Everything, 30 at a time

Every meditation, breathing exercise, sleep story, focus session, guide and essay on SoftlyStill — 7,189 pieces, newest first, 30 to a page.

Breathing2 min

Coherent 5-5 breathing exercise for bedtime — when you want to finish something

The pattern is 5 · 5, which is five seconds in, five seconds out — about six breaths a minute.

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Focus45 min

45-minute focus block for problem solving — distant traffic, when you are doing this for the first time

A timer, a short prep list, and 45 minutes to stay with the difficulty.

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Breathing2 min

6-2-6-2 breathing exercise for a hospital waiting room — when you are doing this for the first time

The pattern is 6 · 2 · 6 · 2, which is even and rhythmic, with brief holds on both sides.

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Focus90 min

90-minute focus block for coding — forest at dusk, if you are doing this in the middle of the day

A timer, a short prep list, and 90 minutes to work through the problem.

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Breathing2 min

3-5-7 breathing — 3 · 5 · 7 — for a grey day, when you want to finish something

3 · 5 · 7 breathing: a staircase down: three, five, seven.

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Breathing2 min

Slow box breathing exercise for jet lag — if you are doing this in the middle of the day

5 · 5 · 5 · 5 breathing: a wider square, once four feels comfortable.

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Focus25 min

Focus session for practising an instrument: 25 minutes, a washing machine, when you need to stop thinking about work

25 minutes of practising an instrument, with a washing machine and a note on what to do when you drift.

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Breathing2 min

Physiological sigh breathing — 2 · 6 — for a hot day, when you are doing this for the first time

2 · 6 breathing: a second short sip of air on top of the first, then a long release.

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Breathing2 min

How to use 4-6 breathing for heated moments, when you need to stop thinking about work

4 · 6 breathing: in for four, out for six.

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Focus50 min

Focus session for exam revision: 50 minutes, brown noise, if you are doing this instead of scrolling

50 minutes of exam revision, with brown noise and a note on what to do when you drift.

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Breathing2 min

Gentle box breathing for the end of the working day, when you have just finished work

3 · 3 · 3 · 3 breathing: a smaller square, for when four counts feels long.

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Breathing2 min

How to use 4-2-6 breathing for a reset, if you are doing this instead of scrolling

4 · 2 · 6 breathing: a short hold in the middle, a long way out.

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Focus90 min

Focus session for data work: 90 minutes, a library, when you need something unremarkable

90 minutes of data work, with a library and a note on what to do when you drift.

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Breathing2 min

4-7-8 breathing for the hours after people leave, before you go back to something hard

4 · 7 · 8 breathing: in for four, hold for seven, out for eight.

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Breathing2 min

How to use Coherent 6-6 breathing for a cold morning, when you need something unremarkable

6 · 6 breathing: six and six, the slower end of coherent breathing.

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Focus25 min

25-minute editing session with plain quiet and a timer, after a difficult conversation

Sit down, press start, and cut and tighten for 25 minutes. One pomodoro, long enough to get somewhere and short enough to start.

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Breathing2 min

5-7 breathing for a lonely evening, when you want to be left alone

5 · 7 breathing: five in, seven out.

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Breathing3 min

Quick 2-1-2-1 breath (2 · 1 · 2 · 1) for the end of the working day, after a difficult conversation

2 · 1 · 2 · 1 breathing: a brisk rhythm for when you need to be awake.

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Focus50 min

50-minute brainstorming session with forest at dusk and a timer, when you are somewhere noisy

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

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Breathing2 min

2-1-4 breathing: 12 rounds for a hard conversation, if you are new to this

A 2 · 1 · 4 rhythm — short in, short hold, long out — the smallest useful dose.

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Breathing2 min

Uneven box breath (4 · 4 · 6 · 2) for creative work, when you are somewhere noisy

A 4 · 4 · 6 · 2 rhythm — a square with one long side.

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Focus90 min

90-minute research session with birds at dawn and a timer, after a long day

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

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Breathing2 min

Double-inhale sigh breathing: 12 rounds for a big decision, when your attention is scattered

A 3 · 8 rhythm — two inhales stacked together, then everything out through the mouth.

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Breathing2 min

4-8 breath (4 · 8) for Monday morning, after a long day

A 4 · 8 rhythm — in for four, out for eight.

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Focus45 min

A 45-minute block for applications and forms, with brown noise, when you are waiting for something

A single 45-minute block for applications and forms — dull but finite.

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Breathing2 min

Beginner box breathing: 12 rounds for being unwell, when you have been meaning to start

A 2 · 2 · 2 · 2 rhythm — the easiest version of the square.

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Breathing2 min

5-2-7 breathing — 5 · 2 · 7 — for heavy days, when you are waiting for something

A 5 · 2 · 7 rhythm — five, a brief hold, then seven out.

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Focus50 min

A 50-minute block for planning, with a stream, when you are too tired to try hard

A single 50-minute block for planning — on paper, so you can see it.

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Breathing3 min

Soft 4-7-8 breathing exercise for a ten-minute window — before something difficult

A 4 · 4 · 8 rhythm — the hold cut short, the long exhale kept.

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Breathing2 min

Coherent 4-4 breathing — 4 · 4 — for a noisy room, when you are too tired to try hard

A 4 · 4 rhythm — four and four, if five feels like a stretch.

Breathe →