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.

Meditation7 min

7-minute softening meditation for the afternoon slump, in a five-minute break

7 minutes to meet the afternoon slump with less of a fight. A softening practice, in a five-minute break.

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Guide3 min read

When the inner voice will not let something go — a calm, practical approach, before something difficult

Self-criticism usually repeats because it is trying to prevent something. Arguing with it does not work. Understanding it sometimes does.

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Sleep10 min

A garden in the rain — a slow story for the end of the day, if you are fitting this around other people — for an overtired night

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

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Focus25 min

25-minute studying session with a washing machine and a timer, if you are new to this

Sit down, press start, and take in the material for 25 minutes. One pomodoro, long enough to get somewhere and short enough to start.

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Breathing2 min

How to use 6-2-6-2 breathing for anxious moments, after a difficult conversation

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

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Breathing2 min

3-6 breathing for travel days, after a long day

Rounds of 3 · 6, with the counting done for you.

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Meditation3 min

Meditation for restless legs: 3-minute grounding session, on a day off

For the times on a day off when restless legs takes up more room than you would like — 3 minutes, grounding.

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Meditation12 min

12-minute guided gratitude practice for mindfulness — in the air

12 minutes to meet mindfulness with less of a fight. A gratitude practice, in the air.

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Guide3 min read

Working in a noisy place without losing your mind, in plain terms, when the house is busy

You cannot always control the noise. You can control what your attention does with it, and what you put in your ears.

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Sleep15 min

A kitchen late at night, after a long day — for jet lag

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

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Focus50 min

50-minute drawing session with café murmur and a timer, when your attention is scattered

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

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Breathing2 min

How to use Slow box breathing for a reset, when you are somewhere noisy

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

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Breathing2 min

3-5-7 breathing for jet lag, when you are waiting for something

Rounds of 3 · 5 · 7, with the counting done for you.

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Meditation10 min

Letting go for anticipatory anxiety: 10 minutes, at lunch

When anticipatory anxiety shows up at lunch, this 10-minute letting go session gives you somewhere to put it down.

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Meditation20 min

Health anxiety: 20-minute breathing meditation, in a waiting room

20 minutes to meet health anxiety with less of a fight. A breathing practice, in a waiting room.

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Guide3 min read

The five minutes after a difficult meeting — the essentials, when the weather has kept you inside

Back-to-back meetings leave no room to come down. Five deliberate minutes changes the next hour.

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Sleep20 min

A lake before dawn (a sleep story), when you want something simple — for a night when you do not want to think

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

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Focus90 min

90-minute reading session with a library and a timer, when you have been meaning to start

Sit down, press start, and read properly for 90 minutes. One full ultradian cycle, for work that needs a long runway.

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Breathing2 min

How to use 4-6 breathing for a cold morning, after a long day

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

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Breathing2 min

Physiological sigh: 4 rounds for heated moments, when you are too tired to try hard

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

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Meditation15 min

Gratitude meditation for irritability (15 min), at 3pm

When irritability shows up at 3pm, this 15-minute gratitude session gives you somewhere to put it down.

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Meditation5 min

Grounding meditation for stress (5 min), on the morning of an interview

5 minutes to meet stress with less of a fight. A grounding practice, on the morning of an interview.

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Guide3 min read

What to do when you wake at 3am — what to expect, when you are short on time

Waking in the middle of the night is normal. What turns it into an hour of lying awake is the reaction to it.

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Sleep10 min

The house after everyone is asleep — a slow story for the end of the day, after eating too much — for waking too early

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

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Focus25 min

A 25-minute block for thesis writing, with distant traffic, before something difficult

A single 25-minute block for thesis writing — sections, not the whole thing.

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Breathing2 min

4-2-6 breath (4 · 2 · 6) for the end of the working day, when you are waiting for something

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

Breathe →
Breathing2 min

Gentle box breathing: 4 rounds for a hard week, when you are not sure this will work

Rounds of 3 · 3 · 3 · 3, with the counting done for you.

Breathe →
Meditation3 min

Deep work: 3-minute breathing meditation, at the end of the workday

When deep work shows up at the end of the workday, this 3-minute breathing session gives you somewhere to put it down.

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Meditation10 min

Meditation for insomnia: 10-minute letting go session, in the hour before an exam

10 minutes to meet insomnia with less of a fight. A letting go practice, in the hour before an exam.

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Guide3 min read

Preparing for a conversation you are dreading — the version that fits a real week, on a day that started badly

Most dread is about the first thirty seconds, not the conversation. Prepare for those and the rest gets easier.

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