Sleep: 10-minute noting meditation, in the morning

About this practice

10 minutes to meet sleep with less of a fight. A noting practice, in the morning. A guided session of about 10 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 in the morning

• Do it before checking your phone — the first minutes set the tone for the rest
• Sitting up is better than lying down, or you will drift back to sleep
• Light on your face helps more than any practice

Mornings can become a performance of productive habits. This one does not need to be done well.

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. 0:00Quick check: is anything genuinely urgent in this exact minute? Usually the answer is no.
2. 0:14You are the one noticing, not the thing being noticed. Stay on that side of the line.
3. 0:29Notice whether your breathing is high in your chest or low in your belly. Just notice. No fixing.
4. 0:45We're going to move through the body in order, roughly from top to bottom.
5. 0:59Let your ribs widen on the in-breath instead of your shoulders lifting.
6. 1:12Let the exhale fall out rather than pushing it.
7. 1:23Notice the weight of your thighs, all the way down.
8. 1:35Feel the tops of your thighs.
9. 1:45Notice your ears, which mostly just receive things.
10. 1:56Notice your ribs on both sides. Wide, not squeezed.
11. 2:07Picture the day folding itself up as a weather front passing over. You are not the weather. You are the sky it moves through.
12. 2:26Feel the weight of the quiet your mind keeps postponing somewhere specific, then let the floor take a share of it.
13. 2:43If you're thinking about the next thing on your list, that list will still be there.
14. 2:58Notice the gap between the label and the next thought. That gap is what we are practising.
15. 3:13Quiet now. The next part will wait for you.
16. 3:24If you're irritated, that's allowed. Irritation is just weather.
17. 3:35If noting feels like too much, drop it and just follow the breath. The label is optional.
18. 3:50A few quiet breaths. That's all this is.
19. 4:01If you're bored, stay with the boredom for a moment. It's usually thinner than it looks.
20. 4:16Use one plain word, not a sentence. The moment you explain, you have joined in.
21. 4:30Silence for a few breaths. Nothing to do in it.
22. 4:42Follow one full breath from the moment it starts to the moment it ends.
23. 4:56Stay here a little longer.
24. 5:05Notice the small movement in your belly when you breathe.
25. 5:17Follow the breath down into your belly and feel it come back up.
26. 5:30Stay a moment longer than is comfortable.
27. 5:40Feel the skin around your eyes. Let the muscles behind them go loose.
28. 5:53Notice the breath you're taking right now. That's the only one that exists.
29. 6:06Let it be this simple.
30. 6:15Notice the space between your shoulder blades.
31. 6:25Let the exhale empty you a little more than usual, but not to the point of strain.
32. 6:40A few seconds of nothing now. That's on purpose.
33. 6:51You do not have to like the heaviness your body already knows to breathe through it. Liking was never the requirement.
34. 7:08You do not have to solve the day folding itself up in these few minutes. Your only job is to keep breathing while it is here.
35. 7:27Let the breath be shallow if shallow is what your body wants.
36. 7:40This is not the last time the quiet your mind keeps postponing will visit. That is not bad news. It means you will get more practice.
37. 7:59Notice the pull to make this mean something. It doesn't have to.
38. 8:12If you're judging your performance, that's the same habit as judging everything else.
39. 8:25I'll stop for a moment. Take the pause at your own speed.
40. 8:38A label is enough. You do not need to follow the thought to see where it goes.
41. 8:53Let the pause stretch out.
42. 9:02Take one breath that's a little fuller than the others, and let it out through your mouth.
43. 9:17Notice whether you feel any different. If not, that's also normal.
44. 9:29No 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.