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.
Self-criticism: 15-minute softening meditation, after bad news
When self-criticism shows up after bad news, this 15-minute softening session gives you somewhere to put it down.
Begin →Study focus: 7-minute noting meditation, before a busy day
A 7-minute noting session for study focus, before a busy day. No app, no account — press start.
Begin →What to do when everything is too much, in plain terms, when you only have a few minutes
Overwhelm is not a lack of capacity. It is too many open loops and no order to them. The fix is unglamorous.
Read →A hotel room somewhere (a sleep story), when you want to be left alone — for a racing mind
A room you did not choose, in a city you do not have to know.
Settle in →50-minute portfolio work session with birds at dawn and a timer, on a low-energy afternoon
Sit down, press start, and finish the pieces for 50 minutes. Fifty minutes, the length of a therapy hour, with ten minutes off afterwards.
Start the block →Coherent 5-5 breathing for a hot day, when you want something simple
The pattern is 5 · 5, which is five seconds in, five seconds out — about six breaths a minute.
Breathe →Gratitude meditation for a mindful pause (3 min), when nothing went right
When a mindful pause shows up when nothing went right, this 3-minute gratitude session gives you somewhere to put it down.
Begin →12-minute body scan meditation for shame, in the late afternoon
A 12-minute body scan session for shame, in the late afternoon. No app, no account — press start.
Begin →When the inner voice will not let something go — what actually works, when you want something simple
Self-criticism usually repeats because it is trying to prevent something. Arguing with it does not work. Understanding it sometimes does.
Read →Sleep story: a garden in the rain, when you cannot concentrate on anything else — for a restless night
Steady rain on leaves, and a chair under an awning that stays dry.
Settle in →A 25-minute block for problem solving, with white noise, when you cannot concentrate on anything else
A single 25-minute block for problem solving — before looking anything up.
Start the block →6-2-6-2 breathing: 10 rounds for deep focus, when you want to finish something
The pattern is 6 · 2 · 6 · 2, which is even and rhythmic, with brief holds on both sides.
Breathe →Meditation for test anxiety: 7-minute breathing session, as sleep prep
When test anxiety shows up as sleep prep, this 7-minute breathing session gives you somewhere to put it down.
Begin →20-minute guided letting go practice for tension headaches — on a Saturday morning
A 20-minute letting go session for tension headaches, on a Saturday morning. No app, no account — press start.
Begin →Working in a noisy place without losing your mind — a short, honest guide, when you want to finish something
You cannot always control the noise. You can control what your attention does with it, and what you put in your ears.
Read →A kitchen late at night — a slow story for the end of the day, when the weather has kept you inside — for winding down
One small light on, a cooling cup of tea, and the rest of the house dark.
Settle in →A 45-minute block for coding, with distant thunder, when you have been on screens all day
A single 45-minute block for coding — one function at a time, not the whole system.
Start the block →Slow box breathing: 10 rounds for the hours after people leave, when you are doing this for the first time
5 · 5 · 5 · 5 breathing: a wider square, once four feels comfortable.
Breathe →Grounding for burnout: 12 minutes, on a rest day
When burnout shows up on a rest day, this 12-minute grounding session gives you somewhere to put it down.
Begin →Gratitude for worry: 5 minutes, on a plane
A 5-minute gratitude session for worry, on a plane. No app, no account — press start.
Begin →The five minutes after a difficult meeting — a straightforward guide, when you are doing this for the first time
Back-to-back meetings leave no room to come down. Five deliberate minutes changes the next hour.
Read →A lake before dawn (a sleep story), after a long day — for an overtired night
Flat water, no wind, and light that has not arrived yet.
Settle in →A 90-minute block for practising an instrument, with rain on a window, when you have woken up too early
A single 90-minute block for practising an instrument — slowly, with the metronome.
Start the block →4-6 breathing: 10 rounds for a lonely evening, if you are doing this in the middle of the day
4 · 6 breathing: in for four, out for six.
Breathe →3-minute guided letting go practice for waking at 3am — early on
Slow, spoken guidance for waking at 3am. A letting go session you can do early on.
Begin →Breathing meditation for irritability (10 min), on the road
A 10-minute breathing session for irritability, on the road. No app, no account — press start.
Begin →What to do when you wake at 3am, when you have just finished work
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: the house after everyone is asleep, when you want something simple — for jet lag
The hour when the house belongs to nobody and nothing needs doing.
Settle in →25-minute focus session for exam revision with a fireplace, when you need something unremarkable
25 minutes on exam revision — recall rather than re-reading. One pomodoro, long enough to get somewhere and short enough to start.
Start the block →4-2-6 breathing exercise for a hard conversation — when you need to stop thinking about work
4 · 2 · 6 breathing: a short hold in the middle, a long way out.
Breathe →Newest first. Everything here is free — no account, no streaks, nothing to install.