Meditation for tension headaches: 15-minute noting

About this practice

15 minutes to meet tension headaches with less of a fight. A noting practice, on a meeting break. A guided session of about 15 minutes, suited to all levels. Nothing is recorded and no account is needed.

What this works on: tension headaches

Tension headaches follow a band of tightness across the forehead and around the skull, usually the product of long staring, jaw clenching and neck position.

It tends to show up as:

A band of pressure across the forehead
Pressure behind the eyes
Ache worsening through the day

Softening the jaw, eyes and neck interrupts the pattern early. Once a tension headache settles in it is harder to shift.

Doing this between meetings

Start it in the gap, not after the next one begins
Write down the open thread from the last meeting first, then let it go
Two minutes done beats five minutes planned

The back-to-back day is exactly why the gap has to be protected rather than used for one more task.

How noting works

Noting is a technique from insight practice: when something arises, you give it a single plain label — thinking, hearing, planning — and return to the anchor. The label creates a small distance between you and the content.

Use one word, not a sentence — explaining means you have joined in
Label and return; do not follow the thought to see where it goes
Drop the labelling if it becomes effortful and just follow the breath

What happens, minute by minute

0:00Let your next exhale be a sigh, if a sigh is what's waiting there.
0:14A label is enough. You do not need to follow the thought to see where it goes.
0:29Let your attention settle on the space between your nose and your upper lip, where the air passes.
0:45There's no correct speed. Slower isn't better. Steadier is the only aim.
0:58Let the breath be shallow if shallow is what your body wants.
1:11Notice the difference between the breath at the front of your nose and the breath in your chest.
1:27Notice your toes, starting with the big one on the left.
1:39Notice your wrists. They bend a lot in a day.
1:51Feel your heart somewhere in there, doing its work without instructions.
2:03Notice your lower back. Let it curve however it curves.
2:15Notice the small movement in your belly when you breathe.
2:27Nothing about the ache from a long staring day has to be explained or justified in this room.
2:43Remind yourself, slowly: I am safe in this moment, even while the band around the forehead is here. Safety and difficulty can share a room.
3:02Notice your breathing getting quieter on its own, without you deciding anything.
3:15There is no correct amount of the pressure building behind the eyes to be feeling right now. Whatever is here is the honest amount.
3:34There is a part of you that has handled hard moments before. That part is here now, even if it is quiet.
3:52Move to your forehead. Let it be smooth instead of gathered.
4:04Keep following the air.
4:13Let your breathing get quieter rather than deeper.
4:24Feel your palms. Warm or cool, either is fine.
4:35Let this one be unhurried.
4:44Breathe in for four, out for six, if you'd like something to count.
4:57Start at the top of your head. Notice the scalp, which you almost never notice.
5:11Let the quiet do its work.
5:21Follow one full breath from the moment it starts to the moment it ends.
5:35Notice the weight of your thighs, all the way down.
5:47A few seconds more.
5:56Breathe as if you had all evening. There's no rush in this part.
6:09Feel your ankles. Let them be loose.
6:19Quiet for a moment. No need to fill it.
6:30If nothing much is happening, that's not a problem. Nothing much is often the point.
6:44No rush to move on.
6:53Count four breaths silently. Then stop counting and just follow.
7:05Silence. Let your shoulders drop again if they've crept up.
7:17Notice where your body is still holding something. Leave it alone.
7:29Notice how many breaths you take in a minute. Don't change the number, just check.
7:43Stay here a little longer.
7:52If you're sleepy, sit up a little. Or let the sleepiness be there.
8:05Quiet now. The next part will wait for you.
8:16If noting feels like too much, drop it and just follow the breath. The label is optional.
8:31If you feel numb, that's a valid thing to feel. Nothing to fix.
8:44A few seconds of nothing now. That's on purpose.
8:55Use one plain word, not a sentence. The moment you explain, you have joined in.
9:09If you're distracted by a sound, let the sound be the object for a moment.
9:23I'll step back. You stay here.
9:33You are the one noticing, not the thing being noticed. Stay on that side of the line.
9:48Notice the tone of your own inner voice. Is it kind?
10:00I'll stop for a moment. Take the pause at your own speed.
10:13When something arrives, label it quietly — thinking, hearing, planning, worrying — then return to the breath.
10:28If you've lost track of where we were, you haven't lost anything important.
10:41Notice the first breath of the day versus this one. They're the same mechanism.
10:55Pause here. Count three breaths if you need an anchor.
11:07Picture the band around the forehead as a weather front passing over. You are not the weather. You are the sky it moves through.
11:26Say to yourself: this is uncomfortable, and I can stay with it for one more breath. Then take that breath.
11:43Notice the breath you're taking right now. That's the only one that exists.
11:56the ache from a long staring day may quiet down, or it may not. Either is fine. We are practising staying, not performing calm.
12:15This is not the last time the band around the forehead will visit. That is not bad news. It means you will get more practice.
12:34Let the out-breath be a little longer than the in-breath, without forcing it.
12:47Notice how you're sitting. Adjust if you need to. Then settle again.
13:00If your mind has wandered, that's not a mistake. Noticing is the practice.
13:13Notice the pull to make this mean something. It doesn't have to.
13:26Let's rest here in silence. It's short.
13:36Notice the gap between the label and the next thought. That gap is what we are practising.
13:51No need to open your eyes yet.
14:01Take one last look at whatever your attention settled on.
14:13Let the quiet end on its own rather than cutting it off.

Questions people ask

What does this session help with?

Tension headaches follow a band of tightness across the forehead and around the skull, usually the product of long staring, jaw clenching and neck position. Softening the jaw, eyes and neck interrupts the pattern early. Once a tension headache settles in it is harder to shift.

Where and when should I do this one?

Start it in the gap, not after the next one begins. The back-to-back day is exactly why the gap has to be protected rather than used for one more task.

What actually happens during the 15 minutes?

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