Grounding meditation for contentment (7 min), in the hour before sleep

About this practice

For the times in the hour before sleep when contentment takes up more room than you would like — 7 minutes, grounding. 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 before bed

• Do it in bed or somewhere you can move straight to bed after
• Lower the light, and do not check anything afterwards
• If you fall asleep before the end, it worked

Falling asleep mid-session is a success, not a failure to complete it.

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. 0:00Your breathing doesn't have to change yet. Let it be whatever size it currently is.
2. 0:14We'll keep it quiet and unhurried.
3. 0:24We'll work through this slowly. If you lose the thread, the thread will wait.
4. 0:38We'll be quiet for a bit longer than usual. Stay with whatever shows up.
5. 0:52If you're holding your breath at the top, stop. There's no need to hold anything.
6. 1:06Feel the slight stretch at the very bottom of the exhale.
7. 1:18Feel your knees. They're just hinges, but they've worked hard.
8. 1:30Feel the skin around your eyes. Let the muscles behind them go loose.
9. 1:43Notice your lower back. Let it curve however it curves.
10. 1:55If the calm of not wanting more this minute shows up, let it be there without arguing with it. You are not trying to remove it, just to sit beside it.
11. 2:17Remind yourself, slowly: I am safe in this moment, even while the settled feeling after striving is here. Safety and difficulty can share a room.
12. 2:36Let your throat soften. There's nothing to swallow right now.
13. 2:48Nothing changes for a moment.
14. 2:57Let the out-breath be a little longer than the in-breath, without forcing it.
15. 3:10If you're bored, stay with the boredom for a moment. It's usually thinner than it looks.
16. 3:25A gap. Don't rush to fill it with thinking.
17. 3:36We'll take this slowly, and there's no version of this where you get it wrong.
18. 3:50If you're thinking about the next thing on your list, that list will still be there.
19. 4:05Notice the difference between the breath at the front of your nose and the breath in your chest.
20. 4:21Silence for a few breaths. Nothing to do in it.
21. 4:33You do not have to win against the enough-ness of right now. You only have to breathe until the next moment arrives.
22. 4:51If the calm of not wanting more this minute is loud right now, make your attention smaller. Just the next breath. Nothing beyond it.
23. 5:10Count down from ten, one number per exhale.
24. 5:21Notice the exact moment your attention left. You probably won't catch it. That's normal.
25. 5:35Notice the tone of your own inner voice. Is it kind?
26. 5:47Let's rest here in silence. It's short.
27. 5:57There's no need to try harder than this.
28. 6:08Stretch whatever feels stiff, then carry on.
29. 6:18Come back to your body first, and the rest of the day second.
30. 6:31No need to open your eyes yet.

Questions people ask

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