..

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.

Zenta began as something personal. But it became something better because of others. I’m deeply thankful to everyone who gave feedback, tested it, shared kind words, and sent pull requests to help improve it. Your support means a lot. You helped shape this into something more useful, more human.

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