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.

Meditation5 min

Gratitude meditation for overwhelm (5 min), on a meeting break

Nothing to learn and nothing to fix: 5 minutes of gratitude for overwhelm, on a meeting break.

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Meditation12 min

12-minute grounding meditation for work stress, when you are at your limit

Slow, spoken guidance for work stress. A grounding session you can do when you are at your limit.

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Guide3 min read

Waking up anxious for no obvious reason — a gentle, practical guide, when you have more time than usual

Morning anxiety is common and usually chemical rather than psychological. Cortisol rises steeply in the first hour after waking.

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Sleep12 min

A garden in the rain, when you want to finish something — for a restless night

Steady rain on leaves, and a chair under an awning that stays dry.

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Focus90 min

Focus session for design work: 90 minutes, a train carriage, when you are at home and cannot settle

90 minutes of design work, with a train carriage and a note on what to do when you drift.

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Breathing2 min

4-7-8 breathing — 4 · 7 · 8 — for the morning, when you are short on time

Simple counts — 4 · 7 · 8 — and a circle that keeps time.

Breathe →
Meditation10 min

Meditation for waking up: 10-minute breathing session, on your commute

Nothing to learn and nothing to fix: 10 minutes of breathing for waking up, on your commute.

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Meditation20 min

20-minute guided letting go practice for restlessness at night — before sleep

Slow, spoken guidance for restlessness at night. A letting go session you can do before sleep.

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Guide3 min read

When to be careful with breathing exercises — a calm, practical approach, when you have been putting it off

Breathing exercises are generally very safe, but there are situations where the standard advice needs adjusting.

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Sleep15 min

A kitchen late at night (a sleep story), when nothing else has worked today — for winding down

One small light on, a cooling cup of tea, and the rest of the house dark.

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Focus25 min

25-minute decluttering session with birds at dawn and a timer, after eating too much

Sit down, press start, and move things out for 25 minutes. One pomodoro, long enough to get somewhere and short enough to start.

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Breathing2 min

5-7 breathing — 5 · 7 — for a study session, on a day that started badly

Simple counts — 5 · 7 — and a circle that keeps time.

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Meditation15 min

Grounding for feeling not good enough: 15 minutes, ahead of a full day

Nothing to learn and nothing to fix: 15 minutes of grounding for feeling not good enough, ahead of a full day.

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Meditation5 min

Gratitude for the afternoon slump: 5 minutes, on a slow Sunday

Slow, spoken guidance for the afternoon slump. A gratitude session you can do on a slow Sunday.

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Guide3 min read

Releasing tension you did not notice you were holding, in plain terms, if you are sceptical about all of this

By mid-afternoon most people are holding their shoulders, jaw and hands without knowing. Here is a two-minute check.

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Sleep20 min

A lake before dawn — a slow story for the end of the day, after a difficult conversation — for an overtired night

Flat water, no wind, and light that has not arrived yet.

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Focus50 min

50-minute admin and email session with white noise and a timer, if you are tired of apps

Sit down, press start, and clear the queue for 50 minutes. Fifty minutes, the length of a therapy hour, with ten minutes off afterwards.

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Breathing2 min

2-1-4 breathing — 2 · 1 · 4 — for a night shift, when you are at home and cannot settle

Simple counts — 2 · 1 · 4 — and a circle that keeps time.

Breathe →
Meditation3 min

3-minute guided self-compassion practice for restless legs — at the end of the day

For the times at the end of the day when restless legs takes up more room than you would like — 3 minutes, self-compassion.

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Meditation12 min

Body scan meditation for being present (12 min), first thing

Slow, spoken guidance for being present. A body scan session you can do first thing.

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Guide3 min read

Using the commute as a boundary between work and home — what actually works, when you are cold and want to be warm

The commute is the only transition most people get. Used deliberately, it stops the workday following you into the kitchen.

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Sleep12 min

The house after everyone is asleep, when you have woken up too early — for jet lag

The hour when the house belongs to nobody and nothing needs doing.

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Focus90 min

90-minute portfolio work session with a stream and a timer, if you have done this a hundred times

Sit down, press start, and finish the pieces for 90 minutes. One full ultradian cycle, for work that needs a long runway.

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Breathing2 min

Double-inhale sigh for a break at work, when you are cold and want to be warm

Simple counts — 3 · 8 — and a circle that keeps time.

Breathe →
Meditation7 min

Anticipatory anxiety: 7-minute noting meditation, on a break

For the times on a break when anticipatory anxiety takes up more room than you would like — 7 minutes, noting.

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Meditation20 min

Meditation for health anxiety: 20-minute softening session, in the mid-afternoon

Slow, spoken guidance for health anxiety. A softening session you can do in the mid-afternoon.

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Guide3 min read

Ten minutes outside is not a wellness cliché — a short, honest guide, when you only have a few minutes

It is the least fashionable intervention available and one of the most reliable. Here is what it actually does.

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Sleep15 min

The night train (a sleep story), on a day that started badly — for a night when you do not want to think

Somewhere between two cities, in the dark, where nobody needs anything from you.

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Focus45 min

A 45-minute block for problem solving, with rain on a window, when you have already had a long week

A single 45-minute block for problem solving — before looking anything up.

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Breathing2 min

Beginner box breathing for a hospital waiting room, when you only have a few minutes

Simple counts — 2 · 2 · 2 · 2 — and a circle that keeps time.

Breathe →