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Reset in the afternoon11 min

Nap meditation

A free 11-minute guided rest for the afternoon dip. Lie back, follow the voice, and come back up. You stay awake.

Voice: Thorne (synthetic)

First time? Sit back or lie down. Headphones are optional. This one is made to keep you awake, so sit up a little if you feel yourself drifting.

Best for
The afternoon dip, when a nap isn't possibleA guided rest instead of a nap: you stay awake, and it brings you back up. It is not a sleep track.
When to use it
Mid-afternoon, when you have ten to fifteen minutes and somewhere to sit back or lie down. It suits an office where a nap won't work, or a day when naps leave you groggy.
What you'll hear
  1. 0:00Arrive: rest without a nap, then a brighter way back
  2. 0:51Four slow breaths, each breath out longer than the last
  3. 2:22Body scan, lower half: the feet, legs and hips, the belly and the back
  4. 3:58Body scan, upper half: the chest and shoulders, the arms and hands, the neck, face and scalp
  5. 5:29Deep rest, holding the body loosely
  6. 8:01Three fuller, quicker breaths
  7. 8:47A brighter return: a big stretch, sitting up, a far gaze and the light in the room
  8. 10:37Close: some water, then one easy next step

How the session runs

The recording runs just over 11 minutes. It opens quickly with four slow breaths, then a body scan in two halves and about two and a half minutes of deep rest. From about 8:00 the voice gets brighter: three fuller breaths, a big stretch, sitting up, and looking at something far away and the colours in the room. It is brighter, not loud, and it ends with a short close.

When a nap meditation beats a nap

When a nap isn't possible: an open office, a meeting at half past three, a sofa you can't lie on for long. When you have ten to fifteen minutes rather than half an hour. And when you tend to wake from naps groggy.

NSDR keeps you awake, so it can leave you less groggy than waking from a long nap. For the longer comparison, see NSDR vs napping.

How to use it

  1. Sit back or lie down. Somewhere that supports your head, or flat on a bed or the floor.
  2. Sort out your phone. Turn on do not disturb and set the volume low.
  3. Press play and follow the voice. Stay with whatever the voice names. There's nothing to get right.
  4. When it brings you back up. Stand up and drink some water before you go back to work.

If you want to sleep, this is the wrong session for that. Use the sleep shelf.

Does a nap meditation work as well as a nap?

NSDR keeps you awake, so it is unlikely to leave you groggy the way waking from deep sleep can. In a 2026 trial of 60 active young adults, a 25-minute nap raised readiness to perform where 10 minutes of NSDR had no significant effect. Sources: Tassi and Muzet (2000), review of sleep inertia; Boukhris et al. (2026b)

That is one small trial, and it tested 10 minutes of NSDR, not this 11-minute session. A real nap may do more for you if you can take one.

For tips on napping itself, see how to nap without feeling groggy.

Questions

What is a nap meditation?

Guided rest while you stay awake. This one ends by bringing you back up.

How long should a nap meditation be?

There is no tested right length. This one runs about 11 minutes. For the usual advice on how long a nap should be, see the nap guide.

How to nap without feeling groggy

Can I fall asleep during it?

It is made to keep you awake, but if you doze off, that's fine: it ends by bringing you back up. If sleep is what you want, use a sleep session. Don't listen while driving or operating machinery.

Is a nap meditation the same as a power nap?

No. That is a short sleep. This session is made to keep you awake.

NSDR vs napping

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