Meditation for sleep: 15-minute self-compassion session, at midday

About this practice

For the times at midday when sleep takes up more room than you would like — 15 minutes, self-compassion. A guided session of about 15 minutes, suited to all levels. Nothing is recorded and no account is needed.

What this works on: sleep

Sleep arrives on a downslope, not on command. Arousal has to fall for some minutes before the switch flips, and trying harder keeps it up.

It tends to show up as:

• Getting a second wind at bedtime
• Mind starting up as soon as the light goes off
• Sleep arriving much later than you intended

The practice is to stop steering. Following a slow voice occupies the part of the mind that would otherwise be trying.

Doing this at lunch

• Do it before eating rather than after, so you are not working against digestion
• Leaving the desk matters more than the session length
• Take the headphones off afterwards so the break registers

A break that happens at the same desk is only half a break.

How self-compassion works

Self-compassion practice changes the tone of the inner voice rather than the content of the thoughts. It uses the same warmth and steadiness you would offer a friend, applied without requiring you to have earned it.

• Use the words you would actually say to someone you love
• Ask what you need, not what you deserve
• A hand on the chest or belly gives warmth and pressure a place to land

What happens, minute by minute

1. 0:00Turn your phone face down if it's within reach. If it's in another room, even better.
2. 0:15We'll take this slowly, and there's no version of this where you get it wrong.
3. 0:29Notice the pause at the end of each breath. It's short, but it's there.
4. 0:43If your mind is loud, that's information, not failure.
5. 0:54If you're holding your breath at the top, stop. There's no need to hold anything.
6. 1:08Follow one full breath from the moment it starts to the moment it ends.
7. 1:22Notice the weight of your thighs, all the way down.
8. 1:34Notice your heels making contact with the floor or the bed.
9. 1:46Feel the tops of your thighs.
10. 1:56Feel the middle of your back, the part that never gets attention.
11. 2:09Notice your pelvis resting on the surface below you.
12. 2:20You have been carrying the heaviness your body already knows for a while. You can set it down for the length of this session and pick it up after.
13. 2:41If the day folding itself up starts telling you a story, let the story finish without you adding to it.
14. 2:58Notice your breathing getting quieter on its own, without you deciding anything.
15. 3:11Let the exhale carry a little of the quiet your mind keeps postponing with it. Not all of it. Just a little, one breath at a time.
16. 3:31Whatever the heaviness your body already knows is doing right now, your breathing can keep going underneath it.
17. 3:47Notice your toes, starting with the big one on the left.
18. 3:59Remain here for a few more breaths.
19. 4:09Feel the slight stretch at the very bottom of the exhale.
20. 4:21Let your thumbs rest wherever they landed.
21. 4:31Let the quiet do its work.
22. 4:41Breathe in for four, out for six, if you'd like something to count.
23. 4:54Notice your ears, which mostly just receive things.
24. 5:05A few seconds more.
25. 5:14Let the exhale fall out rather than pushing it.
26. 5:25Feel your forearms, from the elbow down to the wrist.
27. 5:37Let it be this simple.
28. 5:46Let your breathing be boring. Boring is good here.
29. 5:57Let your whole body be as heavy as it wants to be.
30. 6:10Just the breath, still.
31. 6:19Let your breathing get quieter rather than deeper.
32. 6:30Feel your knees. They're just hinges, but they've worked hard.
33. 6:42Let this one be unhurried.
34. 6:51Let the in-breath be short and the out-breath unhurried.
35. 7:02Notice whether you're breathing or holding. Start breathing again.
36. 7:13Nothing to follow for a moment except your own breathing.
37. 7:25Nothing here needs to be efficient.
38. 7:35If you're thinking about the next thing on your list, that list will still be there.
39. 7:50I'll step back. You stay here.
40. 8:00If you only manage half of it, that's half more than nothing.
41. 8:13If you're distracted by a sound, let the sound be the object for a moment.
42. 8:27No words for a moment. Only the next breath.
43. 8:38There's no need to try harder than this.
44. 8:49If you're bored, stay with the boredom for a moment. It's usually thinner than it looks.
45. 9:04Pause here. Count three breaths if you need an anchor.
46. 9:16Let this be easy, if easy is available.
47. 9:27Notice anything you're holding onto from earlier today.
48. 9:38Quiet now. The next part will wait for you.
49. 9:49You can be as unimpressive as you like for the next few minutes.
50. 10:02Notice any urge to check something. You can wait two more minutes.
51. 10:15Let me stop talking. Follow the breath instead.
52. 10:26We'll keep it quiet and unhurried.
53. 10:36Notice the exact moment your attention left. You probably won't catch it. That's normal.
54. 10:50Breathe in through your nose and out through your nose, if that's comfortable.
55. 11:03Quiet for a moment. No need to fill it.
56. 11:14Remind yourself, slowly: I am safe in this moment, even while the day folding itself up is here. Safety and difficulty can share a room.
57. 11:33When the quiet your mind keeps postponing arrives, name it once, quietly, and go back to the breath. Naming is not fixing, and that is fine.
58. 11:52Follow three breaths and let the fourth one go unobserved.
59. 12:04the heaviness your body already knows may quiet down, or it may not. Either is fine. We are practising staying, not performing calm.
60. 12:22Imagine the day folding itself up as a room you can walk out of for a minute. The room will still be there.
61. 12:40Follow the breath down into your belly and feel it come back up.
62. 12:53If you're judging your performance, that's the same habit as judging everything else.
63. 13:06Notice if you're waiting for something to happen. Nothing is scheduled.
64. 13:18If a song is stuck in your head, let it play in the background.
65. 13:32Silence. Let your shoulders drop again if they've crept up.
66. 13:44Small efforts are the whole method.
67. 13:54Take the next breath slowly.
68. 14:03Let your jaw, shoulders and hands be loose as you finish.
69. 14:15When you're ready, look around properly.

Questions people ask

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