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.
A kitchen late at night (a sleep story), when you have already had a long week — for a restless night
One small light on, a cooling cup of tea, and the rest of the house dark.
Settle in →A 50-minute block for portfolio work, with forest at dusk, when you are on your own
A single 50-minute block for portfolio work — the last ten percent.
Start the block →Tight box breath (4 · 1 · 4 · 1) for a hard week, when the weather has kept you inside
The pattern is 4 · 1 · 4 · 1, which is barely any hold, for people who dislike holding.
Breathe →Meditation for concentration: 15-minute body scan session, when nothing went right
Slow, spoken guidance for concentration. A body scan session you can do when nothing went right.
Begin →Meditation for agitation: 7-minute self-compassion session, in the late afternoon
Nothing to learn and nothing to fix: 7 minutes of self-compassion for agitation, in the late afternoon.
Begin →Why your weekend does not feel like rest, when you have been on screens all day
Rest is not the absence of work. If the weekend is full of decisions and obligations, it does not restore anything.
Read →Sleep story: a lake before dawn, when nothing else has worked today — for winding down
Flat water, no wind, and light that has not arrived yet.
Settle in →A 90-minute block for problem solving, with birds at dawn, if you are fitting this around other people
A single 90-minute block for problem solving — before looking anything up.
Start the block →3-6 breath (3 · 6) for days when everything is too much, when you are short on time
The pattern is 3 · 6, which is a gentle two-to-one ratio.
Breathe →3-minute softening meditation for self-doubt, when you are at your limit
Slow, spoken guidance for self-doubt. A softening session you can do when you are at your limit.
Begin →Noting for waking up: 12 minutes, on a Saturday morning
Nothing to learn and nothing to fix: 12 minutes of noting for waking up, on a Saturday morning.
Begin →How to get through the first hour without your phone — a practical guide, when you have woken up too early
The first hour sets the tone for attention all day. You do not need willpower — you need the phone to be somewhere else.
Read →The house after everyone is asleep, after a difficult conversation — for an overtired night
The hour when the house belongs to nobody and nothing needs doing.
Settle in →45-minute focus session for coding with white noise, on a low-energy afternoon
45 minutes on coding — one function at a time, not the whole system. A single class period, the length most people can hold before the quality drops.
Start the block →Slow box breathing: 4 rounds for Monday morning, if you are fitting this around other people
5 · 5 · 5 · 5 breathing: a wider square, once four feels comfortable.
Breathe →3-5-7 breathing — 3 · 5 · 7 — for a long wait, on a day that started badly
3 · 5 · 7 breathing: a staircase down: three, five, seven.
Breathe →7-minute guided gratitude practice for tight shoulders and neck — before sleep
Slow, spoken guidance for tight shoulders and neck. A gratitude session you can do before sleep.
Begin →Body scan meditation for gratitude (20 min), on a break
Nothing to learn and nothing to fix: 20 minutes of body scan for gratitude, on a break.
Begin →How to study when you cannot concentrate — the short version, when the day has been loud
Concentration is usually a problem of task size, not willpower. Shrink the task until starting feels almost silly.
Read →The night train (a sleep story), when you are cold and want to be warm — for jet lag
Somewhere between two cities, in the dark, where nobody needs anything from you.
Settle in →50-minute focus session for practising an instrument with a stream, when you cannot concentrate on anything else
50 minutes on practising an instrument — slowly, with the metronome. Fifty minutes, the length of a therapy hour, with ten minutes off afterwards.
Start the block →4-6 breathing exercise for heavy days — when you have more time than usual
4 · 6 breathing: in for four, out for six.
Breathe →Physiological sigh — 2 · 6 — for creative work, when you are at home and cannot settle
2 · 6 breathing: a second short sip of air on top of the first, then a long release.
Breathe →Fear of flying: 15-minute breathing meditation, early on
Slow, spoken guidance for fear of flying. A breathing session you can do early on.
Begin →Tired eyes: 5-minute letting go meditation, at the airport
Nothing to learn and nothing to fix: 5 minutes of letting go for tired eyes, at the airport.
Begin →A wind-down that starts before you are tired, in the order that helps, when you feel fine and want to stay that way
Waiting until you feel sleepy usually means waiting until midnight. The wind-down is what creates the sleepiness.
Read →Sleep story: a caravan by the sea, on a day that started badly — for winding down
Thin walls, wind outside, and the sound of shingle about fifty metres away.
Settle in →Deep work timer: 25 minutes of exam revision (rain on a window), when you have been on screens all day
One block of exam revision with rain on a window underneath. One pomodoro, long enough to get somewhere and short enough to start.
Start the block →4-2-6 breathing exercise for a noisy room — when you have been putting it off
4 · 2 · 6 breathing: a short hold in the middle, a long way out.
Breathe →Gentle box breathing — 3 · 3 · 3 · 3 — for Friday evening, after eating too much
3 · 3 · 3 · 3 breathing: a smaller square, for when four counts feels long.
Breathe →Newest first. Everything here is free — no account, no streaks, nothing to install.