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.

Breathing2 min

Physiological sigh exercise for a long illness — when you want to finish something

The pattern is 2 · 6, which is a second short sip of air on top of the first, then a long release.

Breathe →
Meditation5 min

Focus: 5-minute breathing meditation, before you talk

Slow, spoken guidance for focus. A breathing session you can do before you talk.

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Meditation15 min

Meditation for overwhelm: 15-minute letting go session, in the office

A 15-minute letting go session for overwhelm, in the office. No app, no account — press start.

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Sleep12 min

A caravan by the sea (a sleep story), when you have just finished work — for jet lag

Thin walls, wind outside, and the sound of shingle about fifty metres away.

Settle in →
Focus50 min

50-minute focus session for research with a train carriage, when you need something unremarkable

50 minutes on research — with a note file open beside you. Fifty minutes, the length of a therapy hour, with ten minutes off afterwards.

Start the block →
Breathing2 min

4-2-6 breathing — 4 · 2 · 6 — for the morning after, when you want something simple

The pattern is 4 · 2 · 6, which is a short hold in the middle, a long way out.

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Breathing2 min

How to use Gentle box breathing for the middle of the night, when you are doing this for the first time

The pattern is 3 · 3 · 3 · 3, which is a smaller square, for when four counts feels long.

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Meditation10 min

10-minute grounding meditation for the inner critic, before a difficult talk

Slow, spoken guidance for the inner critic. A grounding session you can do before a difficult talk.

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Meditation3 min

3-minute gratitude meditation for deep work, on a meeting break

A 3-minute gratitude session for deep work, on a meeting break. No app, no account — press start.

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Sleep15 min

Sleep story: an attic room, when you have already had a long week — for a night when you do not want to think

Sloping ceiling, rain on the roof a foot above your head.

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Focus90 min

90-minute focus session for applications and forms with birds at dawn, after a difficult conversation

90 minutes on applications and forms — dull but finite. One full ultradian cycle, for work that needs a long runway.

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Breathing2 min

Coherent 6-6 breathing for anxious moments, if you have five quiet minutes

The pattern is 6 · 6, which is six and six, the slower end of coherent breathing.

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Breathing2 min

How to use 4-7-8 breathing for travel days, if you are doing this in the middle of the day

The pattern is 4 · 7 · 8, which is in for four, hold for seven, out for eight.

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Meditation15 min

15-minute guided self-compassion practice for physical tension — after an argument

Slow, spoken guidance for physical tension. A self-compassion session you can do after an argument.

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Meditation7 min

7-minute guided breathing practice for feeling not good enough — on your commute

A 7-minute breathing session for feeling not good enough, on your commute. No app, no account — press start.

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Sleep10 min

A lighthouse at the end of a long day, when nothing else has worked today — for waking too early

One light turning, a kettle, and weather you are on the right side of.

Settle in →
Focus45 min

Deep work timer: 45 minutes of planning (white noise), when you are somewhere noisy

One block of planning with white noise underneath. A single class period, the length most people can hold before the quality drops.

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Breathing2 min

Quick 2-1-2-1 breathing for a grey day, when you have tried everything else

The pattern is 2 · 1 · 2 · 1, which is a brisk rhythm for when you need to be awake.

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Breathing2 min

How to use 5-7 breathing for jet lag, when you need to stop thinking about work

The pattern is 5 · 7, which is five in, seven out.

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Meditation3 min

Noting for test anxiety: 3 minutes, when nothing went right

Slow, spoken guidance for test anxiety. A noting session you can do when nothing went right.

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Meditation12 min

Restless legs: 12-minute softening meditation, ahead of a full day

Nothing to learn and nothing to fix: 12 minutes of softening for restless legs, ahead of a full day.

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Sleep12 min

A bus at night (a sleep story), after a difficult conversation — for the hours after a late shift

Upper deck, front seat, a city going past that you do not have to join.

Settle in →
Focus50 min

Deep work timer: 50 minutes of writing (distant thunder), after a long day

One block of writing with distant thunder underneath. Fifty minutes, the length of a therapy hour, with ten minutes off afterwards.

Start the block →
Breathing3 min

Uneven box breathing for a cold morning, when you have just finished work

The pattern is 4 · 4 · 6 · 2, which is a square with one long side.

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Breathing2 min

2-1-4 breath (2 · 1 · 4) for heated moments, if you are doing this instead of scrolling

The pattern is 2 · 1 · 4, which is short in, short hold, long out — the smallest useful dose.

Breathe →
Meditation7 min

Body scan meditation for deadline pressure (7 min), when you are at your limit

Slow, spoken guidance for deadline pressure. A body scan session you can do when you are at your limit.

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Meditation20 min

20-minute self-compassion meditation for anticipatory anxiety, on a Saturday morning

Nothing to learn and nothing to fix: 20 minutes of self-compassion for anticipatory anxiety, on a Saturday morning.

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Guide3 min read

Using the commute as a boundary between work and home — the essentials, when you are too tired to try hard

The commute is the only transition most people get. Used deliberately, it stops the workday following you into the kitchen.

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Focus25 min

25-minute focus block for language practice — rain on a window, when you are waiting for something

A timer, a short prep list, and 25 minutes to practise out loud.

Start the block →
Breathing2 min

4-8 breathing: 12 rounds for the end of the working day, before you go back to something hard

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

Breathe →