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.

Focus50 min

Focus session for brainstorming: 50 minutes, distant thunder, when you need to stop thinking about work

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

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Breathing2 min

4-6 breathing for the early months, when you feel fine and want to stay that way

The pattern is 4 · 6, which is in for four, out for six.

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Meditation7 min

Noting meditation for shame (7 min), on the way out of work

Nothing to learn and nothing to fix: 7 minutes of noting for shame, on the way out of work.

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Meditation15 min

15-minute softening meditation for the afternoon slump, on exam day

Slow, spoken guidance for the afternoon slump. A softening session you can do on exam day.

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Sleep15 min

A hotel room somewhere (a sleep story), when the day has been loud — for jet lag

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

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Focus25 min

25-minute research session with café murmur and a timer, if you are doing this instead of scrolling

Sit down, press start, and follow one thread for 25 minutes. One pomodoro, long enough to get somewhere and short enough to start.

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Breathing2 min

4-2-6 breathing: 5 rounds for the commute, if you have five quiet minutes

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

Breathe →
Meditation12 min

Meditation for restless legs: 12-minute grounding session, during the evening wind-down

Nothing to learn and nothing to fix: 12 minutes of grounding for restless legs, during the evening wind-down.

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Meditation3 min

Meditation for mindfulness: 3-minute gratitude session, before a presentation

Slow, spoken guidance for mindfulness. A gratitude session you can do before a presentation.

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Sleep20 min

Sleep story: a garden in the rain, when you are at home and cannot settle — for a night when you do not want to think

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

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Focus45 min

45-minute applications and forms session with a fireplace and a timer, when you need something unremarkable

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

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Breathing2 min

Coherent 6-6 breathing: 5 rounds for coming down after exercise, when you have tried everything else

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

Breathe →
Meditation20 min

Letting go for anticipatory anxiety: 20 minutes, at night

Nothing to learn and nothing to fix: 20 minutes of letting go for anticipatory anxiety, at night.

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Meditation7 min

Breathing for health anxiety: 7 minutes, after an argument

Slow, spoken guidance for health anxiety. A breathing session you can do after an argument.

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Sleep12 min

A kitchen late at night, when you are not sure this will work — for waking too early

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

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Focus50 min

50-minute planning session with distant traffic and a timer, after a difficult conversation

Sit down, press start, and decide what happens when for 50 minutes. Fifty minutes, the length of a therapy hour, with ten minutes off afterwards.

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Breathing2 min

Quick 2-1-2-1 breathing: 5 rounds for a long illness, when you have just finished work

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

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Meditation5 min

5-minute guided gratitude practice for irritability — in the middle of the night

Nothing to learn and nothing to fix: 5 minutes of gratitude for irritability, in the middle of the night.

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Meditation12 min

Grounding meditation for stress (12 min), when the news hits hard

Slow, spoken guidance for stress. A grounding session you can do when the news hits hard.

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Sleep15 min

A lake before dawn (a sleep story), if you are doing this in the middle of the day — for the hours after a late shift

Flat water, no wind, and light that has not arrived yet.

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Focus25 min

A 25-minute block for writing, with forest at dusk, when you are somewhere noisy

A single 25-minute block for writing — the first draft, not the good version.

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Breathing2 min

Uneven box breathing exercise for the middle of the night — before you go back to something hard

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

Breathe →
Meditation10 min

Deep work: 10-minute breathing meditation, beside your desk

For the times beside your desk when deep work takes up more room than you would like — 10 minutes, breathing.

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Meditation20 min

Meditation for insomnia: 20-minute letting go session, after a horrible day

Slow, spoken guidance for insomnia. A letting go session you can do after a horrible day.

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Guide3 min read

Do you actually need eight glasses of water — the two-minute version, when you are not in the mood

Eight glasses is a number with no particular evidence behind it. Thirst and urine colour are better guides.

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Focus45 min

A 45-minute block for language practice, with a washing machine, after a long day

A single 45-minute block for language practice — repetition rather than novelty.

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Breathing2 min

4-8 breathing exercise for travel days — when you want to be left alone

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

Breathe →
Meditation15 min

15-minute grounding meditation for shame, between meetings

For the times between meetings when shame takes up more room than you would like — 15 minutes, grounding.

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Meditation5 min

5-minute gratitude meditation for fatigue, when you are overwhelmed

Slow, spoken guidance for fatigue. A gratitude session you can do when you are overwhelmed.

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Guide3 min read

Breathing exercises that help during panic — a realistic guide, when you are somewhere unfamiliar

Deep breathing is the wrong advice during panic. What helps is a longer exhale and something concrete to count.

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