Grounding meditation for insomnia (10 min), at bedtime

About this practice

Nothing to learn and nothing to fix: 10 minutes of grounding for insomnia, at bedtime. A guided session of about 10 minutes, suited to all levels. Nothing is recorded and no account is needed.

What this works on: insomnia

Insomnia is often maintained by the fear of not sleeping. Anticipating a bad night raises arousal at bedtime, which produces the bad night.

It tends to show up as:

• Dreading bedtime
• Hours awake with a busy mind
• Sleeping worse as the week goes on

Removing the pressure to sleep is the active ingredient. This gives you something to do that is not trying.

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. 0:00Turn your phone face down if it's within reach. If it's in another room, even better.
2. 0:15The floor is holding you right now. You do not have to hold yourself up.
3. 0:29Settle into the fact that for the next few minutes, nothing is required of you.
4. 0:43Nothing here is a test of concentration. Drifting off is part of it.
5. 0:56Notice where you feel the breath most clearly. Nose, chest, or belly — pick one and stay there.
6. 1:12Feel the last part of the exhale, where it turns into nothing.
7. 1:25Notice the backs of your knees, which you feel more than you think.
8. 1:38Let the whole of your left foot be heavy.
9. 1:49Notice your ribs on both sides. Wide, not squeezed.
10. 2:00Let your thumbs rest wherever they landed.
11. 2:10There is a part of you that has handled hard moments before. That part is here now, even if it is quiet.
12. 2:28If the frustration of not sleeping starts telling you a story, let the story finish without you adding to it.
13. 2:45Notice the moment you realise you've drifted. That moment is the whole skill.
14. 2:58If your mind has gone somewhere else, the floor under you has not moved. Start from there.
15. 3:13A few quiet breaths. That's all this is.
16. 3:24Notice the difference between a thought and the space around it.
17. 3:36Come back to the solid things: weight, temperature, surface. They are always available.
18. 3:49Let's pause. Just the breathing for a while.
19. 4:00If a worry shows up, name it quietly and let it sit beside you.
20. 4:14Feel the contact points — feet, seat, back. That contact is the whole anchor.
21. 4:28I'll leave a gap here. Use it however you like.
22. 4:40If you feel emotional, you don't have to explain it to anyone, including yourself.
23. 4:54Let the exhale empty you a little more than usual, but not to the point of strain.
24. 5:09Let the pause stretch out.
25. 5:18Notice your toes, starting with the big one on the left.
26. 5:30Count down from ten, one number per exhale.
27. 5:41Remain here for a few more breaths.
28. 5:51Feel your forearms, from the elbow down to the wrist.
29. 6:03Notice the small pause before your body decides to breathe in again.
30. 6:16No need to open your eyes yet.
31. 6:26Notice your breathing, without changing it.
32. 6:36Let the breath be shallow if shallow is what your body wants.
33. 6:49No words for a moment. Only the next breath.
34. 7:00the wide-awake mind at 2am may quiet down, or it may not. Either is fine. We are practising staying, not performing calm.
35. 7:18You do not have to win against the counting of hours until morning. You only have to breathe until the next moment arrives.
36. 7:36Breathe in through your nose and out through your nose, if that's comfortable.
37. 7:49If the frustration of not sleeping has been with you all day, it is probably tired too. Let it rest alongside you.
38. 8:07If you feel restless, that's a feeling, not a failure.
39. 8:19Notice the pull to make this mean something. It doesn't have to.
40. 8:32Nothing to follow for a moment except your own breathing.
41. 8:44Press down slightly and feel the push back. Your body already knows where it is.
42. 8:58Let the quiet do its work.
43. 9:08Notice your feet on the floor. That's where you start from.
44. 9:20When you stand up, do it slowly. There's no reason to hurry.

Questions people ask

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