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.
Meditation for focus: 3-minute noting session, when you are overwhelmed
Nothing to learn and nothing to fix: 3 minutes of noting for focus, when you are overwhelmed.
Begin →When to be careful with breathing exercises — where to start, when you feel fine and want to stay that way
Breathing exercises are generally very safe, but there are situations where the standard advice needs adjusting.
Read →50-minute coding session with a stream and a timer, when you have woken up too early
Sit down, press start, and work through the problem for 50 minutes. Fifty minutes, the length of a therapy hour, with ten minutes off afterwards.
Start the block →5-7 breath (5 · 7) for coming down after exercise, when you have woken up too early
Rounds of 5 · 7, with the counting done for you.
Breathe →Gratitude for contentment: 20 minutes, on the way in
20 minutes to meet contentment with less of a fight. A gratitude practice, on the way in.
Begin →Body scan for self-doubt: 7 minutes, before bedtime
Nothing to learn and nothing to fix: 7 minutes of body scan for self-doubt, before bedtime.
Begin →Releasing tension you did not notice you were holding — the unglamorous version, if you have five quiet minutes
By mid-afternoon most people are holding their shoulders, jaw and hands without knowing. Here is a two-minute check.
Read →90-minute practising an instrument session with plain quiet and a timer, when the day has been loud
Sit down, press start, and drill the hard bars for 90 minutes. One full ultradian cycle, for work that needs a long runway.
Start the block →2-1-4 breath (2 · 1 · 4) for a long illness, when the day has been loud
Rounds of 2 · 1 · 4, with the counting done for you.
Breathe →5-minute guided breathing practice for a racing mind — at the end of the day
5 minutes to meet a racing mind with less of a fight. A breathing practice, at the end of the day.
Begin →Letting go meditation for tight shoulders and neck (12 min), on a day off
For the times on a day off when tight shoulders and neck takes up more room than you would like — 12 minutes, letting go.
Begin →Using the commute as a boundary between work and home — a plain-language guide, when you have tried everything else
The commute is the only transition most people get. Used deliberately, it stops the workday following you into the kitchen.
Read →A 45-minute block for exam revision, with a train carriage, when you feel fine and want to stay that way
A single 45-minute block for exam revision — recall rather than re-reading.
Start the block →Double-inhale sigh — 3 · 8 — for bedtime, when you feel fine and want to stay that way
Rounds of 3 · 8, with the counting done for you.
Breathe →Heartbreak: 10-minute grounding meditation, at the weekend
10 minutes to meet heartbreak with less of a fight. A grounding practice, at the weekend.
Begin →Public speaking fear: 3-minute gratitude meditation, at lunch
For the times at lunch when public speaking fear takes up more room than you would like — 3 minutes, gratitude.
Begin →Ten minutes outside is not a wellness cliché — what nobody tells you, when you have just finished work
It is the least fashionable intervention available and one of the most reliable. Here is what it actually does.
Read →A 50-minute block for data work, with birds at dawn, if you have five quiet minutes
A single 50-minute block for data work — checking as you go.
Start the block →Beginner box breathing — 2 · 2 · 2 · 2 — for travel days, if you have five quiet minutes
Rounds of 2 · 2 · 2 · 2, with the counting done for you.
Breathe →15-minute letting go meditation for falling asleep, in a five-minute break
15 minutes to meet falling asleep with less of a fight. A letting go practice, in a five-minute break.
Begin →7-minute breathing meditation for financial stress, at 3pm
For the times at 3pm when financial stress takes up more room than you would like — 7 minutes, breathing.
Begin →When grief arrives out of nowhere — the basics, done properly, before you go back to something hard
Grief does not follow a schedule. The waves come less often over time, but they do not stop, and that is not a failure.
Read →25-minute focus session for editing with white noise, after a long day
25 minutes on editing — the boring pass that makes it readable. One pomodoro, long enough to get somewhere and short enough to start.
Start the block →Soft 4-7-8 breathing — 4 · 4 · 8 — for jet lag, when you have tried everything else
Rounds of 4 · 4 · 8, with the counting done for you.
Breathe →Meditation for low energy: 3-minute gratitude session, in the air
3 minutes to meet low energy with less of a fight. A gratitude practice, in the air.
Begin →12-minute guided grounding practice for focus — at the end of the workday
For the times at the end of the workday when focus takes up more room than you would like — 12 minutes, grounding.
Begin →How to stop scrolling in bed — a short read, when you want to be left alone
The phone is not the problem. The fact that it is within reach and there is nothing else to do is the problem. Here is what actually helps.
Read →45-minute focus session for brainstorming with a stream, when you are waiting for something
45 minutes on brainstorming — quantity before quality. A single class period, the length most people can hold before the quality drops.
Start the block →7-11 breathing for heated moments, when you are waiting for something
Simple counts — 7 · 11 — and a circle that keeps time.
Breathe →Body scan for contentment: 7 minutes, on a train
A 7-minute body scan session for contentment, on a train. No app, no account — press start.
Begin →Newest first. Everything here is free — no account, no streaks, nothing to install.