind your eyes may quiet down, or it may not. Either is fine. We are practising staying, not performing calm.
36. 7:18If you catch yourself fighting the end of the reserves, that is worth noticing. The fight usually costs more than the feeling.
37. 7:36Let your breathing find the rhythm it uses when you're almost asleep.
38. 7:49Give the bone-deep tiredness a shape, a colour, a temperature. Turning it into something specific makes it easier to hold.
39. 8:06If you feel numb, that's a valid thing to feel. Nothing to fix.
40. 8:19Notice how you're sitting. Adjust if you need to. Then settle again.
41. 8:32I'll leave a gap here. Use it however you like.
42. 8:44You can be as unimpressive as you like for the next few minutes.
43. 8:57Stay here a little longer.
44. 9:06If you drifted off, that was rest, and rest counts.
45. 9:18Stretch whatever feels stiff, then carry on.
46. 9:28Let the pause stretch out.

Questions people ask

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