Noting for anger: 5 minutes, on the way in

About this practice

Nothing to learn and nothing to fix: 5 minutes of noting for anger, on the way in. A guided session of about 5 minutes, suited to all levels. Nothing is recorded and no account is needed.

What this works on: anger

Anger is a fast, full-body response. Blood moves to the hands and jaw, heart rate climbs sharply, and reasoning comes back online several minutes later.

It tends to show up as:

• Heat in the chest and face
• The urge to speak before thinking
• A clenched jaw or fists

The physical peak passes in about ninety seconds if it is not fed. Slow breathing uses those seconds rather than spending them.

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 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

1. 0:00Start by hearing the furthest sound you can find.
2. 0:11When something arrives, label it quietly — thinking, hearing, planning, worrying — then return to the breath.
3. 0:26Now let your attention move from the room into your body, slowly, the way you'd move through a doorway you know well.
4. 0:44Let the last hour go on its own. You can pick it up again afterwards.
5. 0:58Follow three breaths and let the fourth one go unobserved.
6. 1:10Notice how many breaths you take in a minute. Don't change the number, just check.
7. 1:24Notice the backs of your knees, which you feel more than you think.
8. 1:37Let the whole of your left foot be heavy.
9. 1:48Notice your heels making contact with the floor or the bed.
10. 2:00Stay here a little longer.
11. 2:09Silence. Let your shoulders drop again if they've crept up.
12. 2:21Use one plain word, not a sentence. The moment you explain, you have joined in.
13. 2:35Notice if your attention is in the future. Bring it back to the room.
14. 2:49Think of the heat rising in your chest as a guest that arrived without knocking. You can let it stand in the hallway.
15. 3:07Say to yourself: this is uncomfortable, and I can stay with it for one more breath. Then take that breath.
16. 3:24Feel the air as it passes the back of your throat. It's cooler going in.
17. 3:38If the white-hot moment before you speak is loud right now, make your attention smaller. Just the next breath. Nothing beyond it.
18. 3:56If you're irritated, that's allowed. Irritation is just weather.
19. 4:07A gap. Don't rush to fill it with thinking.
20. 4:18Notice the gap between the label and the next thought. That gap is what we are practising.
21. 4:33If you drifted off, that was rest, and rest counts.

Questions people ask

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