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.
The five minutes after a difficult meeting, without the usual advice, when you have more time than usual
Back-to-back meetings leave no room to come down. Five deliberate minutes changes the next hour.
Read →An attic room (a sleep story), when you have been meaning to start — for jet lag
Sloping ceiling, rain on the roof a foot above your head.
Settle in →50-minute focus session for reading with a fan or air conditioner, if you are fitting this around other people
50 minutes on reading — pages rather than paragraphs. Fifty minutes, the length of a therapy hour, with ten minutes off afterwards.
Start the block →4-6 breathing exercise for a long wait — when nothing else has worked today
Rounds of 4 · 6, with the counting done for you.
Breathe →Physiological sigh — 2 · 6 — for a hard week, when the weather has kept you inside
Rounds of 2 · 6, with the counting done for you.
Breathe →Softening meditation for restlessness at night (20 min), on exam day
Slow, spoken guidance for restlessness at night. A softening session you can do on exam day.
Begin →Noting meditation for anger (10 min), in the middle of the night
Nothing to learn and nothing to fix: 10 minutes of noting for anger, in the middle of the night.
Begin →What to do when you wake at 3am — what to try first, when you have been putting it off
Waking in the middle of the night is normal. What turns it into an hour of lying awake is the reaction to it.
Read →Sleep story: a lighthouse at the end of a long day, when you need something unremarkable — for a night when you do not want to think
One light turning, a kettle, and weather you are on the right side of.
Settle in →90-minute focus session for thesis writing with distant thunder, when you have more time than usual
90 minutes on thesis writing — sections, not the whole thing. One full ultradian cycle, for work that needs a long runway.
Start the block →4-2-6 breathing exercise for creative work — when you are on your own
Rounds of 4 · 2 · 6, with the counting done for you.
Breathe →Gentle box breathing — 3 · 3 · 3 · 3 — for a lonely evening, when you are short on time
Rounds of 3 · 3 · 3 · 3, with the counting done for you.
Breathe →The afternoon slump: 5-minute self-compassion meditation, before a presentation
5 minutes to meet the afternoon slump with less of a fight. A self-compassion practice, before a presentation.
Begin →Meditation for brain fog: 15-minute body scan session, beside your desk
Nothing to learn and nothing to fix: 15 minutes of body scan for brain fog, beside your desk.
Begin →Preparing for a conversation you are dreading — an honest guide, if you are sceptical about all of this
Most dread is about the first thirty seconds, not the conversation. Prepare for those and the rest gets easier.
Read →A bus at night, if you are sceptical about all of this — for waking too early
Upper deck, front seat, a city going past that you do not have to join.
Settle in →Deep work timer: 45 minutes of design work (café murmur), when you have been putting it off
One block of design work with café murmur underneath. A single class period, the length most people can hold before the quality drops.
Start the block →Coherent 6-6 breathing exercise for Monday morning — if you are fitting this around other people
Simple counts — 6 · 6 — and a circle that keeps time.
Breathe →4-7-8 breathing for a hard conversation, when you have been putting it off
Simple counts — 4 · 7 · 8 — and a circle that keeps time.
Breathe →10-minute breathing meditation for being present, before a hard conversation
10 minutes to meet being present with less of a fight. A breathing practice, before a hard conversation.
Begin →3-minute softening meditation for perfectionism, between meetings
Nothing to learn and nothing to fix: 3 minutes of softening for perfectionism, between meetings.
Begin →When to drink coffee so it does not ruin your sleep, step by step, when you are cold and want to be warm
Caffeine has a long tail. The cup at 3pm is still in your system at 9pm, whether you feel it or not.
Read →A field under snow (a sleep story), when you are not sure this will work — for the hours after a late shift
Everything muffled, everything white, and no tracks but yours.
Settle in →Deep work timer: 50 minutes of decluttering (a fireplace), if you are sceptical about all of this
One block of decluttering with a fireplace underneath. Fifty minutes, the length of a therapy hour, with ten minutes off afterwards.
Start the block →How to use Quick 2-1-2-1 breathing for heavy days, when you have more time than usual
Simple counts — 2 · 1 · 2 · 1 — and a circle that keeps time.
Breathe →5-7 breathing for a big decision, if you are sceptical about all of this
Simple counts — 5 · 7 — and a circle that keeps time.
Breathe →15-minute guided grounding practice for health anxiety — when the news hits hard
15 minutes to meet health anxiety with less of a fight. A grounding practice, when the news hits hard.
Begin →7-minute guided gratitude practice for jaw tension — on the way in
Nothing to learn and nothing to fix: 7 minutes of gratitude for jaw tension, on the way in.
Begin →Using your body to come down after something stressful — what works and what does not, when you only have a few minutes
After a stress response, the body is left with fuel it did not use. Some of the recovery is physical, not mental.
Read →A fire dying down — a slow story for the end of the day, when you have just finished work — for a racing mind
The last hour of a fire, when it stops being a fire and becomes warmth.
Settle in →Newest first. Everything here is free — no account, no streaks, nothing to install.