Breathing exercise

Pick a pattern and follow the circle: it expands as you breathe in and settles as you breathe out. The phase is named on screen and marked by a soft sound, so you can close your eyes and just breathe.

4-4-4-4. Equal sides. To gather yourself before something demanding.

Ready

4-4-4-4 · 11 cycles

Session length

Space starts and pauses, Esc resets.

Stop if you feel dizzy or tingling: that means the pace is too aggressive, so shorten the phases. If you are pregnant, have low blood pressure, epilepsy, asthma or a heart condition, ask a doctor first.

What this gives you

  • Five ready patterns: box breathing, 4-7-8, coherent, triangle and a longer exhale
  • A circle that follows the rhythm, with the phase named and counted out loud on screen
  • Your own pattern: set every phase by hand, from two to twenty seconds
  • Runs entirely in the browser, keeps the screen awake, works without an account

Questions

What is box breathing?
Four equal phases: breathe in for four counts, hold for four, breathe out for four, hold for four. The equal sides give it the name. It is used where a clear head matters under pressure, and a minute of it is usually enough to settle.
Which pattern should I pick?
Box breathing to gather yourself before something demanding. 4-7-8 to fall asleep or calm anxiety, since the long exhale slows the heart. Coherent breathing for a steady baseline. If holding your breath feels hard, start with the triangle or the longer exhale, which drop the holds.
How long should I practise?
One to five minutes is plenty, and daily beats long and rare. Longer sessions are not better: what matters is the regular pause, not the record.
Is it safe?
For most people, yes. Stop if you feel dizzy or tingling: that means the pace is too aggressive, so shorten the phases. If you are pregnant, have low blood pressure, epilepsy, asthma or a heart condition, ask a doctor first. This is a timer, not treatment.