The Story Of Zenta

My mind changed a lot after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Before, I used to chase external rewards, things outside of my control. But after the pandemic, I began asking myself what truly matters. I spent more time reading philosophy and reflecting on life with questions like:

Who am I? What am I doing? Why am I doing it?

And one day in 2021, I found a beautiful message from Naval:

“A calm mind, a fit body, a house full of love. These things cannot be bought - they must be earned.”

That message stayed with me. It reminded me to take care of my health, my mind, and my relationships. I believed that would bring me more peace and happiness than any reward outside.

When I searched “how to have a calm mind”, I found many tips and advice but they felt too surface-level. I was looking for something deeper. So I began reading about Buddhism, Stoicism, Taoism, and Zen. Over time, I realized a few simple truths:

• Reality is only ever here and now. Freedom is found in presence.
• Accept what is, everything in the universe always happens as the way it is, everything comes and goes as it is.
• The best treasure is a sparing tongue - Hesiod
• A good life is simple, clear, and unburden.
• Freedom begins where ego ends.

These ideas may sound spiritual or philosophical, but they helped me a lot. I began to see life more clearly. My mind felt lighter.

But something was still missing. Even though my thinking had changed, my body didn’t feel aligned with it. I felt like I was trapped in my own thoughts. That’s when I saw the problem: I was only reading and thinking. I wasn’t practicing anything in real life. So I started meditating. At first, it was difficult. My mind wandered. I gave up often. But I kept trying. After a few months, I could sit for an hour a day. During meditation, my mind and body felt peaceful. I loved that feeling. I then asked myself:

How can I bring this feeling into my working time?

The answer was simple: my breath.

Now, whenever I feel stuck, tired, or caught in thoughts, I pause for a moment, return to my breath, and then continue working. It’s a simple technique, but it helps a lot. I don’t get angry easily. I don’t feel as tired. I work better. I feel better. I shared this practice with some coworkers, but I noticed something: For many people, it’s hard to “just breathe.” They forget. It’s not easy to return to presence while working. So I decided to build a small tool — something gentle and easy to use during the workday.

And That’s why I created Zenta.

Zenta is a simple terminal tool for developers. It’s for people like me, who feel at home in the terminal. When you feel distracted or stuck, just type: breathe. Zenta helps you observe your breath — right there, in your terminal. It’s small, quiet, and simple. But it works, because it brings you back to what matters: the present moment.

Zenta is a great way to start learning how to observe your breath. But once you’ve practiced enough, you might not need it anymore. Anytime you feel lost in thought or disconnected — just pause and return to your breath. With a few breaths, you are back. In the end, what I want to share is this: Mindfulness doesn’t come from tools. It comes from you.

And it’s always available — right here, right now.

Thanks for reading.

Let’s take a breath.

Written by me, revised by GPT-4.1-mini