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All breathing exercises ↓

Free · guided · no signup

Free breathing exercises

By Simon Inges · Last reviewed against the sources below

Nine guided breathing exercises you can do right now in your browser, each with a timer, a calm visual pacer and music that follows your breath. Press Start on any card and the timer above switches to it. Not sure where to begin? Try the physiological sigh to calm down fast, or 4-6 breathing for an easy everyday reset.

Start breathing

Pick a breathing exercise

7-11 breathing

7 in · 11 out · 3.3 breaths/min

Slowing right down when anxious

Evidence: Indirect, via long-exhale research

How it works →

Box breathing

4 in · 4 hold · 4 out · 4 hold · 3.8 breaths/min

Steadying yourself before a big moment

Evidence: Limited

How it works →

Want something else? Tap any part of the breath on the timeline, or open Settings → Pattern to set your own inhale, holds and exhale to a tenth of a second.

Every exercise on one scale

One breath of each technique on the same time scaleHorizontal bars, one per technique, split into inhale, hold and exhale. Equal breathing is the shortest at 8 seconds; 7-11 is the longest at 18 seconds. Most give the exhale more time than the inhale. 0 s 5 s 10 s 15 s 20 s Sigh 6.7/min Coherent 5.5/min 4-6 6/min 2-to-1 5/min 7-11 3.3/min 4-7-8 3.2/min Box 3.8/min Triangle 5/min Equal 7.5/min

Inhale (and top-up)HoldExhale

One breath of each technique, drawn to the same scale. Most give the exhale more time than the inhale, and all of them are far slower than ordinary resting breathing (a breath every 3 to 5 seconds).

Which one should I choose?

If you want to…Try
Calm down right nowPhysiological sigh, then 7-11, for 1–5 min
Build a daily habitCoherent or 4-6 breathing, 10–20 min
Fall asleep more easily4-6 or 4-7-8 in the Nocturne look, 10–15 min
Steady nerves before a big momentBox or triangle breathing, 2–5 min
Start simpleEqual breathing, 3–5 min

Or choose by goal: breathing exercises for anxiety, for sleep and for focus at work.

What they have in common

Breathing rates comparedA scale from 0 to 20 breaths per minute. Most adults breathe about 12 to 20 times a minute at rest. The Breathcharge techniques sit far lower: 4-7-8 at about 3.2, box breathing 3.8, coherent breathing 5.5, the calm 4-6 pattern 6, and the physiological sigh about 6.7 breaths per minute. typical at rest 12–20 / min 4-7-8: 3.2 breaths per minute 4-7-8 3.2 Box: 3.8 breaths per minute Box 3.8 Coherent 5.5: 5.5 breaths per minute Coherent 5.5 5.5 Calm 4·6: 6.0 breaths per minute Calm 4·6 6.0 Physiological sigh: 6.7 breaths per minute Physiological sigh 6.7 05101520 breaths per minute
Where the techniques sit compared with ordinary resting breathing. All of them slow you down to well under 10 breaths a minute.

Every exercise here is slow: under 10 breaths a minute, against 12 to 20 at rest. A 2022 meta-analysis of over 200 studies found that slow breathing reliably raises heart-rate variability, a marker of the calming "rest-and-digest" side of the nervous system. Most also make the exhale longer than the inhale. Your heart slows a little on every out-breath, and in an experiment with 30 people a longer exhale felt more relaxing than slow breathing alone.

The honest caveat: across randomised trials, breathing practices lower stress by a small-to-moderate amount, and in the largest placebo-controlled trial a faster "placebo" breathing routine helped just as much as coherent breathing. Choose the one you enjoy, and do it regularly.

Want the bigger picture? Read how breathing affects your body and mind: the heart, the nervous system, blood pressure and mood, with illustrations and 20+ studies.

Tips for any breathing exercise

  • Breathe in through your nose if you can, and out through your nose or softly through your mouth.
  • Let your belly move. Keep your shoulders and jaw soft; the breath should never feel forced.
  • Follow the orb, not the numbers. Turn off the countdown in Settings if counting makes you tense.
  • Scale it down. If a pattern feels long, turn on Keep the ratio and lower one number; the rest follow.
  • Little and often. A few minutes a day matters more than one long session.

Free extras

Breathing safely

The slow patterns here are gentle, but holds and deep inhales can make you light-headed. Stop and breathe normally if you feel dizzy. Never practise breath holds in or near water, or while driving. If you are pregnant, or have a heart, lung or seizure condition or panic disorder, check with a clinician first. Breathing exercises can complement medical care but don't replace it.

Questions

Are these breathing exercises free?

Yes. Every exercise runs in your browser with no account, no ads and no paywall. On a phone you can add Breathcharge to your home screen and use it offline.

Which breathing exercise is best for beginners?

Equal breathing (4 seconds in, 4 out) or 4-6 breathing (4 in, 6 out). Both are smooth, have no breath holds and are easy to follow.

Which breathing exercise has the most scientific evidence?

Slow breathing at around six breaths a minute, such as coherent or 4-6 breathing, has the deepest research base. The physiological sigh is promising but rests on fewer studies.

How long should I do a breathing exercise?

Even one to three minutes can help you settle. For a daily practice, five to twenty minutes is typical in studies.

Can I make my own breathing pattern?

Yes. Set the inhale, hold, exhale and empty hold to any length in steps of 0.1 seconds, add a second sharp inhale, and save it as your own preset.

Sources