Breathing Timer – Guided Box, 4-7-8 and Coherent Breathing
This free breathing timer guides every breath for you: a calm visual grows as you breathe in and shrinks as you breathe out, a soft singing bowl marks each change and an optional voice guide talks you through the first breaths. Choose a proven technique such as box breathing, 4-7-8, coherent breathing or the physiological sigh, or set your own rhythm and session length.
How it works
- Choose a goal. Pick a technique for focus, sleep, balance or quick relief, or enter your own inhale, hold and exhale times.
- Follow the rhythm. Press start and match your breath to the visual. Close your eyes if you like: the chimes, the guide tone and the voice tell you when to change.
- Notice the change. When the session ends, rate how you feel. Your progress shows your streak, your minutes and the average lift in your mood.
Breathing techniques explained
| Technique | Rhythm (s) | How it works | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box breathing | 4-4-4-4 | Four equal steps: in, hold, out, hold empty. | Focus and calm under pressure |
| 4-7-8 breathing | 4-7-8 | A short inhale, a long hold and a long, slow exhale. | Falling asleep |
| Coherent breathing | 5.5-5.5 | Slow, even breathing at about six breaths per minute. | Balance and steady heart rhythm |
| Physiological sigh | 2+1-6 | A full inhale plus a short top-up sip, then a long exhale. | Quick stress relief |
| Extended exhale | 4-8 | The exhale lasts twice as long as the inhale. | Winding down |
| Equal breathing | 4-4 | Inhale and exhale of the same length (sama vritti). | Simple everyday calm |
With the exhale grows to option, the out-breath gets a little longer with every breath, which gently slows your breathing down over the session. Techniques with long holds are marked with a warning sign.
Why use this breathing timer
- Four calm visuals: orb, box, flower and wave, eased to feel like a real breath.
- Eyes-free guidance: singing-bowl chimes, a rising and falling guide tone and a voice guide.
- Ambient sounds generated in your browser: rain, ocean, stream or brown noise.
- Night mode with a near-black screen and dim red light that fades out at the end.
- Mood check and progress: day streak, minutes this week and average mood lift.
- Private and shareable: everything stays in your browser, and a link shares your rhythm.
Breathe safely
- Practise sitting or lying down, never while driving, swimming or in the bath.
- Breathe gently: long holds and fast breathing can cause light-headedness or tingling.
- Stop and breathe normally if you feel dizzy or uncomfortable.
- If you are pregnant or have a heart, lung or blood-pressure condition, talk to your doctor before practising breath holds.
- This tool supports relaxation and is not a medical treatment.