Meditation for physical tension: 12-minute letting go session, in the middle of the night

About this practice

12 minutes to meet physical tension with less of a fight. A letting go practice, in the middle of the night. A guided session of about 12 minutes, suited to all levels. Nothing is recorded and no account is needed.

What this works on: physical tension

The body stores effort that the mind has finished with. Tension persists in whichever region carries your particular habit — neck, jaw, back or gut.

It tends to show up as:

• A knot between the shoulders
• A clenched jaw you had not noticed
• Ache that appears after stressful days

Tension needs to be noticed before it can release. Scanning it deliberately is not the same as being told to relax.

Doing this at 3am

• Do not check the time and do not turn on a light
• Stay lying down if you can — sitting up makes it harder to return to sleep
• Do not try to solve anything that arrives at this hour

Problems at 3am feel enormous because of chemistry, not because they are actually bigger. Defer them.

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 lying down, let the mattress hold all of you. You can stop holding yourself up.
2. 0:15Small efforts are the whole method.
3. 0:25We'll start broad and narrow down. Nothing sudden is coming.
4. 0:37Imagine your thoughts as traffic on a road you're standing beside. You don't have to flag any of it down.
5. 0:54Let your ribs widen on the in-breath instead of your shoulders lifting.
6. 1:07Notice the small pause before your body decides to breathe in again.
7. 1:20Notice your fingers, one by one, starting with the little finger.
8. 1:32Let the whole of your left foot be heavy.
9. 1:43Let the whole of your right foot be heavy.
10. 1:54Feel the soles of your feet. All the weight of you goes through them.
11. 2:08Say to yourself: this is uncomfortable, and I can stay with it for one more breath. Then take that breath.
12. 2:25You do not have to like the clenched jaw you forgot about to breathe through it. Liking was never the requirement.
13. 2:42Let the breath get soft, the way it goes when someone is reading beside you.
14. 2:56Notice any tension that arrived while you weren't looking.
15. 3:07There's no need to try harder than this.
16. 3:18Quiet now. The next part will wait for you.
17. 3:29You might be planning something. Notice the planning, then come back.
18. 3:41Nothing here needs to be efficient.
19. 3:51Silence. Let your shoulders drop again if they've crept up.
20. 4:03If you're distracted by a sound, let the sound be the object for a moment.
21. 4:17Let this be easy, if easy is available.
22. 4:28I'll stop for a moment. Take the pause at your own speed.
23. 4:41If you feel numb, that's a valid thing to feel. Nothing to fix.
24. 4:54We'll keep it quiet and unhurried.
25. 5:04A short silence. Let it be empty.
26. 5:14If a song is stuck in your head, let it play in the background.
27. 5:28Feel your upper arms hanging. They're heavier than you remember.
28. 5:40Notice the difference between the breath at the front of your nose and the breath in your chest.
29. 5:56Stay a moment longer than is comfortable.
30. 6:06Notice your ribs on both sides. Wide, not squeezed.
31. 6:17Let your belly rise first, then your chest, then the tops of your lungs.
32. 6:31Stay with it.
33. 6:39Notice your toes, starting with the big one on the left.
34. 6:51Feel the air move past your upper lip. It's the coolest spot on the way in.
35. 7:06Nothing changes for a moment.
36. 7:15Feel the back of your neck. That's a place that holds a lot.
37. 7:28Notice where you feel the breath most clearly. Nose, chest, or belly — pick one and stay there.
38. 7:44Remain here for a few more breaths.
39. 7:54Notice the weight of your thighs, all the way down.
40. 8:06Each time your mind hands you the body holding the day, treat it like a leaf on a stream. Present for a moment, then carried on.
41. 8:25Let's pause. Just the breathing for a while.
42. 8:36Feel the weight of the knot between your shoulders somewhere specific, then let the floor take a share of it.
43. 8:53Breathe in for four, out for six, if you'd like something to count.
44. 9:06You have been carrying the clenched jaw you forgot about for a while. You can set it down for the length of this session and pick it up after.
45. 9:27Remind yourself, slowly: I am safe in this moment, even while the body holding the day is here. Safety and difficulty can share a room.
46. 9:46Notice that you don't have to start a breath. It arrives by itself.
47. 9:59Notice the tone of your own inner voice. Is it kind?
48. 10:11If you're sleepy, sit up a little. Or let the sleepiness be there.
49. 10:24I'll step back. You stay here.
50. 10:34If you only manage half of it, that's half more than nothing.
51. 10:47Keep following the air.
52. 10:56Come back slowly. There's no prize for finishing fast.
53. 11:07If you're going straight back to work, take ten seconds at the doorway first.
54. 11:21Just the breath, still.

Questions people ask

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