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.

Sleep20 min

A library at closing time, if you are doing this in the middle of the day — for a racing mind

The last hour, when the lights go down row by row.

Settle in →
Focus50 min

Focus session for coding: 50 minutes, distant traffic, when you have already had a long week

50 minutes of coding, with distant traffic and a note on what to do when you drift.

Start the block →
Breathing3 min

How to use Slow box breathing for deep focus, when you have more time than usual

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

Breathe →
Meditation10 min

Self-compassion for grief: 10 minutes, on your commute

For the times on your commute when grief takes up more room than you would like — 10 minutes, self-compassion.

Begin →
Meditation20 min

Social anxiety: 20-minute body scan meditation, before sleep

Slow, spoken guidance for social anxiety. A body scan session you can do before sleep.

Begin →
Guide3 min read

The five minutes after a difficult meeting — the version for a bad week, when you want to finish something

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

Read →
Sleep10 min

A boat at anchor (a sleep story), when you have already had a long week — for a restless night

A small harbour, a rope that creaks, and a boat that moves about a metre in the night.

Settle in →
Focus25 min

25-minute practising an instrument session with a fan or air conditioner and a timer, on a low-energy afternoon

Sit down, press start, and drill the hard bars for 25 minutes. One pomodoro, long enough to get somewhere and short enough to start.

Start the block →
Breathing2 min

How to use 4-6 breathing for a hard week, when you have been putting it off

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

Breathe →
Meditation15 min

Noting meditation for overwhelm (15 min), ahead of a full day

For the times ahead of a full day when overwhelm takes up more room than you would like — 15 minutes, noting.

Begin →
Meditation5 min

Softening meditation for work stress (5 min), on a slow Sunday

Slow, spoken guidance for work stress. A softening session you can do on a slow Sunday.

Begin →
Guide3 min read

What to do when you wake at 3am — explained without jargon, when you are doing this for the first time

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

Read →
Sleep12 min

Sleep story: a hotel room somewhere, before something difficult — for winding down

A room you did not choose, in a city you do not have to know.

Settle in →
Focus45 min

45-minute exam revision session with a washing machine and a timer, when you cannot concentrate on anything else

Sit down, press start, and test yourself for 45 minutes. A single class period, the length most people can hold before the quality drops.

Start the block →
Breathing2 min

How to use 4-2-6 breathing for days when everything is too much, if you are sceptical about all of this

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

Breathe →
Meditation3 min

Waking up: 3-minute body scan meditation, at the end of the day

For the times at the end of the day when waking up takes up more room than you would like — 3 minutes, body scan.

Begin →
Meditation12 min

Meditation for restlessness at night: 12-minute self-compassion session, first thing

12 minutes to meet restlessness at night with less of a fight. A self-compassion practice, first thing.

Begin →
Guide3 min read

Preparing for a conversation you are dreading — what actually works, if you are doing this in the middle of the day

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

Read →
Sleep20 min

A garden in the rain, when you feel fine and want to stay that way — for an overtired night

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

Settle in →
Focus90 min

90-minute data work session with café murmur and a timer, when you have been on screens all day

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

Start the block →
Breathing2 min

Coherent 6-6 breath (6 · 6) for a long wait, when you are cold and want to be warm

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

Breathe →
Meditation7 min

7-minute softening meditation for feeling not good enough, at the weekend

For the times at the weekend when feeling not good enough takes up more room than you would like — 7 minutes, softening.

Begin →
Meditation20 min

Noting for the afternoon slump: 20 minutes, at lunch

20 minutes to meet the afternoon slump with less of a fight. A noting practice, at lunch.

Begin →
Guide3 min read

When to drink coffee so it does not ruin your sleep — a short, honest guide, when you need to stop thinking about work

Caffeine has a long tail. The cup at 3pm is still in your system at 9pm, whether you feel it or not.

Read →
Sleep10 min

A kitchen late at night (a sleep story), when you are cold and want to be warm — for jet lag

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

Settle in →
Focus25 min

A 25-minute block for editing, with a library, when you have woken up too early

A single 25-minute block for editing — the boring pass that makes it readable.

Start the block →
Breathing2 min

Quick 2-1-2-1 breath (2 · 1 · 2 · 1) for creative work, when you only have a few minutes

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

Breathe →
Meditation12 min

12-minute guided gratitude practice for restless legs — in a five-minute break

For the times in a five-minute break when restless legs takes up more room than you would like — 12 minutes, gratitude.

Begin →
Meditation5 min

5-minute guided grounding practice for being present — at 3pm

5 minutes to meet being present with less of a fight. A grounding practice, at 3pm.

Begin →
Guide3 min read

Using your body to come down after something stressful — a straightforward guide, if you are doing this instead of scrolling

After a stress response, the body is left with fuel it did not use. Some of the recovery is physical, not mental.

Read →