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.
Ten minutes outside is not a wellness cliché — a realistic guide, when you want to be left alone
It is the least fashionable intervention available and one of the most reliable. Here is what it actually does.
Read →A fire dying down (a sleep story), when you only have a few minutes — for the hours after a late shift
The last hour of a fire, when it stops being a fire and becomes warmth.
Settle in →90-minute focus block for applications and forms — rain on a window, when you have tried everything else
A timer, a short prep list, and 90 minutes to get through the questions.
Start the block →5-2-7 breath (5 · 2 · 7) for Sunday evening, when you want to finish something
A 5 · 2 · 7 rhythm — five, a brief hold, then seven out.
Breathe →Beginner box breathing: 4 rounds for a long illness, if you are doing this in the middle of the day
A 2 · 2 · 2 · 2 rhythm — the easiest version of the square.
Breathe →10-minute self-compassion meditation for deadline pressure, in the middle of the night
10 minutes to meet deadline pressure with less of a fight. A self-compassion practice, in the middle of the night.
Begin →Body scan for grief: 20 minutes, when the news hits hard
For the times when the news hits hard when grief takes up more room than you would like — 20 minutes, body scan.
Begin →When grief arrives out of nowhere, for people who have tried everything, if you are new to this
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 →A library at closing time — a slow story for the end of the day, when you are at home and cannot settle — for a racing mind
The last hour, when the lights go down row by row.
Settle in →Focus session for planning: 25 minutes, a fireplace, when you have just finished work
25 minutes of planning, with a fireplace and a note on what to do when you drift.
Start the block →Coherent 4-4 breath (4 · 4) for a stolen moment of caregiving, when you are doing this for the first time
A 4 · 4 rhythm — four and four, if five feels like a stretch.
Breathe →Soft 4-7-8 breathing exercise for bedtime — when you need to stop thinking about work
A 4 · 4 · 8 rhythm — the hold cut short, the long exhale kept.
Breathe →15-minute guided noting practice for better sleep — beside your desk
15 minutes to meet better sleep with less of a fight. A noting practice, beside your desk.
Begin →5-minute guided softening practice for overwhelm — after a horrible day
For the times after a horrible day when overwhelm takes up more room than you would like — 5 minutes, softening.
Begin →How to stop scrolling in bed — the long answer, briefly, when your attention is scattered
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 →A boat at anchor, when you want to be left alone — for a restless night
A small harbour, a rope that creaks, and a boat that moves about a metre in the night.
Settle in →Focus session for writing: 45 minutes, distant traffic, before you go back to something hard
45 minutes of writing, with distant traffic and a note on what to do when you drift.
Start the block →Box breathing — 4 · 4 · 4 · 4 — for anxious moments, if you are doing this in the middle of the day
A 4 · 4 · 4 · 4 rhythm — four equal sides, like tracing a square.
Breathe →7-11 breathing exercise for a hospital waiting room — if you are doing this instead of scrolling
A 7 · 11 rhythm — a long, slow ratio for when you have time.
Breathe →Body scan for the inner critic: 3 minutes, between meetings
A 3-minute body scan session for the inner critic, between meetings. No app, no account — press start.
Begin →Deep work: 10-minute self-compassion meditation, when you are overwhelmed
For the times when you are overwhelmed when deep work takes up more room than you would like — 10 minutes, self-compassion.
Begin →Meditation for Exam Anxiety: What the Research Reveals
Discover how meditation can ease your exam anxiety, backed by real research.
Read →rain on the window mindfulness
Use this when you need a calm pause before bedtime.
Begin →morning stillness routine
Use this when you sit at your kitchen table before the day begins.
Begin →What to do when everything is too much — a gentle, practical guide, when you have been meaning to start
Overwhelm is not a lack of capacity. It is too many open loops and no order to them. The fix is unglamorous.
Read →A hotel room somewhere (a sleep story), when you cannot concentrate on anything else — for winding down
A room you did not choose, in a city you do not have to know.
Settle in →Focus session for language practice: 90 minutes, a fan or air conditioner, when you want to be left alone
90 minutes of language practice, with a fan or air conditioner and a note on what to do when you drift.
Start the block →Coherent 5-5 breathing exercise for the morning after — when you need something unremarkable
Rounds of 5 · 5, with the counting done for you.
Breathe →Tight box breathing for the middle of the night, when you are somewhere noisy
Rounds of 4 · 1 · 4 · 1, with the counting done for you.
Breathe →15-minute noting meditation for shame, before bedtime
For the times before bedtime when shame takes up more room than you would like — 15 minutes, noting.
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