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.
Exhaustion: 7-minute gratitude meditation, at midday
Slow, spoken guidance for exhaustion. A gratitude session you can do at midday.
Begin →Meditation for study focus: 15-minute grounding session, before an appointment
A 15-minute grounding session for study focus, before an appointment. No app, no account — press start.
Begin →Preparing for a conversation you are dreading — a practical guide, before you go back to something hard
Most dread is about the first thirty seconds, not the conversation. Prepare for those and the rest gets easier.
Read →The night train — a slow story for the end of the day, when you feel restless rather than tired — for a night when you do not want to think
Somewhere between two cities, in the dark, where nobody needs anything from you.
Settle in →45-minute focus session for data work with vinyl crackle, after a difficult conversation
45 minutes on data work — checking as you go. A single class period, the length most people can hold before the quality drops.
Start the block →Coherent 6-6 breathing exercise for a big decision — if you are doing this instead of scrolling
6 · 6 breathing: six and six, the slower end of coherent breathing.
Breathe →12-minute body scan meditation for a mindful pause, in the mid-afternoon
Slow, spoken guidance for a mindful pause. A body scan session you can do in the mid-afternoon.
Begin →3-minute letting go meditation for guilt, before an interview
A 3-minute letting go session for guilt, before an interview. No app, no account — press start.
Begin →When to drink coffee so it does not ruin your sleep — the short version, when you want to be left alone
Caffeine has a long tail. The cup at 3pm is still in your system at 9pm, whether you feel it or not.
Read →A caravan by the sea (a sleep story), if you are new to this — for an overtired night
Thin walls, wind outside, and the sound of shingle about fifty metres away.
Settle in →90-minute focus session for editing with a fan or air conditioner, when you are somewhere noisy
90 minutes on editing — the boring pass that makes it readable. One full ultradian cycle, for work that needs a long runway.
Start the block →Quick 2-1-2-1 breathing exercise for Friday evening — when you need something unremarkable
2 · 1 · 2 · 1 breathing: a brisk rhythm for when you need to be awake.
Breathe →20-minute guided softening practice for social anxiety — during the evening wind-down
Slow, spoken guidance for social anxiety. A softening session you can do during the evening wind-down.
Begin →7-minute guided noting practice for back pain and tension — on exam day
Nothing to learn and nothing to fix: 7 minutes of noting for back pain and tension, on exam day.
Begin →Using your body to come down after something stressful, in the order that helps, if you are new to this
After a stress response, the body is left with fuel it did not use. Some of the recovery is physical, not mental.
Read →Sleep story: an attic room, when you have been on screens all day — for jet lag
Sloping ceiling, rain on the roof a foot above your head.
Settle in →Deep work timer: 25 minutes of brainstorming (distant thunder), after a long day
One block of brainstorming with distant thunder underneath. One pomodoro, long enough to get somewhere and short enough to start.
Start the block →How to use Uneven box breathing for a ten-minute window, after a difficult conversation
A 4 · 4 · 6 · 2 rhythm — a square with one long side.
Breathe →Self-compassion for work stress: 5 minutes, in the hour before sleep
Slow, spoken guidance for work stress. A self-compassion session you can do in the hour before sleep.
Begin →Worry: 12-minute body scan meditation, before a difficult talk
Nothing to learn and nothing to fix: 12 minutes of body scan for worry, before a difficult talk.
Begin →Do you actually need eight glasses of water — where to start, when your attention is scattered
Eight glasses is a number with no particular evidence behind it. Thirst and urine colour are better guides.
Read →A lighthouse at the end of a long day — a slow story for the end of the day, when you are short on time — 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 →Deep work timer: 50 minutes of research (café murmur), when you are waiting for something
One block of research with café murmur underneath. Fifty minutes, the length of a therapy hour, with ten minutes off afterwards.
Start the block →How to use 4-8 breathing for the early months, when you are somewhere noisy
A 4 · 8 rhythm — in for four, out for eight.
Breathe →Noting meditation for restlessness at night (10 min), late at night
Slow, spoken guidance for restlessness at night. A noting session you can do late at night.
Begin →20-minute softening meditation for frustration, after an argument
Nothing to learn and nothing to fix: 20 minutes of softening for frustration, after an argument.
Begin →Breathing exercises that help during panic — the unglamorous version, when you have been meaning to start
Deep breathing is the wrong advice during panic. What helps is a longer exhale and something concrete to count.
Read →A bus at night (a sleep story), when you are waiting for something — for waking too early
Upper deck, front seat, a city going past that you do not have to join.
Settle in →Deep work timer: 90 minutes of applications and forms (a fireplace), when you are too tired to try hard
One block of applications and forms with a fireplace underneath. One full ultradian cycle, for work that needs a long runway.
Start the block →5-2-7 breath (5 · 2 · 7) for the commute, after a long day
A 5 · 2 · 7 rhythm — five, a brief hold, then seven out.
Breathe →Newest first. Everything here is free — no account, no streaks, nothing to install.