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.
Body scan for overthinking: 5 minutes, in a five-minute break
For the times in a five-minute break when overthinking takes up more room than you would like — 5 minutes, body scan.
Begin →Releasing tension you did not notice you were holding — the basics, done properly, after a difficult conversation
By mid-afternoon most people are holding their shoulders, jaw and hands without knowing. Here is a two-minute check.
Read →Sleep story: a fire dying down, after a long day — for winding down
The last hour of a fire, when it stops being a fire and becomes warmth.
Settle in →90-minute focus block for brainstorming — a stream, if you are doing this instead of scrolling
A timer, a short prep list, and 90 minutes to generate options.
Start the block →2-1-4 breathing exercise for days when everything is too much — when the day has been loud
A 2 · 1 · 4 rhythm — short in, short hold, long out — the smallest useful dose.
Breathe →Uneven box breathing for the end of the working day, if you have five quiet minutes
A 4 · 4 · 6 · 2 rhythm — a square with one long side.
Breathe →Noting meditation for insomnia (20 min), on a day off
A 20-minute noting session for insomnia, on a day off. No app, no account — press start.
Begin →Softening meditation for anger (10 min), in the air
For the times in the air when anger takes up more room than you would like — 10 minutes, softening.
Begin →Using the commute as a boundary between work and home — a short read, when you are somewhere noisy
The commute is the only transition most people get. Used deliberately, it stops the workday following you into the kitchen.
Read →A library at closing time, when you feel fine and want to stay that way — for an overtired night
The last hour, when the lights go down row by row.
Settle in →Focus session for research: 45 minutes, rain on a window, when you need something unremarkable
45 minutes of research, with rain on a window and a note on what to do when you drift.
Start the block →How to use Double-inhale sigh for a long wait, when you feel fine and want to stay that way
A 3 · 8 rhythm — two inhales stacked together, then everything out through the mouth.
Breathe →4-8 breathing for the hours after people leave, when you have tried everything else
A 4 · 8 rhythm — in for four, out for eight.
Breathe →The afternoon slump: 7-minute body scan meditation, in the morning
A 7-minute body scan session for the afternoon slump, in the morning. No app, no account — press start.
Begin →Meditation for concentration: 15-minute self-compassion session, on a train
When concentration shows up on a train, this 15-minute self-compassion session gives you somewhere to put it down.
Begin →Ten minutes outside is not a wellness cliché — the long answer, briefly, after a long day
It is the least fashionable intervention available and one of the most reliable. Here is what it actually does.
Read →A boat at anchor (a sleep story), after eating too much — for jet lag
A small harbour, a rope that creaks, and a boat that moves about a metre in the night.
Settle in →Focus session for applications and forms: 50 minutes, a train carriage, after a difficult conversation
50 minutes of applications and forms, with a train carriage and a note on what to do when you drift.
Start the block →How to use Beginner box breathing for a big decision, if you have five quiet minutes
A 2 · 2 · 2 · 2 rhythm — the easiest version of the square.
Breathe →5-2-7 breathing for a lonely evening, when you have just finished work
A 5 · 2 · 7 rhythm — five, a brief hold, then seven out.
Breathe →12-minute letting go meditation for mindfulness, on a lunch break
A 12-minute letting go session for mindfulness, on a lunch break. No app, no account — press start.
Begin →3-minute noting meditation for self-doubt, in the queue
When self-doubt shows up in the queue, this 3-minute noting session gives you somewhere to put it down.
Begin →When grief arrives out of nowhere — a gentle, practical guide, when you are waiting for something
Grief does not follow a schedule. The waves come less often over time, but they do not stop, and that is not a failure.
Read →Sleep story: a hotel room somewhere, if you are new to this — for a night when you do not want to think
A room you did not choose, in a city you do not have to know.
Settle in →Focus session for planning: 90 minutes, vinyl crackle, when you are somewhere noisy
90 minutes of planning, with vinyl crackle and a note on what to do when you drift.
Start the block →How to use Soft 4-7-8 breathing for Friday evening, when you have tried everything else
A 4 · 4 · 8 rhythm — the hold cut short, the long exhale kept.
Breathe →Coherent 4-4 breathing: 10 rounds for a hard conversation, before you go back to something hard
A 4 · 4 rhythm — four and four, if five feels like a stretch.
Breathe →20-minute guided gratitude practice for a racing mind — at the end of the workday
A 20-minute gratitude session for a racing mind, at the end of the workday. No app, no account — press start.
Begin →7-minute guided grounding practice for jaw tension — in the hour before an interview
When jaw tension shows up in the hour before an interview, this 7-minute grounding session gives you somewhere to put it down.
Begin →How to stop scrolling in bed — a calm, practical approach, when you are too tired to try hard
The phone is not the problem. The fact that it is within reach and there is nothing else to do is the problem. Here is what actually helps.
Read →Newest first. Everything here is free — no account, no streaks, nothing to install.