Letting go meditation for waking up (5 min), in the hour before sleep

About this practice

A 5-minute letting go session for waking up, in the hour before sleep. No app, no account — press start. A guided session of about 5 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 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 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

0:00Your breathing doesn't have to change yet. Let it be whatever size it currently is.
0:14You have been carrying this competently for a while. A few minutes off will not undo that.
0:29Feel the small movements your body makes to keep you upright. They're happening without you.
0:43We'll be quiet for a bit longer than usual. Stay with whatever shows up.
0:57Breathe in for four, out for six, if you'd like something to count.
1:10Let the breath move at the speed of a sleeping person.
1:22Notice your toes, starting with the big one on the left.
1:34Let the whole of your left foot be heavy.
1:45Notice your ears, which mostly just receive things.
1:56A few seconds more.
2:05Ask yourself what you could stop holding for the next sixty seconds. That one is a good start.
2:21Notice if your attention is in the future. Bring it back to the room.
2:35If the morning body that needs a moment starts telling you a story, let the story finish without you adding to it.
2:53Remind yourself, slowly: I am safe in this moment, even while the slow start of the day is here. Safety and difficulty can share a room.
3:12Let the breath be shallow if shallow is what your body wants.
3:25Notice where the fog of just-woken lives in your body. Chest, throat, stomach. Rest your attention there without trying to change it.
3:43If you're thinking about the next thing on your list, that list will still be there.
3:58Let me stop talking. Follow the breath instead.
4:09Pick one thing you are gripping — a plan, a worry, a grudge — and loosen a single finger.
4:25Start to notice the edges of your body again, and the surface you're on.
4:39Keep following the air.

Questions people ask

What does this session help with?

On waking, the brain passes through a slow transition rather than switching on. Rushing it leaves you foggy for the first hour. Giving the body a few unhurried minutes at the start changes the tone of everything that follows.

Where and when should I do this one?

Do it in bed or somewhere you can move straight to bed after. Falling asleep mid-session is a success, not a failure to complete it.

What actually happens during the 5 minutes?

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.

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