Meditation for waking up: 10-minute breathing session, on your commute

About this practice

Nothing to learn and nothing to fix: 10 minutes of breathing for waking up, on your commute. A guided session of about 10 minutes, suited to all levels. Nothing is recorded and no account is needed.

What this works on: waking up

On waking, the brain passes through a slow transition rather than switching on. Rushing it leaves you foggy for the first hour.

It tends to show up as:

• Needing a long time to feel awake
• Foggy, irritable mornings
• The day starting before you are ready

Giving the body a few unhurried minutes at the start changes the tone of everything that follows.

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 breathing works

A breathing practice uses the breath as the object of attention and as the control lever. Because exhaling slows the heart through the vagus nerve, it acts on the nervous system directly rather than through thinking.

• Keep the exhale longer than the inhale — that is the active ingredient
• Count the exhales and start again whenever you lose count
• Do not force depth; let the breath find its own level

What happens, minute by minute

1. 0:00Start with the noise that is already in the room. We are not going to try to remove it yet.
2. 0:17There is no target number here. Only the next breath, and then the one after it.
3. 0:32Now let your attention move from the room into your body, slowly, the way you'd move through a doorway you know well.
4. 0:50Let your breathing find its own pace. We're only going to watch it.
5. 1:03Notice where you feel the breath most clearly. Nose, chest, or belly — pick one and stay there.
6. 1:19Let the breath move at the speed of a sleeping person.
7. 1:31Let your thumbs rest wherever they landed.
8. 1:41Notice your jaw again. Let your back teeth part slightly.
9. 1:53Feel the soles of your feet. All the weight of you goes through them.
10. 2:07Feel your forearms, from the elbow down to the wrist.
11. 2:19Notice how the slow start of the day changes shape when you stop resisting it. Usually it gets smaller, not bigger.
12. 2:36You do not have to like the fog of just-woken to breathe through it. Liking was never the requirement.
13. 2:52Notice anything you're holding onto from earlier today.
14. 3:03Follow the air from the nostrils down to the belly, then back out. One full trip at a time.
15. 3:19Silence for a few breaths. Nothing to do in it.
16. 3:31Notice if you're waiting for something to happen. Nothing is scheduled.
17. 3:43Your anchor for the next few minutes is the breath itself. Nothing else needs following.
18. 3:57Let's pause. Just the breathing for a while.
19. 4:08Notice whether you're breathing or holding. Start breathing again.
20. 4:19If the breath feels tight, do not deepen it. Just watch it, and let it find its own depth.
21. 4:35Pause here. Count three breaths if you need an anchor.
22. 4:47Feel your breath move down your back, all the way to your lower ribs.
23. 5:01Let your body keep settling.
24. 5:10Notice the small movement in your belly when you breathe.
25. 5:22Let the breath be slow enough that you can hear it, just barely.
26. 5:35No need to open your eyes yet.
27. 5:45Notice your ears, which mostly just receive things.
28. 5:56Let your ribs widen on the in-breath instead of your shoulders lifting.
29. 6:09Stay with it.
30. 6:17Notice your elbows. Odd things to have, but there they are.
31. 6:29Let your breathing get quieter rather than deeper.
32. 6:40I'll stop for a moment. Take the pause at your own speed.
33. 6:53Let the exhale carry a little of the morning body that needs a moment with it. Not all of it. Just a little, one breath at a time.
34. 7:13Notice where the slow start of the day lives in your body. Chest, throat, stomach. Rest your attention there without trying to change it.
35. 7:32Let your shoulders stay still while your ribs move.
36. 7:43If you catch yourself fighting the fog of just-woken, that is worth noticing. The fight usually costs more than the feeling.
37. 8:00If nothing much is happening, that's not a problem. Nothing much is often the point.
38. 8:14If a worry shows up, name it quietly and let it sit beside you.
39. 8:28I'll leave a gap here. Use it however you like.
40. 8:40Let the counting do the work. When you lose the count, start again from one — no penalty.
41. 8:56Stay a moment longer than is comfortable.
42. 9:06Come back to your body first, and the rest of the day second.
43. 9:19Notice whether you feel any different. If not, that's also normal.
44. 9:31No rush to move on.

Questions people ask

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