Meditation for falling asleep: 10-minute softening session, on the train

About this practice

A 10-minute softening session for falling asleep, on the train. No app, no account — press start. A guided session of about 10 minutes, suited to all levels. Nothing is recorded and no account is needed.

What this works on: falling asleep

Falling asleep is a passive process. The harder you aim at it, the further it moves, because the effort itself is arousal.

It tends to show up as:

• Watching the clock
• Getting frustrated at being awake
• Sleep only arriving after giving up

Attention on something boring and continuous is the oldest trick there is. That is all a sleep story is doing.

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 softening works

Softening is the practice of releasing held tension degree by degree rather than all at once. It targets the physical grip — shoulders, jaw, gut — that persists long after the stressor has passed.

• Soften one place per exhale rather than everything at once
• Let warmth and gravity do the work instead of muscular effort
• If a place will not soften, leave it and go somewhere that will

What happens, minute by minute

1. 0:00If your legs are crossed, uncross them. Small changes count.
2. 0:12We are not forcing anything open. We are letting things unclench by a single degree.
3. 0:26Notice the weight of your arms without moving them.
4. 0:37Let your sense of the room shrink down to just your body and the surface you're on.
5. 0:52Notice the first breath of the day versus this one. They're the same mechanism.
6. 1:06Let the exhale fall out rather than pushing it.
7. 1:17Notice the weight of your thighs, all the way down.
8. 1:29Let your thumbs rest wherever they landed.
9. 1:39Feel the tops of your thighs.
10. 1:49Feel the front of your chest. Notice it rise and fall once.
11. 2:02Imagine the surrender at the end of the day as a room you can walk out of for a minute. The room will still be there.
12. 2:21If you catch yourself fighting the slow drift toward sleep, that is worth noticing. The fight usually costs more than the feeling.
13. 2:39Notice whether you're breathing or holding. Start breathing again.
14. 2:50Unclenching is not the same as relaxing. Just stop adding the tension back.
15. 3:03I'll step back. You stay here.
16. 3:13Notice how quickly your mind labels things: good, bad, boring, nice.
17. 3:25Let the exhale do the work. On each one, allow a little more give.
18. 3:39Let's pause. Just the breathing for a while.
19. 3:50If nothing much is happening, that's not a problem. Nothing much is often the point.
20. 4:04With every out-breath, soften one place. Shoulders first, then jaw, then the space behind the eyes.
21. 4:19A gap. Don't rush to fill it with thinking.
22. 4:30Notice the pull to make this mean something. It doesn't have to.
23. 4:43Notice your lower back. Let it curve however it curves.
24. 4:55Follow one full breath from the moment it starts to the moment it ends.
25. 5:09Stay here a little longer.
26. 5:18Feel your belly. Let it be soft instead of held in.
27. 5:30Breathe in for four, out for six, if you'd like something to count.
28. 5:43Just the breath, still.
29. 5:52Notice your shoulders, one at a time. The left one first.
30. 6:04Feel your breath move down your back, all the way to your lower ribs.
31. 6:18A few seconds more.
32. 6:27Feel your tongue sitting in the bottom of your mouth.
33. 6:39Let the breath be slow enough that you can hear it, just barely.
34. 6:52Quiet for a moment. No need to fill it.
35. 7:03When the thoughts that keep the light on arrives, name it once, quietly, and go back to the breath. Naming is not fixing, and that is fine.
36. 7:23You are allowed to be unimpressed by the surrender at the end of the day. Indifference is a legitimate response.
37. 7:40Let the out-breath be a little longer than the in-breath, without forcing it.
38. 7:53Notice the space around the slow drift toward sleep. It is there, even if it is small. Put your attention in that space.
39. 8:11If a worry shows up, name it quietly and let it sit beside you.
40. 8:25Notice if you're being hard on yourself about any of this.
41. 8:37I'll be quiet for a moment. Stay with the breath.
42. 8:49Find the tightest place and simply breathe near it. Warmth does the softening, not effort.
43. 9:03Let this one be unhurried.
44. 9:12When you're ready, look around properly.
45. 9:22Let the quiet end on its own rather than cutting it off.

Questions people ask

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