Everything, 30 at a time
Every meditation, breathing exercise, sleep story, focus session, guide and essay on SoftlyStill — 6,878 pieces, newest first, 30 to a page.
Soft 4-7-8 breathing exercise for the early months — if you are doing this in the middle of the day
Rounds of 4 · 4 · 8, with the counting done for you.
Breathe →Deep work: 20-minute breathing meditation, on a Saturday morning
A 20-minute breathing session for deep work, on a Saturday morning. No app, no account — press start.
Begin →Insomnia: 10-minute letting go meditation, at midday
When insomnia shows up at midday, this 10-minute letting go session gives you somewhere to put it down.
Begin →A boat at anchor — a slow story for the end of the day, when you have been putting it off — for a restless night
A small harbour, a rope that creaks, and a boat that moves about a metre in the night.
Settle in →A 45-minute block for brainstorming, with café murmur, if you have five quiet minutes
A single 45-minute block for brainstorming — quantity before quality.
Start the block →How to use 7-11 breathing for the commute, when you need to stop thinking about work
Simple counts — 7 · 11 — and a circle that keeps time.
Breathe →Grounding meditation for shame (5 min), on a break
A 5-minute grounding session for shame, on a break. No app, no account — press start.
Begin →15-minute gratitude meditation for fatigue, in the mid-afternoon
When fatigue shows up in the mid-afternoon, this 15-minute gratitude session gives you somewhere to put it down.
Begin →A hotel room somewhere, when you are too tired to try hard — for winding down
A room you did not choose, in a city you do not have to know.
Settle in →A 50-minute block for research, with a library, when you have tried everything else
A single 50-minute block for research — with a note file open beside you.
Start the block →How to use Coherent 5-5 breathing for coming down after exercise, if you are doing this instead of scrolling
Simple counts — 5 · 5 — and a circle that keeps time.
Breathe →Meditation for tension headaches: 10-minute self-compassion session, at the airport
Nothing to learn and nothing to fix: 10 minutes of self-compassion for tension headaches, at the airport.
Begin →Meditation for mindfulness: 3-minute body scan session, on the way out of work
When mindfulness shows up on the way out of work, this 3-minute body scan session gives you somewhere to put it down.
Begin →Sleep story: a garden in the rain, when you are doing this for the first time — for an overtired night
Steady rain on leaves, and a chair under an awning that stays dry.
Settle in →A 90-minute block for applications and forms, with distant traffic, when you have just finished work
A single 90-minute block for applications and forms — dull but finite.
Start the block →How to use 6-2-6-2 breathing for a long illness, when you need something unremarkable
Simple counts — 6 · 2 · 6 · 2 — and a circle that keeps time.
Breathe →Noting for worry: 15 minutes, before an appointment
Nothing to learn and nothing to fix: 15 minutes of noting for worry, before an appointment.
Begin →Softening for a racing mind: 7 minutes, in the hour before sleep
When a racing mind shows up in the hour before sleep, this 7-minute softening session gives you somewhere to put it down.
Begin →A kitchen late at night — a slow story for the end of the day, if you have done this a hundred times — for jet lag
One small light on, a cooling cup of tea, and the rest of the house dark.
Settle in →45-minute focus session for planning with forest at dusk, when you are too tired to try hard
45 minutes on planning — on paper, so you can see it. A single class period, the length most people can hold before the quality drops.
Start the block →Slow box breath (5 · 5 · 5 · 5) for the middle of the night, after a difficult conversation
Simple counts — 5 · 5 · 5 · 5 — and a circle that keeps time.
Breathe →3-minute guided body scan practice for irritability — before an interview
Nothing to learn and nothing to fix: 3 minutes of body scan for irritability, before an interview.
Begin →Self-compassion meditation for heartbreak (12 min), late at night
When heartbreak shows up late at night, this 12-minute self-compassion session gives you somewhere to put it down.
Begin →A lake before dawn, when you have been meaning to start — for a night when you do not want to think
Flat water, no wind, and light that has not arrived yet.
Settle in →50-minute focus session for writing with birds at dawn, when you are not sure this will work
50 minutes on writing — the first draft, not the good version. Fifty minutes, the length of a therapy hour, with ten minutes off afterwards.
Start the block →4-6 breath (4 · 6) for travel days, when you are somewhere noisy
Simple counts — 4 · 6 — and a circle that keeps time.
Breathe →Study focus: 7-minute softening meditation, on exam day
Nothing to learn and nothing to fix: 7 minutes of softening for study focus, on exam day.
Begin →Meditation for falling asleep: 20-minute noting session, in the middle of the night
Slow, spoken guidance for falling asleep. A noting session you can do in the middle of the night.
Begin →A wind-down that starts before you are tired — what to try first, when the weather has kept you inside
Waiting until you feel sleepy usually means waiting until midnight. The wind-down is what creates the sleepiness.
Read →Sleep story: the house after everyone is asleep, when the day has been loud — for waking too early
The hour when the house belongs to nobody and nothing needs doing.
Settle in →Newest first. Everything here is free — no account, no streaks, nothing to install.