Letting go meditation for waking up (12 min), on the train

About this practice

12 minutes to meet waking up with less of a fight. A letting go practice, on the train. A guided session of about 12 minutes, suited to all levels. Nothing is recorded and no account is needed.

What this works on: waking up

On waking, the brain passes through a slow transition rather than switching on. Rushing it leaves you foggy for the first hour.

It tends to show up as:

• Needing a long time to feel awake
• Foggy, irritable mornings
• The day starting before you are ready

Giving the body a few unhurried minutes at the start changes the tone of everything that follows.

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. 0:00If you're tired, you can let that be true. Tired is allowed here.
2. 0:13You have been carrying this competently for a while. A few minutes off will not undo that.
3. 0:28Let the rhythm of your breathing set the pace, not the words.
4. 0:41If your mind is loud, that's information, not failure.
5. 0:52Follow one full breath from the moment it starts to the moment it ends.
6. 1:06Feel the slight stretch at the very bottom of the exhale.
7. 1:18Now feel both feet at once. That's a lot of contact with the world.
8. 1:32Let the whole of your right foot be heavy.
9. 1:43Notice your elbows. Odd things to have, but there they are.
10. 1:55Notice your toes, starting with the big one on the left.
11. 2:07You do not have to win against the slow start of the day. You only have to breathe until the next moment arrives.
12. 2:25Say to yourself: this is uncomfortable, and I can stay with it for one more breath. Then take that breath.
13. 2:42Let your belly rise first, then your chest, then the tops of your lungs.
14. 2:56Notice any tension that arrived while you weren't looking.
15. 3:07Pick one thing you are gripping — a plan, a worry, a grudge — and loosen a single finger.
16. 3:23Silence for a few breaths. Nothing to do in it.
17. 3:35Notice how quickly your mind labels things: good, bad, boring, nice.
18. 3:47We are not solving anything in the next few minutes. We are setting it down, temporarily.
19. 4:02Silence. Let your shoulders drop again if they've crept up.
20. 4:14Notice any urge to check something. You can wait two more minutes.
21. 4:27Ask yourself what you could stop holding for the next sixty seconds. That one is a good start.
22. 4:43I'll stop for a moment. Take the pause at your own speed.
23. 4:56If you're thinking about the next thing on your list, that list will still be there.
24. 5:11With each exhale, let a little of the effort go. Not the problem — just the effort.
25. 5:26Quiet for a moment. No need to fill it.
26. 5:37Notice how you're sitting. Adjust if you need to. Then settle again.
27. 5:50Feel your upper arms hanging. They're heavier than you remember.
28. 6:02Let the breath be shallow if shallow is what your body wants.
29. 6:15No rush to move on.
30. 6:24Notice your eyebrows. They're probably doing something small right now.
31. 6:36Let the exhale fall out rather than pushing it.
32. 6:47A few seconds more.
33. 6:56Notice where your body is still holding something. Leave it alone.
34. 7:08Breathe in through your nose and out through your nose, if that's comfortable.
35. 7:21Remain here for a few more breaths.
36. 7:31Notice your heels making contact with the floor or the bed.
37. 7:43Let your ribs widen on the in-breath instead of your shoulders lifting.
38. 7:56Stay here a little longer.
39. 8:05Feel the tops of your thighs.
40. 8:15Let the morning body that needs a moment be exactly as big as it is, and let your breath be exactly as slow as it is. They can coexist.
41. 8:36A short silence. Let it be empty.
42. 8:46the slow start of the day may quiet down, or it may not. Either is fine. We are practising staying, not performing calm.
43. 9:04Breathe in for four, out for six, if you'd like something to count.
44. 9:17If the fog of just-woken shows up, let it be there without arguing with it. You are not trying to remove it, just to sit beside it.
45. 9:37Whatever the morning body that needs a moment is doing right now, your breathing can keep going underneath it.
46. 9:53Let your breathing get quieter rather than deeper.
47. 10:04If you're bored, stay with the boredom for a moment. It's usually thinner than it looks.
48. 10:19If you feel restless, that's a feeling, not a failure.
49. 10:31Let me stop talking. Follow the breath instead.
50. 10:42Setting something down is not the same as giving up. You can pick it up again after.
51. 10:57No need to open your eyes yet.
52. 11:07When you stand up, do it slowly. There's no reason to hurry.
53. 11:20If you drifted off, that was rest, and rest counts.

Questions people ask

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