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.

Focus90 min

90-minute focus session for applications and forms with a fan or air conditioner, when you have been meaning to start

90 minutes on applications and forms — dull but finite. One full ultradian cycle, for work that needs a long runway.

Start the block →
Breathing2 min

3-6 breathing exercise for Monday morning — if you are new to this

Simple counts — 3 · 6 — and a circle that keeps time.

Breathe →
Meditation20 min

Self-compassion for the inner critic: 20 minutes, before work

For the times before work when the inner critic takes up more room than you would like — 20 minutes, self-compassion.

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Meditation7 min

Body scan for waking up: 7 minutes, on a day off

Slow, spoken guidance for waking up. A body scan session you can do on a day off.

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Sleep15 min

The house after everyone is asleep — a slow story for the end of the day, before something difficult — for a restless night

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

Settle in →
Focus25 min

Deep work timer: 25 minutes of planning (a washing machine), before something difficult

One block of planning with a washing machine underneath. One pomodoro, long enough to get somewhere and short enough to start.

Start the block →
Breathing3 min

How to use 3-5-7 breathing for heavy days, when your attention is scattered

Simple counts — 3 · 5 · 7 — and a circle that keeps time.

Breathe →
Meditation5 min

5-minute guided breathing practice for tight shoulders and neck — after a long day

For the times after a long day when tight shoulders and neck takes up more room than you would like — 5 minutes, breathing.

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Meditation15 min

Softening meditation for feeling not good enough (15 min), in the morning

Slow, spoken guidance for feeling not good enough. A softening session you can do in the morning.

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Sleep10 min

The night train, after a difficult conversation — for winding down

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

Settle in →
Focus50 min

Deep work timer: 50 minutes of writing (brown noise), when the house is busy

One block of writing with brown noise underneath. Fifty minutes, the length of a therapy hour, with ten minutes off afterwards.

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Breathing2 min

How to use Physiological sigh for a noisy room, when you have been meaning to start

Simple counts — 2 · 6 — and a circle that keeps time.

Breathe →
Meditation10 min

Public speaking fear: 10-minute grounding meditation, in a five-minute break

For the times in a five-minute break when public speaking fear takes up more room than you would like — 10 minutes, grounding.

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Meditation3 min

Restless legs: 3-minute gratitude meditation, on a lunch break

Slow, spoken guidance for restless legs. A gratitude session you can do on a lunch break.

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Guide3 min read

A wind-down that starts before you are tired, step by step, when you feel restless rather than tired

Waiting until you feel sleepy usually means waiting until midnight. The wind-down is what creates the sleepiness.

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Sleep12 min

Sleep story: a caravan by the sea, when you are cold and want to be warm — for a racing mind

Thin walls, wind outside, and the sound of shingle about fifty metres away.

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Focus90 min

Deep work timer: 90 minutes of language practice (a library), when the weather has kept you inside

One block of language practice with a library underneath. One full ultradian cycle, for work that needs a long runway.

Start the block →
Breathing2 min

Gentle box breath (3 · 3 · 3 · 3) for the morning, before something difficult

A a smaller square, for when four counts feels long pattern, counted for you on screen.

Breathe →
Meditation15 min

15-minute letting go meditation for deadline pressure, in the air

For the times in the air when deadline pressure takes up more room than you would like — 15 minutes, letting go.

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Meditation7 min

7-minute breathing meditation for grief, at the end of the workday

7 minutes to meet grief with less of a fight. A breathing practice, at the end of the workday.

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Guide3 min read

Waking up anxious for no obvious reason — what works and what does not, when nothing else has worked today

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

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Sleep15 min

An attic room — a slow story for the end of the day, when you are not in the mood — for a restless night

Sloping ceiling, rain on the roof a foot above your head.

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Focus25 min

25-minute focus block for studying — plain quiet, when you are short on time

A timer, a short prep list, and 25 minutes to take in the material.

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Breathing4 min

4-7-8 breath (4 · 7 · 8) for a study session, when the house is busy

A in for four, hold for seven, out for eight pattern, counted for you on screen.

Breathe →
Meditation3 min

Meditation for better sleep: 3-minute gratitude session, on a train

For the times on a train when better sleep takes up more room than you would like — 3 minutes, gratitude.

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Meditation12 min

12-minute guided grounding practice for overwhelm — in the evening

12 minutes to meet overwhelm with less of a fight. A grounding practice, in the evening.

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Guide3 min read

When to be careful with breathing exercises — the two-minute version, when you are on your own

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

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Sleep10 min

A lighthouse at the end of a long day, before you go back to something hard — for winding down

One light turning, a kettle, and weather you are on the right side of.

Settle in →
Focus50 min

50-minute focus block for drawing — forest at dusk, on a day that started badly

A timer, a short prep list, and 50 minutes to fill the page.

Start the block →
Breathing2 min

5-7 breath (5 · 7) for a night shift, when the weather has kept you inside

A five in, seven out pattern, counted for you on screen.

Breathe →