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.

Meditation20 min

Grounding for loneliness: 20 minutes, on a train journey

Slow, spoken guidance for loneliness. A grounding session you can do on a train journey.

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Guide3 min read

How to get through the first hour without your phone — the long answer, briefly, on a day that started badly

The first hour sets the tone for attention all day. You do not need willpower — you need the phone to be somewhere else.

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Sleep20 min

A hotel room somewhere, on a day that started badly — for an overtired night

A room you did not choose, in a city you do not have to know.

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Focus50 min

Focus session for drawing: 50 minutes, a library, when nothing else has worked today

50 minutes of drawing, with a library and a note on what to do when you drift.

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Breathing3 min

How to use Slow box breathing for anxious moments, when nothing else has worked today

Rounds of 5 · 5 · 5 · 5, with the counting done for you.

Breathe →
Meditation15 min

15-minute guided breathing practice for brain fog — at lunch

For the times at lunch when brain fog takes up more room than you would like — 15 minutes, breathing.

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Meditation5 min

5-minute guided letting go practice for sleep — in a waiting room

Slow, spoken guidance for sleep. A letting go session you can do in a waiting room.

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Guide3 min read

How to study when you cannot concentrate — a gentle, practical guide, when you are at home and cannot settle

Concentration is usually a problem of task size, not willpower. Shrink the task until starting feels almost silly.

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Sleep10 min

A garden in the rain (a sleep story), when you are too tired to try hard — for jet lag

Steady rain on leaves, and a chair under an awning that stays dry.

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Focus90 min

Focus session for reading: 90 minutes, plain quiet, when you are on your own

90 minutes of reading, with plain quiet and a note on what to do when you drift.

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Breathing2 min

How to use 4-6 breathing for a grey day, when you are on your own

Rounds of 4 · 6, with the counting done for you.

Breathe →
Meditation3 min

Grounding for perfectionism: 3 minutes, at 3pm

For the times at 3pm when perfectionism takes up more room than you would like — 3 minutes, grounding.

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Meditation10 min

Morning energy: 10-minute gratitude meditation, on the morning of an interview

Slow, spoken guidance for morning energy. A gratitude session you can do on the morning of an interview.

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Guide3 min read

A wind-down that starts before you are tired — a calm, practical approach, after eating too much

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 kitchen late at night, when you are doing this for the first time — for a night when you do not want to think

One small light on, a cooling cup of tea, and the rest of the house dark.

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Focus45 min

45-minute thesis writing session with forest at dusk and a timer, if you are fitting this around other people

Sit down, press start, and add to the pile for 45 minutes. A single class period, the length most people can hold before the quality drops.

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Breathing2 min

How to use 4-2-6 breathing for a hot day, if you are fitting this around other people

Rounds of 4 · 2 · 6, with the counting done for you.

Breathe →
Meditation7 min

Self-compassion meditation for jaw tension (7 min), at the end of the workday

For the times at the end of the workday when jaw tension takes up more room than you would like — 7 minutes, self-compassion.

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Meditation15 min

15-minute body scan meditation for appreciation, in the hour before an exam

15 minutes to meet appreciation with less of a fight. A body scan practice, in the hour before an exam.

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Guide3 min read

Waking up anxious for no obvious reason, in plain terms, if you are tired of apps

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

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Sleep20 min

A lake before dawn, when you are on your own — for waking too early

Flat water, no wind, and light that has not arrived yet.

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Focus50 min

50-minute design work session with birds at dawn and a timer, when you have more time than usual

Sit down, press start, and make decisions for 50 minutes. Fifty minutes, the length of a therapy hour, with ten minutes off afterwards.

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Breathing2 min

Coherent 6-6 breath (6 · 6) for deep focus, when you have more time than usual

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

Breathe →
Meditation12 min

Meditation for fear of flying: 12-minute noting session, before bed

For the times before bed when fear of flying takes up more room than you would like — 12 minutes, noting.

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Meditation3 min

Meditation for anxiety: 3-minute softening session, before a hard conversation

3 minutes to meet anxiety with less of a fight. A softening practice, before a hard conversation.

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Guide3 min read

When to be careful with breathing exercises — the essentials, if you have done this a hundred times

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

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Sleep10 min

The house after everyone is asleep (a sleep story), when you have been meaning to start — for the hours after a late shift

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

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Focus25 min

A 25-minute block for decluttering, with brown noise, when you have been putting it off

A single 25-minute block for decluttering — one surface at a time.

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Breathing2 min

Quick 2-1-2-1 breath (2 · 1 · 2 · 1) for a hard week, when you have been putting it off

Simple counts — 2 · 1 · 2 · 1 — and a circle that keeps time.

Breathe →
Meditation20 min

Body scan for anger: 20 minutes, late at night

For the times late at night when anger takes up more room than you would like — 20 minutes, body scan.

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