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.
90-minute focus block for planning — plain quiet, when you are too tired to try hard
A timer, a short prep list, and 90 minutes to decide what happens when.
Start the block →Quick 2-1-2-1 breath (2 · 1 · 2 · 1) for a cold morning, after a long day
The pattern is 2 · 1 · 2 · 1, which is a brisk rhythm for when you need to be awake.
Breathe →5-7 breathing exercise for deep focus — when you are too tired to try hard
The pattern is 5 · 7, which is five in, seven out.
Breathe →Letting go for grief: 7 minutes, on a Sunday
A 7-minute letting go session for grief, on a Sunday. No app, no account — press start.
Begin →Social anxiety: 20-minute breathing meditation, on a lunch break
For the times on a lunch break when social anxiety takes up more room than you would like — 20 minutes, breathing.
Begin →A boat at anchor (a sleep story), after eating too much — for a restless night
A small harbour, a rope that creaks, and a boat that moves about a metre in the night.
Settle in →Focus session for writing: 45 minutes, a train carriage, when you are not sure this will work
45 minutes of writing, with a train carriage and a note on what to do when you drift.
Start the block →Uneven box breathing — 4 · 4 · 6 · 2 — for a long wait, when you are waiting for something
The pattern is 4 · 4 · 6 · 2, which is a square with one long side.
Breathe →2-1-4 breathing exercise for a hard week — when you are not sure this will work
The pattern is 2 · 1 · 4, which is short in, short hold, long out — the smallest useful dose.
Breathe →Gratitude meditation for overwhelm (12 min), during a break
A 12-minute gratitude session for overwhelm, during a break. No app, no account — press start.
Begin →Grounding meditation for work stress (5 min), in the afternoon slump
For the times in the afternoon slump when work stress takes up more room than you would like — 5 minutes, grounding.
Begin →Box Breathing at Work: A Field Guide
Box breathing is the calm-under-pressure pattern you can run at your desk without anyone noticing. Here is how to do it, and when it is the wrong tool.
Read →Using the commute as a boundary between work and home, without the usual advice, when you are short on time
The commute is the only transition most people get. Used deliberately, it stops the workday following you into the kitchen.
Read →Focus session for language practice: 50 minutes, birds at dawn, when you are not in the mood
50 minutes of language practice, with birds at dawn and a note on what to do when you drift.
Start the block →4-8 breathing — 4 · 8 — for creative work, when you are too tired to try hard
4 · 8 breathing: in for four, out for eight.
Breathe →Meditation for waking up: 20-minute breathing session, on a plane
A 20-minute breathing session for waking up, on a plane. No app, no account — press start.
Begin →Meditation for restlessness at night: 10-minute letting go session, after work
When restlessness at night shows up after work, this 10-minute letting go session gives you somewhere to put it down.
Begin →Ten minutes outside is not a wellness cliché — what to try first, on a day that started badly
It is the least fashionable intervention available and one of the most reliable. Here is what it actually does.
Read →25-minute studying session with white noise and a timer, when you are somewhere unfamiliar
Sit down, press start, and take in the material for 25 minutes. One pomodoro, long enough to get somewhere and short enough to start.
Start the block →5-2-7 breathing — 5 · 2 · 7 — for Monday morning, when you are not sure this will work
5 · 2 · 7 breathing: five, a brief hold, then seven out.
Breathe →5-minute grounding meditation for feeling not good enough, on the road
A 5-minute grounding session for feeling not good enough, on the road. No app, no account — press start.
Begin →Gratitude for the afternoon slump: 15 minutes, in the evening
When the afternoon slump shows up in the evening, this 15-minute gratitude session gives you somewhere to put it down.
Begin →When grief arrives out of nowhere — an honest guide, when you are at home and cannot settle
Grief does not follow a schedule. The waves come less often over time, but they do not stop, and that is not a failure.
Read →45-minute drawing session with a stream and a timer, when you feel restless rather than tired
Sit down, press start, and fill the page for 45 minutes. A single class period, the length most people can hold before the quality drops.
Start the block →Coherent 4-4 breathing for heavy days, on a day that started badly
4 · 4 breathing: four and four, if five feels like a stretch.
Breathe →10-minute guided self-compassion practice for restless legs — before an appointment
A 10-minute self-compassion session for restless legs, before an appointment. No app, no account — press start.
Begin →3-minute guided body scan practice for being present — in the hour before sleep
When being present shows up in the hour before sleep, this 3-minute body scan session gives you somewhere to put it down.
Begin →How to stop scrolling in bed, step by step, after eating too much
The phone is not the problem. The fact that it is within reach and there is nothing else to do is the problem. Here is what actually helps.
Read →90-minute reading session with rain on a window and a timer, when nothing else has worked today
Sit down, press start, and read properly for 90 minutes. One full ultradian cycle, for work that needs a long runway.
Start the block →Box breathing for exam nerves, when you are at home and cannot settle
4 · 4 · 4 · 4 breathing: four equal sides, like tracing a square.
Breathe →Newest first. Everything here is free — no account, no streaks, nothing to install.