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.
Sadness: 20-minute breathing meditation, in the morning
A 20-minute breathing session for sadness, in the morning. No app, no account — press start.
Begin →What to do when everything is too much, in the order that helps, when you need something unremarkable
Overwhelm is not a lack of capacity. It is too many open loops and no order to them. The fix is unglamorous.
Read →A field under snow (a sleep story), before something difficult — for winding down
Everything muffled, everything white, and no tracks but yours.
Settle in →Deep work timer: 25 minutes of exam revision (distant thunder), when you have tried everything else
One block of exam revision with distant thunder underneath. One pomodoro, long enough to get somewhere and short enough to start.
Start the block →Tight box breathing for the early months, when you have tried everything else
A barely any hold, for people who dislike holding pattern, counted for you on screen.
Breathe →Gratitude meditation for focus (12 min), on a Sunday
When focus shows up on a Sunday, this 12-minute gratitude session gives you somewhere to put it down.
Begin →Grounding meditation for agitation (5 min), on a lunch break
A 5-minute grounding session for agitation, on a lunch break. No app, no account — press start.
Begin →When the inner voice will not let something go — where to start, after a difficult conversation
Self-criticism usually repeats because it is trying to prevent something. Arguing with it does not work. Understanding it sometimes does.
Read →A fire dying down — a slow story for the end of the day, when you feel fine and want to stay that way — for an overtired night
The last hour of a fire, when it stops being a fire and becomes warmth.
Settle in →Deep work timer: 50 minutes of data work (rain on a window), when you have just finished work
One block of data work with rain on a window underneath. Fifty minutes, the length of a therapy hour, with ten minutes off afterwards.
Start the block →3-6 breathing: 8 rounds for the commute, when you have just finished work
A a gentle two-to-one ratio pattern, counted for you on screen.
Breathe →Meditation for self-doubt: 20-minute breathing session, during a break
When self-doubt shows up during a break, this 20-minute breathing session gives you somewhere to put it down.
Begin →Meditation for waking up: 10-minute letting go session, in the afternoon slump
A 10-minute letting go session for waking up, in the afternoon slump. No app, no account — press start.
Begin →Working in a noisy place without losing your mind — the unglamorous version, when you are somewhere noisy
You cannot always control the noise. You can control what your attention does with it, and what you put in your ears.
Read →A library at closing time, after eating too much — for jet lag
The last hour, when the lights go down row by row.
Settle in →Deep work timer: 90 minutes of editing (a fireplace), before you go back to something hard
One block of editing with a fireplace underneath. One full ultradian cycle, for work that needs a long runway.
Start the block →3-5-7 breathing: 8 rounds for coming down after exercise, before you go back to something hard
A a staircase down: three, five, seven pattern, counted for you on screen.
Breathe →5-minute softening meditation for tight shoulders and neck, on a plane
When tight shoulders and neck shows up on a plane, this 5-minute softening session gives you somewhere to put it down.
Begin →Gratitude for feeling not good enough: 15 minutes, after work
A 15-minute gratitude session for feeling not good enough, after work. No app, no account — press start.
Begin →The five minutes after a difficult meeting — a plain-language guide, after a long day
Back-to-back meetings leave no room to come down. Five deliberate minutes changes the next hour.
Read →A boat at anchor (a sleep story), when you are not in the mood — for a night when you do not want to think
A small harbour, a rope that creaks, and a boat that moves about a metre in the night.
Settle in →25-minute focus block for brainstorming — vinyl crackle, when you want to be left alone
A timer, a short prep list, and 25 minutes to generate options.
Start the block →Physiological sigh: 6 rounds for a long illness, when you want to be left alone
The pattern is 2 · 6, which is a second short sip of air on top of the first, then a long release.
Breathe →10-minute guided self-compassion practice for public speaking fear — in the queue
Slow, spoken guidance for public speaking fear. A self-compassion session you can do in the queue.
Begin →3-minute guided body scan practice for tired eyes — in the evening
A 3-minute body scan session for tired eyes, in the evening. No app, no account — press start.
Begin →What to do when you wake at 3am — what nobody tells you, when you are waiting for something
Waking in the middle of the night is normal. What turns it into an hour of lying awake is the reaction to it.
Read →A hotel room somewhere — a slow story for the end of the day, when you need to stop thinking about work — for waking too early
A room you did not choose, in a city you do not have to know.
Settle in →50-minute focus block for research — a fan or air conditioner, if you are new to this
A timer, a short prep list, and 50 minutes to follow one thread.
Start the block →Gentle box breathing exercise for the middle of the night — if you are new to this
The pattern is 3 · 3 · 3 · 3, which is a smaller square, for when four counts feels long.
Breathe →Deadline pressure: 15-minute noting meditation, in the hour before an interview
Slow, spoken guidance for deadline pressure. A noting session you can do in the hour before an interview.
Begin →Newest first. Everything here is free — no account, no streaks, nothing to install.