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

A 50-minute block for reading, with distant traffic, when you are not in the mood

A single 50-minute block for reading — pages rather than paragraphs.

Start the block →
Breathing2 min

How to use Physiological sigh for the commute, before something difficult

Rounds of 2 · 6, with the counting done for you.

Breathe →
Breathing2 min

4-6 breathing for a study session, when the weather has kept you inside

Rounds of 4 · 6, with the counting done for you.

Breathe →
Meditation15 min

Self-compassion meditation for tight shoulders and neck (15 min), when nothing went right

Slow, spoken guidance for tight shoulders and neck. A self-compassion session you can do when nothing went right.

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Meditation7 min

Breathing meditation for gratitude (7 min), in the late afternoon

A 7-minute breathing session for gratitude, in the late afternoon. No app, no account — press start.

Begin →
Guide3 min read

What to do when you wake at 3am — what actually helps, if you are tired of apps

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

Read →
Sleep15 min

A caravan by the sea — a slow story for the end of the day, when your attention is scattered — for a racing mind

Thin walls, wind outside, and the sound of shingle about fifty metres away.

Settle in →
Focus25 min

25-minute focus session for thesis writing with a fan or air conditioner, when you are at home and cannot settle

25 minutes on thesis writing — sections, not the whole thing. One pomodoro, long enough to get somewhere and short enough to start.

Start the block →
Breathing2 min

How to use Gentle box breathing for Sunday evening, when the house is busy

Rounds of 3 · 3 · 3 · 3, with the counting done for you.

Breathe →
Breathing2 min

4-2-6 breathing for a night shift, when you are short on time

Rounds of 4 · 2 · 6, with the counting done for you.

Breathe →
Meditation3 min

Public speaking fear: 3-minute noting meditation, as sleep prep

Slow, spoken guidance for public speaking fear. A noting session you can do as sleep prep.

Begin →
Meditation12 min

Meditation for tired eyes: 12-minute softening session, on a Saturday morning

A 12-minute softening session for tired eyes, on a Saturday morning. No app, no account — press start.

Begin →
Guide3 min read

Preparing for a conversation you are dreading, without the usual advice, if you have done this a hundred times

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

Read →
Sleep10 min

An attic room, if you are doing this instead of scrolling — for a restless night

Sloping ceiling, rain on the roof a foot above your head.

Settle in →
Focus45 min

45-minute focus session for design work with a washing machine, after eating too much

45 minutes on design work — rough versions first. A single class period, the length most people can hold before the quality drops.

Start the block →
Breathing3 min

How to use 4-7-8 breathing for a stolen moment of caregiving, when the weather has kept you inside

Simple counts — 4 · 7 · 8 — and a circle that keeps time.

Breathe →
Breathing2 min

Coherent 6-6 breathing: 10 rounds for a break at work, on a day that started badly

Simple counts — 6 · 6 — and a circle that keeps time.

Breathe →
Meditation7 min

7-minute body scan meditation for financial stress, on a rest day

Slow, spoken guidance for financial stress. A body scan session you can do on a rest day.

Begin →
Meditation20 min

Self-compassion for grief: 20 minutes, on a plane

A 20-minute self-compassion session for grief, on a plane. No app, no account — press start.

Begin →
Guide3 min read

When to drink coffee so it does not ruin your sleep — what to try first, when you have already had a long week

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

Read →
Sleep12 min

A lighthouse at the end of a long day (a sleep story), when you have been putting it off — for winding down

One light turning, a kettle, and weather you are on the right side of.

Settle in →
Focus90 min

90-minute focus session for decluttering with café murmur, if you are tired of apps

90 minutes on decluttering — one surface at a time. One full ultradian cycle, for work that needs a long runway.

Start the block →
Breathing2 min

5-7 breath (5 · 7) for the middle of the night, when you are short on time

Simple counts — 5 · 7 — and a circle that keeps time.

Breathe →
Breathing2 min

Quick 2-1-2-1 breathing: 10 rounds for Sunday evening, when you are at home and cannot settle

Simple counts — 2 · 1 · 2 · 1 — and a circle that keeps time.

Breathe →
Meditation15 min

15-minute guided softening practice for focus — early on

Slow, spoken guidance for focus. A softening session you can do early on.

Begin →
Meditation5 min

5-minute guided noting practice for overwhelm — on the road

Nothing to learn and nothing to fix: 5 minutes of noting for overwhelm, on the road.

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Guide3 min read

Using your body to come down after something stressful, in the order that helps, on a low-energy afternoon

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

Read →
Sleep15 min

A bus at night — a slow story for the end of the day, when you are too tired to try hard — for an overtired night

Upper deck, front seat, a city going past that you do not have to join.

Settle in →
Focus25 min

Deep work timer: 25 minutes of admin and email (a library), if you have done this a hundred times

One block of admin and email with a library underneath. One pomodoro, long enough to get somewhere and short enough to start.

Start the block →
Breathing2 min

2-1-4 breath (2 · 1 · 4) for travel days, on a day that started badly

Simple counts — 2 · 1 · 4 — and a circle that keeps time.

Breathe →