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.
Gratitude for appreciation: 20 minutes, before sleep
For the times before sleep when appreciation takes up more room than you would like — 20 minutes, gratitude.
Begin →Body scan for the inner critic: 10 minutes, on a break
Slow, spoken guidance for the inner critic. A body scan session you can do on a break.
Begin →Calm Your Mind's Whisper
Use this meditation when you're feeling overwhelmed
Begin →The five minutes after a difficult meeting — the short version, when you are somewhere noisy
Back-to-back meetings leave no room to come down. Five deliberate minutes changes the next hour.
Read →Sleep story: a bus at night, when you have woken up too early — for an overtired night
Upper deck, front seat, a city going past that you do not have to join.
Settle in →50-minute focus session for brainstorming with café murmur, when you have tried everything else
50 minutes on brainstorming — quantity before quality. Fifty minutes, the length of a therapy hour, with ten minutes off afterwards.
Start the block →How to use Physiological sigh for a study session, when you have woken up too early
The pattern is 2 · 6, which is a second short sip of air on top of the first, then a long release.
Breathe →7-minute guided breathing practice for panic — early on
For the times early on when panic takes up more room than you would like — 7 minutes, breathing.
Begin →Letting go meditation for physical tension (15 min), at the airport
Slow, spoken guidance for physical tension. A letting go session you can do at the airport.
Begin →What to do when you wake at 3am, in the order that helps, after a long day
Waking in the middle of the night is normal. What turns it into an hour of lying awake is the reaction to it.
Read →A field under snow — a slow story for the end of the day, on a day that started badly — for jet lag
Everything muffled, everything white, and no tracks but yours.
Settle in →90-minute focus session for research with a library, when you have just finished work
90 minutes on research — with a note file open beside you. One full ultradian cycle, for work that needs a long runway.
Start the block →How to use Gentle box breathing for a long illness, when the day has been loud
The pattern is 3 · 3 · 3 · 3, which is a smaller square, for when four counts feels long.
Breathe →Loneliness: 12-minute grounding meditation, at midday
For the times at midday when loneliness takes up more room than you would like — 12 minutes, grounding.
Begin →Test anxiety: 3-minute gratitude meditation, before an appointment
3 minutes to meet test anxiety with less of a fight. A gratitude practice, before an appointment.
Begin →Preparing for a conversation you are dreading — an honest guide, when you are waiting for something
Most dread is about the first thirty seconds, not the conversation. Prepare for those and the rest gets easier.
Read →A fire dying down, before you go back to something hard — for a night when you do not want to think
The last hour of a fire, when it stops being a fire and becomes warmth.
Settle in →Deep work timer: 25 minutes of applications and forms (distant traffic), before you go back to something hard
One block of applications and forms with distant traffic underneath. One pomodoro, long enough to get somewhere and short enough to start.
Start the block →4-7-8 breath (4 · 7 · 8) for bedtime, when you feel fine and want to stay that way
The pattern is 4 · 7 · 8, which is in for four, hold for seven, out for eight.
Breathe →20-minute letting go meditation for sleep, in the mid-afternoon
For the times in the mid-afternoon when sleep takes up more room than you would like — 20 minutes, letting go.
Begin →7-minute breathing meditation for deadline pressure, before an interview
7 minutes to meet deadline pressure with less of a fight. A breathing practice, before an interview.
Begin →When to drink coffee so it does not ruin your sleep, step by step, when you are too tired to try hard
Caffeine has a long tail. The cup at 3pm is still in your system at 9pm, whether you feel it or not.
Read →Sleep story: a library at closing time, when you are doing this for the first time — for waking too early
The last hour, when the lights go down row by row.
Settle in →Deep work timer: 50 minutes of planning (forest at dusk), when you want to be left alone
One block of planning with forest at dusk underneath. Fifty minutes, the length of a therapy hour, with ten minutes off afterwards.
Start the block →5-7 breath (5 · 7) for a hospital waiting room, if you have five quiet minutes
The pattern is 5 · 7, which is five in, seven out.
Breathe →Meditation for morning energy: 5-minute gratitude session, on the way out of work
For the times on the way out of work when morning energy takes up more room than you would like — 5 minutes, gratitude.
Begin →12-minute guided grounding practice for better sleep — on exam day
12 minutes to meet better sleep with less of a fight. A grounding practice, on exam day.
Begin →Using your body to come down after something stressful — what works and what does not, when you are not sure this will work
After a stress response, the body is left with fuel it did not use. Some of the recovery is physical, not mental.
Read →A boat at anchor — a slow story for the end of the day, when you are on your own — for the hours after a late shift
A small harbour, a rope that creaks, and a boat that moves about a metre in the night.
Settle in →Deep work timer: 90 minutes of writing (birds at dawn), if you are new to this
One block of writing with birds at dawn underneath. One full ultradian cycle, for work that needs a long runway.
Start the block →Newest first. Everything here is free — no account, no streaks, nothing to install.