Habit · Without pressure
Started and stopped again? How to stick with meditation
Most people who stop meditating don't run out of time, they run out of motivation: in a 2023 GfK survey in Germany, 53 percent gave that reason and only 7 percent named lack of time. Sticking with it is easier with very short sessions, a fixed place in your day and no penalty for missed days. It helps to see that something is growing. And after a break, you simply start again without making anything up.
By the SoulGarden team ·
Why so many people stop
It often starts with a big resolution: twenty minutes every day. Then comes a busy day, a cold, a holiday, and the resolution is broken. Many apps make it harder still by showing the lost streak in big letters.
If you already demand a lot of yourself, meditation quickly becomes one more duty you can fail at. According to the German TK stress report 2025, high expectations of oneself are the most common cause of stress, named by 61 percent. A practice that turns into the next performance task doesn't help much there.
What helps you stick with it
- Make the session so small that it works on bad days too. One minute counts.
- Attach meditation to something you do every day anyway, like your first coffee or the commute home. Then you don't have to overcome yourself every time.
- Count what you did, not what you missed. Five meditations in a week are five, not “two missed”.
- Plan for breaks. Afterwards, you simply start again without making anything up.
- Practise with others sometimes. A fixed group time carries you when your own motivation is low.
What a garden has to do with it
In a four-week field study at Saarland University with 30 participants, the same people meditated almost twice as often with the garden as without it: 10.9 vs 6.3 meditations and 184 vs 74 minutes. They enjoyed it more and showed more mindfulness. The study “SoulGarden: A Gamified Meditation Application” was published at ACM CHI PLAY 2025 (DOI 10.1145/3748597).
The garden is a mirror, not a reward you have to earn. It shows what usually stays invisible: that every minute counts.
Practice · 2 minutes
Starting again in two minutes
This practice is for the day you start again after a break, and for days when there's really no time.
- Pick a moment that happens every day, for example right after your first coffee.
- Set a timer for two minutes and sit down wherever you are.
- Feel your feet on the floor and the weight of your body.
- Follow a few breaths or stay with your feet. When your mind wanders, come back.
- At the end, briefly notice that you did it. That counts, no matter how long the break before was.
If it doesn't work today, that's fine. You can start again at any time, nothing is lost.
In the app
Sticking with it in SoulGarden
In SoulGarden, a barren desert grows into a living garden with every meditation. Every minute brings soul energy, and journal entries and self-practice count as light points too. With enough energy, you choose which of the five elements returns to your garden next.
And your garden never dies. A missed day costs at most one step of your multiplier, once a month the streak protection covers you completely, and when you come back after a break, Souly welcomes you. There are no leaderboards and no “streak lost”. In group meditation you sit in a circle with others at the same time, without a camera.
- Your garden never dies
- Streak protection once a month
- Group meditation
- Study · CHI PLAY 2025
Plant your first seed.
SoulGarden is free and ad-free, no sign-up needed. On iPhone, Android and in your browser, in English and German. Everything works offline, too.
Frequently asked questions
Why do I keep giving up on meditation?
Usually it's not time that's missing but motivation. In a 2023 GfK survey in Germany, 53 percent named lack of motivation as their reason, 24 percent felt no change and only 7 percent named lack of time. Overly big resolutions and penalties for missed days make it even harder.
Do I have to meditate every day?
No. Regularity helps, but no day is mandatory. Two minutes three times a week that you enjoy are better than a daily resolution that puts you under pressure.
Does gamification help with meditation?
In our study it did: with the growing garden, the same people meditated almost twice as often in four weeks as without it (10.9 vs 6.3 sessions). What matters is that the game doesn't put you under pressure. That's why SoulGarden has no leaderboards and no streak shaming.
What happens in SoulGarden if I miss a day?
Nothing bad. Your garden never dies. A missed day costs at most one step of your multiplier, once a month the streak protection covers you completely, and when you come back, Souly welcomes you.
Clear your mindWhy your mind doesn't have to go blank when you meditate.
Meditation for sleepSlowing down in the evening without trying to force sleep.
Learn to meditateYour first meditation, even if sitting still is hard.
Unwind after workA five-minute transition into your evening.
Sources: GfK survey 2023 commissioned by BYV (n = 2,004), TK stress report 2025 (n = 1,407), Braese et al., “SoulGarden: A Gamified Meditation Application”, ACM CHI PLAY 2025, DOI 10.1145/3748597.