In a crowd

In a crowd. This track is for a crowded place. A train, a queue, a wedding, a market. Eyes stay open. Nothing you do here is visible to anyone around you. If you need to move or answer someone, pause the track.

Start with the feet. Press them into the floor, or the step, or the ground. Feel it push back.

If you are standing, let the knees soften a little. If you are sitting, feel the seat take your weight.

Now the hands. They may be holding a bag, a rail, a phone. Notice what they are touching. The texture, the temperature.

Let the jaw loosen. Teeth apart, lips together. Nobody can see this.

Breathe out through the nose, slowly, a little longer than usual. Nobody can see this either.

Again.

Now, without turning the head much, find three things you can see. A colour. A sign. Someone's shoes. Name each one silently.

Now two things you can hear, under the noise. An announcement. A child. A fan.

The crowd is still here. You are still in it. You may have a little more room inside than a minute ago, or not yet.

If the pressure builds again, go back to the feet. Floor, weight, jaw, breath out. As many times as you need.

Keep breathing out slowly, and let the track end whenever you need to move.