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 better sleep: 12-minute softening session, before sleep
Slow, spoken guidance for better sleep. A softening session you can do before sleep.
Begin →Meditation for irritability: 5-minute noting session, on a break
Nothing to learn and nothing to fix: 5 minutes of noting for irritability, on a break.
Begin →Ten minutes outside is not a wellness cliché — what to expect, when you are not sure this will work
It is the least fashionable intervention available and one of the most reliable. Here is what it actually does.
Read →45-minute focus block for studying — a fireplace, when you are too tired to try hard
A timer, a short prep list, and 45 minutes to take in the material.
Start the block →5-2-7 breathing: 12 rounds for the hours after people leave, when you want to be left alone
5 · 2 · 7 breathing: five, a brief hold, then seven out.
Breathe →Self-compassion for self-criticism: 20 minutes, on a slow Sunday
Slow, spoken guidance for self-criticism. A self-compassion session you can do on a slow Sunday.
Begin →Body scan for deep work: 10 minutes, at the airport
Nothing to learn and nothing to fix: 10 minutes of body scan for deep work, at the airport.
Begin →When grief arrives out of nowhere — the version that fits a real week, when you are not in the mood
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 →50-minute focus block for drawing — vinyl crackle, when you are not sure this will work
A timer, a short prep list, and 50 minutes to fill the page.
Start the block →Coherent 4-4 breathing: 12 rounds for a lonely evening, if you are new to this
4 · 4 breathing: four and four, if five feels like a stretch.
Breathe →7-minute guided breathing practice for physical tension — first thing
7 minutes to meet physical tension with less of a fight. A breathing practice, first thing.
Begin →Softening meditation for shame (15 min), on a train journey
Nothing to learn and nothing to fix: 15 minutes of softening for shame, on a train journey.
Begin →How to stop scrolling in bed — what actually helps, when you are at home and cannot settle
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 →Focus session for reading: 25 minutes, a fan or air conditioner, when you are not in the mood
25 minutes of reading, with a fan or air conditioner and a note on what to do when you drift.
Start the block →Box breathing exercise for heavy days — when your attention is scattered
4 · 4 · 4 · 4 breathing: four equal sides, like tracing a square.
Breathe →Test anxiety: 12-minute grounding meditation, in the mid-afternoon
12 minutes to meet test anxiety with less of a fight. A grounding practice, in the mid-afternoon.
Begin →Tension headaches: 3-minute gratitude meditation, in a waiting room
Nothing to learn and nothing to fix: 3 minutes of gratitude for tension headaches, in a waiting room.
Begin →What to do when everything is too much, without the usual advice, after eating too much
Overwhelm is not a lack of capacity. It is too many open loops and no order to them. The fix is unglamorous.
Read →Focus session for thesis writing: 45 minutes, distant thunder, when you are somewhere unfamiliar
45 minutes of thesis writing, with distant thunder and a note on what to do when you drift.
Start the block →Tight box breathing exercise for a noisy room — when you have been meaning to start
4 · 1 · 4 · 1 breathing: barely any hold, for people who dislike holding.
Breathe →20-minute letting go meditation for burnout, on the way out of work
20 minutes to meet burnout with less of a fight. A letting go practice, on the way out of work.
Begin →7-minute breathing meditation for anticipatory anxiety, on exam day
Nothing to learn and nothing to fix: 7 minutes of breathing for anticipatory anxiety, on exam day.
Begin →When the inner voice will not let something go — what to try first, if you are tired of apps
Self-criticism usually repeats because it is trying to prevent something. Arguing with it does not work. Understanding it sometimes does.
Read →Focus session for design work: 90 minutes, café murmur, when you feel restless rather than tired
90 minutes of design work, with café murmur and a note on what to do when you drift.
Start the block →3-6 breathing exercise for being unwell — before something difficult
A 3 · 6 rhythm — a gentle two-to-one ratio.
Breathe →Meditation for waking at 3am: 5-minute gratitude session, in the evening
5 minutes to meet waking at 3am with less of a fight. A gratitude practice, in the evening.
Begin →12-minute guided grounding practice for irritability — before a presentation
For the times before a presentation when irritability takes up more room than you would like — 12 minutes, grounding.
Begin →Working in a noisy place without losing your mind, in the order that helps, if you have done this a hundred times
You cannot always control the noise. You can control what your attention does with it, and what you put in your ears.
Read →25-minute decluttering session with a fireplace and a timer, when nothing else has worked today
Sit down, press start, and move things out for 25 minutes. One pomodoro, long enough to get somewhere and short enough to start.
Start the block →How to use 3-5-7 breathing for a ten-minute window, when the house is busy
A 3 · 5 · 7 rhythm — a staircase down: three, five, seven.
Breathe →Newest first. Everything here is free — no account, no streaks, nothing to install.