Noting meditation for the inner critic (10 min), before public speaking

About this practice

For the times before public speaking when the inner critic takes up more room than you would like — 10 minutes, noting. A guided session of about 10 minutes, suited to all levels. Nothing is recorded and no account is needed.

What this works on: the inner critic

The inner critic often formed as a protective strategy, keeping you small to keep you safe. It is loudest where you feel most exposed.

It tends to show up as:

• A judge commenting on everything
• Anticipating criticism before it comes
• Difficulty accepting praise

You can notice the voice without obeying it. Distance between the voice and the response is the whole gain.

Doing this before public speaking

• Do it somewhere private, or in the washroom if needed
• Slow the exhale deliberately and check your speaking pace after
• Warm the voice by reading a line aloud, not by staying silent

Rushing is the tell of nerves. A slower breath now is what sets a slower pace in the room.

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. 0:00Turn your phone face down if it's within reach. If it's in another room, even better.
2. 0:15If noting feels like too much, drop it and just follow the breath. The label is optional.
3. 0:30Let the last hour go on its own. You can pick it up again afterwards.
4. 0:44You can think about other things. When you notice, come back. That's the whole practice.
5. 0:58Feel your breath move down your back, all the way to your lower ribs.
6. 1:12Notice the difference between the breath at the front of your nose and the breath in your chest.
7. 1:28Feel the soles of your feet. All the weight of you goes through them.
8. 1:42Start at the top of your head. Notice the scalp, which you almost never notice.
9. 1:56Notice your heels making contact with the floor or the bed.
10. 2:08Feel your palms. Warm or cool, either is fine.
11. 2:19When the judge in your head presses in, put a hand on your chest or your belly. Warmth and pressure are anchors your body already trusts.
12. 2:38Feel the weight of the running commentary on your flaws somewhere specific, then let the floor take a share of it.
13. 2:55Notice anything you're holding onto from earlier today.
14. 3:06When something arrives, label it quietly — thinking, hearing, planning, worrying — then return to the breath.
15. 3:21Silence. Let your shoulders drop again if they've crept up.
16. 3:33Notice how you're sitting. Adjust if you need to. Then settle again.
17. 3:46Notice the gap between the label and the next thought. That gap is what we are practising.
18. 4:01Silence for a few breaths. Nothing to do in it.
19. 4:13Notice the exact moment your attention left. You probably won't catch it. That's normal.
20. 4:27You are the one noticing, not the thing being noticed. Stay on that side of the line.
21. 4:42A few seconds of nothing now. That's on purpose.
22. 4:53Notice where you feel the breath most clearly. Nose, chest, or belly — pick one and stay there.
23. 5:09Remain here for a few more breaths.
24. 5:19Feel your calves, front and back.
25. 5:29Let the breath get soft, the way it goes when someone is reading beside you.
26. 5:43Let the pause stretch out.
27. 5:52Notice your breathing, without changing it.
28. 6:02Follow the breath down into your belly and feel it come back up.
29. 6:15No need to open your eyes yet.
30. 6:25Notice the small movement in your belly when you breathe.
31. 6:37Let your belly rise first, then your chest, then the tops of your lungs.
32. 6:51Let's rest here in silence. It's short.
33. 7:01If the voice that grades everything starts telling you a story, let the story finish without you adding to it.
34. 7:18Notice where the judge in your head lives in your body. Chest, throat, stomach. Rest your attention there without trying to change it.
35. 7:36Notice how many breaths you take in a minute. Don't change the number, just check.
36. 7:50Say to yourself: this is uncomfortable, and I can stay with it for one more breath. Then take that breath.
37. 8:07If you've lost track of where we were, you haven't lost anything important.
38. 8:20If you're bored, stay with the boredom for a moment. It's usually thinner than it looks.
39. 8:35A gap. Don't rush to fill it with thinking.
40. 8:46A label is enough. You do not need to follow the thought to see where it goes.
41. 9:01Stay here a little longer.
42. 9:10Notice if anything has loosened. Even slightly counts.
43. 9:21Let the quiet end on its own rather than cutting it off.

Questions people ask

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