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.
Sleep story: a kitchen late at night, when your attention is scattered — for a restless night
One small light on, a cooling cup of tea, and the rest of the house dark.
Settle in →25-minute focus session for language practice with birds at dawn, when you have been meaning to start
25 minutes on language practice — repetition rather than novelty. One pomodoro, long enough to get somewhere and short enough to start.
Start the block →Gentle box breathing — 3 · 3 · 3 · 3 — for a noisy room, when you have tried everything else
A a smaller square, for when four counts feels long pattern, counted for you on screen.
Breathe →10-minute noting meditation for sadness, as sleep prep
A 10-minute noting session for sadness, as sleep prep. No app, no account — press start.
Begin →3-minute softening meditation for test anxiety, during a break
When test anxiety shows up during a break, this 3-minute softening session gives you somewhere to put it down.
Begin →Waking up anxious for no obvious reason, without the usual advice, when you feel restless rather than tired
Morning anxiety is common and usually chemical rather than psychological. Cortisol rises steeply in the first hour after waking.
Read →A lake before dawn — a slow story for the end of the day, when you have woken up too early — for winding down
Flat water, no wind, and light that has not arrived yet.
Settle in →50-minute focus session for studying with white noise, before something difficult
50 minutes on studying — reading and notes, not highlighting. Fifty minutes, the length of a therapy hour, with ten minutes off afterwards.
Start the block →4-7-8 breathing — 4 · 7 · 8 — for being unwell, when you have just finished work
A in for four, hold for seven, out for eight pattern, counted for you on screen.
Breathe →15-minute guided body scan practice for sleep — on a rest day
A 15-minute body scan session for sleep, on a rest day. No app, no account — press start.
Begin →7-minute guided self-compassion practice for burnout — on a plane
When burnout shows up on a plane, this 7-minute self-compassion session gives you somewhere to put it down.
Begin →When to be careful with breathing exercises — what to try first, when nothing else has worked today
Breathing exercises are generally very safe, but there are situations where the standard advice needs adjusting.
Read →The house after everyone is asleep (a sleep story), when you have been putting it off — for an overtired night
The hour when the house belongs to nobody and nothing needs doing.
Settle in →90-minute focus session for drawing with a stream, when the house is busy
90 minutes on drawing — without correcting anything yet. One full ultradian cycle, for work that needs a long runway.
Start the block →5-7 breathing for a ten-minute window, when you are too tired to try hard
A five in, seven out pattern, counted for you on screen.
Breathe →Softening for morning energy: 5 minutes, early on
Nothing to learn and nothing to fix: 5 minutes of softening for morning energy, early on.
Begin →Waking at 3am: 12-minute noting meditation, on the road
When waking at 3am shows up on the road, this 12-minute noting session gives you somewhere to put it down.
Begin →Releasing tension you did not notice you were holding — an honest guide, when you are on your own
By mid-afternoon most people are holding their shoulders, jaw and hands without knowing. Here is a two-minute check.
Read →Sleep story: the night train, when you are too tired to try hard — for jet lag
Somewhere between two cities, in the dark, where nobody needs anything from you.
Settle in →Deep work timer: 45 minutes of reading (rain on a window), when the weather has kept you inside
One block of reading with rain on a window underneath. A single class period, the length most people can hold before the quality drops.
Start the block →2-1-4 breathing for the early months, when you are not sure this will work
A short in, short hold, long out — the smallest useful dose pattern, counted for you on screen.
Breathe →Self-compassion meditation for gratitude (10 min), at midday
Nothing to learn and nothing to fix: 10 minutes of self-compassion for gratitude, at midday.
Begin →20-minute body scan meditation for self-criticism, before an appointment
When self-criticism shows up before an appointment, this 20-minute body scan session gives you somewhere to put it down.
Begin →Using the commute as a boundary between work and home, step by step, if you are fitting this around other people
The commute is the only transition most people get. Used deliberately, it stops the workday following you into the kitchen.
Read →A caravan by the sea — a slow story for the end of the day, when you are doing this for the first time — for winding down
Thin walls, wind outside, and the sound of shingle about fifty metres away.
Settle in →Deep work timer: 50 minutes of thesis writing (a train carriage), when you are short on time
One block of thesis writing with a train carriage underneath. Fifty minutes, the length of a therapy hour, with ten minutes off afterwards.
Start the block →Double-inhale sigh: 8 rounds for the commute, when you are not in the mood
A two inhales stacked together, then everything out through the mouth pattern, counted for you on screen.
Breathe →Meditation for anxiety: 15-minute breathing session, after work
Nothing to learn and nothing to fix: 15 minutes of breathing for anxiety, after work.
Begin →Meditation for a mindful pause: 5-minute letting go session, before an interview
When a mindful pause shows up before an interview, this 5-minute letting go session gives you somewhere to put it down.
Begin →Ten minutes outside is not a wellness cliché — what works and what does not, when you have more time than usual
It is the least fashionable intervention available and one of the most reliable. Here is what it actually does.
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