Meditation for agitation: 5-minute letting go session, in the air

About this practice

5 minutes to meet agitation with less of a fight. A letting go practice, in the air. A guided session of about 5 minutes, suited to all levels. Nothing is recorded and no account is needed.

What this works on: agitation

Agitation is activation without an outlet. The body wants to move, the mind wants to switch tasks, and neither discharges the energy.

It tends to show up as:

• Restless, unable to sit through anything
• Switching tasks every few minutes
• Fidgeting without noticing

Channel the movement rather than suppressing it. Slow, deliberate physical attention gives the restlessness somewhere to go.

Doing this on a plane

• Use headphones, and keep the seatbelt on
• Bring a layer — being cold works against settling
• Skip alcohol; it makes the alertness worse

Cabin noise is constant and will mask the audio more than you expect. Try the headphones before you settle in.

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. 0:00Check your hands. Are they doing anything? Let them stop.
2. 0:12You have been carrying this competently for a while. A few minutes off will not undo that.
3. 0:27Let your attention settle on the space between your nose and your upper lip, where the air passes.
4. 0:43Let the rhythm of your breathing set the pace, not the words.
5. 0:56Let the out-breath be a little longer than the in-breath, without forcing it.
6. 1:09Notice the difference between the breath at the front of your nose and the breath in your chest.
7. 1:25Notice your toes, starting with the big one on the left.
8. 1:37Feel the tops of your thighs.
9. 1:47Notice the space between your shoulder blades.
10. 1:57Let this one be unhurried.
11. 2:06We are not solving anything in the next few minutes. We are setting it down, temporarily.
12. 2:21Notice if you're waiting for something to happen. Nothing is scheduled.
13. 2:33If the fidgeting that cannot settle is loud right now, make your attention smaller. Just the next breath. Nothing beyond it.
14. 2:50There is no correct amount of the restlessness that will not sit still to be feeling right now. Whatever is here is the honest amount.
15. 3:09Notice the first breath of the day versus this one. They're the same mechanism.
16. 3:23Say to yourself: this is uncomfortable, and I can stay with it for one more breath. Then take that breath.
17. 3:40Your mind will leave about a hundred times. Come back about a hundred times.
18. 3:54I'll leave a gap here. Use it however you like.
19. 4:06Setting something down is not the same as giving up. You can pick it up again after.
20. 4:21If you're going straight back to work, take ten seconds at the doorway first.
21. 4:35Stay here a little longer.

Questions people ask

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