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.

Focus90 min

A 90-minute block for studying, with brown noise, when you are waiting for something

A single 90-minute block for studying — reading and notes, not highlighting.

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Breathing2 min

5-2-7 breathing exercise for jet lag — if you are new to this

5 · 2 · 7 breathing: five, a brief hold, then seven out.

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Meditation3 min

Meditation for tension headaches: 3-minute self-compassion session, on the way in

For the times on the way in when tension headaches takes up more room than you would like — 3 minutes, self-compassion.

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Meditation10 min

10-minute guided body scan practice for mindfulness — before bedtime

Slow, spoken guidance for mindfulness. A body scan session you can do before bedtime.

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Guide3 min read

A morning routine that survives a bad night, for people who have tried everything, when you feel restless rather than tired

Most morning routines are designed for people who slept well. Here is a version that works on four hours.

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Focus25 min

25-minute focus session for drawing with a library, when the weather has kept you inside

25 minutes on drawing — without correcting anything yet. One pomodoro, long enough to get somewhere and short enough to start.

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Breathing2 min

How to use Coherent 4-4 breathing for heated moments, when your attention is scattered

4 · 4 breathing: four and four, if five feels like a stretch.

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Meditation7 min

Noting for worry: 7 minutes, at the end of the day

For the times at the end of the day when worry takes up more room than you would like — 7 minutes, noting.

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Meditation20 min

A racing mind: 20-minute softening meditation, first thing

20 minutes to meet a racing mind with less of a fight. A softening practice, first thing.

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Guide3 min read

Why anxiety shows up in your body first — the long answer, briefly, when nothing else has worked today

Racing heart, tight chest, churning stomach. Understanding the mechanism makes the symptoms less frightening.

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Focus45 min

45-minute focus session for reading with plain quiet, when you are short on time

45 minutes on reading — pages rather than paragraphs. A single class period, the length most people can hold before the quality drops.

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Breathing2 min

How to use Box breathing for a hard week, when you have been meaning to start

4 · 4 · 4 · 4 breathing: four equal sides, like tracing a square.

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Meditation12 min

Body scan meditation for irritability (12 min), at the weekend

For the times at the weekend when irritability takes up more room than you would like — 12 minutes, body scan.

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Meditation5 min

Self-compassion meditation for heartbreak (5 min), at lunch

5 minutes to meet heartbreak with less of a fight. A self-compassion practice, at lunch.

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Guide3 min read

Tired eyes after a long day of screens — a gentle, practical guide, when you are on your own

Eye strain is mostly about distance and blinking, not about blue light glasses.

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Focus90 min

90-minute focus session for thesis writing with forest at dusk, on a day that started badly

90 minutes on thesis writing — sections, not the whole thing. One full ultradian cycle, for work that needs a long runway.

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Breathing2 min

How to use Tight box breathing for days when everything is too much, before something difficult

4 · 1 · 4 · 1 breathing: barely any hold, for people who dislike holding.

Breathe →
Meditation20 min

Meditation for study focus: 20-minute softening session, in a five-minute break

For the times in a five-minute break when study focus takes up more room than you would like — 20 minutes, softening.

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Meditation10 min

Meditation for falling asleep: 10-minute noting session, at 3pm

10 minutes to meet falling asleep with less of a fight. A noting practice, at 3pm.

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Guide3 min read

Why your weekend does not feel like rest — a calm, practical approach, if you are fitting this around other people

Rest is not the absence of work. If the weekend is full of decisions and obligations, it does not restore anything.

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Focus25 min

Deep work timer: 25 minutes of design work (birds at dawn), when you are at home and cannot settle

One block of design work with birds at dawn underneath. One pomodoro, long enough to get somewhere and short enough to start.

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Breathing2 min

3-6 breath (3 · 6) for a long wait, when the house is busy

A 3 · 6 rhythm — a gentle two-to-one ratio.

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Meditation5 min

5-minute self-compassion meditation for guilt, in the air

For the times in the air when guilt takes up more room than you would like — 5 minutes, self-compassion.

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Meditation15 min

Body scan for fatigue: 15 minutes, at the end of the workday

15 minutes to meet fatigue with less of a fight. A body scan practice, at the end of the workday.

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Guide3 min read

How to get through the first hour without your phone, in plain terms, when you have more time than usual

The first hour sets the tone for attention all day. You do not need willpower — you need the phone to be somewhere else.

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Focus50 min

Deep work timer: 50 minutes of decluttering (brown noise), after eating too much

One block of decluttering with brown noise underneath. Fifty minutes, the length of a therapy hour, with ten minutes off afterwards.

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Breathing2 min

3-5-7 breath (3 · 5 · 7) for creative work, when the weather has kept you inside

A 3 · 5 · 7 rhythm — a staircase down: three, five, seven.

Breathe →
Meditation10 min

10-minute guided breathing practice for tension headaches — on a train

When tension headaches shows up on a train, this 10-minute breathing session gives you somewhere to put it down.

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Meditation3 min

3-minute guided letting go practice for contentment — during the evening wind-down

3 minutes to meet contentment with less of a fight. A letting go practice, during the evening wind-down.

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Guide3 min read

How to study when you cannot concentrate — what actually works, when you have been putting it off

Concentration is usually a problem of task size, not willpower. Shrink the task until starting feels almost silly.

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