6 Podcasts That Will Read You a Bedtime Story

Nov. 30, 2024 | Emma Dibdin, NYT

If you’re seeking a respite for your brain at the end of the day, these shows deliver tales that are diverting but uneventful enough to help you doze off.

The creator and host of “Nothing Much Happens,” Kathryn Nicolai, is a yoga and meditation teacher, but perhaps more important, she’s a self-described “architect of cozy.” That remit is at the core of this calming podcast, in which Nicolai reads a wholesome and uneventful bedtime story that’s just detailed enough to keep your mind tethered in one place. Each episode begins with a brief meditative breathing exercise to kick off the wind-down process, followed by Nicolai reading the same story twice, going a little slower the second time for maximum hypnotic effect. The storytelling and scene building is heavily influenced by the seasons — summer episodes might take you paddling at a lake, while currently it’s all about pie-making and frosty mornings.

Starter episode: “Pies and Pinecones”