Letting go meditation for public speaking fear (10 min), on the train

About this practice

Slow, spoken guidance for public speaking fear. A letting go session you can do on the train. A guided session of about 10 minutes, suited to all levels. Nothing is recorded and no account is needed.

What this works on: public speaking fear

Speaking to a group triggers the same response as physical threat: shallow breathing, a dry mouth, and a voice that rises and speeds up.

It tends to show up as:

• Voice wobbling on the first sentence
• Speaking too fast to get it over with
• Shallow breathing high in the chest

Lengthening the exhale slows speech and steadies the voice. Physically, this is a breath practice before it is a confidence practice.

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 letting go works

Letting go is about loosening grip rather than dropping things. It works on the effort attached to a problem — the holding, rehearsing and bracing — which is separable from the problem itself.

• Pick one thing you are gripping and loosen a single finger
• Release the effort with the exhale, not the issue
• Set down temporarily; you can pick it up again after

What happens, minute by minute

1. 0:00Unclench your jaw. You were probably holding it without noticing.
2. 0:12There's no need to try harder than this.
3. 0:23Notice the weight of your arms without moving them.
4. 0:34Imagine your thoughts as traffic on a road you're standing beside. You don't have to flag any of it down.
5. 0:51Notice if your breathing is faster than you expected. Don't correct it. Just note it.
6. 1:05Notice the small pause before your body decides to breathe in again.
7. 1:18Notice your wrists. They bend a lot in a day.
8. 1:30Feel the tops of your thighs.
9. 1:40Feel your hips. Wide, heavy, and doing nothing.
10. 1:51Feel your face. It's probably softer than it was five minutes ago.
11. 2:04Remind yourself, slowly: I am safe in this moment, even while the wobble in your voice is here. Safety and difficulty can share a room.
12. 2:23You do not have to win against the room full of faces. You only have to breathe until the next moment arrives.
13. 2:41Notice if you're being hard on yourself about any of this.
14. 2:53If you only manage half of it, that's half more than nothing.
15. 3:06A few quiet breaths. That's all this is.
16. 3:17Notice any part of you that wants this to be over.
17. 3:29Small efforts are the whole method.
18. 3:39I'll step back. You stay here.
19. 3:49Notice any urge to check something. You can wait two more minutes.
20. 4:02You can be as unimpressive as you like for the next few minutes.
21. 4:15A short silence. Let it be empty.
22. 4:25If you're replaying a conversation, let it play. It'll finish on its own.
23. 4:38Feel your knees. They're just hinges, but they've worked hard.
24. 4:50Feel the air as it passes the back of your throat. It's cooler going in.
25. 5:04Let the pause stretch out.
26. 5:13Notice your breathing, without changing it.
27. 5:23Notice the difference between the breath at the front of your nose and the breath in your chest.
28. 5:39Just the breath, still.
29. 5:48Feel your tongue sitting in the bottom of your mouth.
30. 6:00Let the out-breath be a little longer than the in-breath, without forcing it.
31. 6:13Stay a moment longer than is comfortable.
32. 6:23Notice your heels making contact with the floor or the bed.
33. 6:35Let the breath move at the speed of a sleeping person.
34. 6:47A few seconds of nothing now. That's on purpose.
35. 6:58Notice the space around the urge to rush off the stage. It is there, even if it is small. Put your attention in that space.
36. 7:17If you catch yourself fighting the wobble in your voice, that is worth noticing. The fight usually costs more than the feeling.
37. 7:35Let the exhale empty you a little more than usual, but not to the point of strain.
38. 7:50When the room full of faces presses in, put a hand on your chest or your belly. Warmth and pressure are anchors your body already trusts.
39. 8:09If a song is stuck in your head, let it play in the background.
40. 8:23If you're distracted by a sound, let the sound be the object for a moment.
41. 8:37Let's rest here in silence. It's short.
42. 8:47We'll take this slowly, and there's no version of this where you get it wrong.
43. 9:01Remain here for a few more breaths.
44. 9:11Let the quiet end on its own rather than cutting it off.
45. 9:24Before you move, notice one thing that's fine right now.

Questions people ask

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