Breathing Exercise
Follow the expanding circle and the moving dot: breathe in as it grows, hold while it pauses, breathe out as it shrinks. Pick box, 4-7-8, coherent or your own timing, set a session length and let soft chimes or a spoken cue guide each phase.
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How to use the Breathing Exercise
- Pick a pattern: box for focus, 4-7-8 for winding down, coherent or calm 4-6 for slow steady breathing, or type your own times.
- Set the session: choose a length in minutes or cycles. The plan line shows the cycle length, breaths per minute and how many cycles you will do.
- Choose cues: chimes, bowl, ticks, a spoken voice or silent, and adjust the volume with the test chime.
- Press Start breathing: after the get-ready countdown, breathe in while the circle grows, hold while it stays still and breathe out while it shrinks.
- Pause or stop any time with the buttons or Space and Esc. When the session ends a closing chime plays and the session is saved to your history.
Breathing patterns at a glance
Every pattern is a cycle of up to four phases. The pace in breaths per minute is simply 60 divided by the cycle length in seconds, so you can compare any custom pattern with the presets below.
| Pattern | Inhale · hold · exhale · hold | Cycle | Breaths / min | Cycles in 5 min | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Box (square) | 4 · 4 · 4 · 4 | 16 s | 3.75 | 19 | Steadying attention before a talk, exam or tough task |
| 4-7-8 | 4 · 7 · 8 · 0 | 19 s | 3.16 | 16 | Winding down in bed; short sets of about 4 cycles |
| Coherent / resonance | 5.5 · 0 · 5.5 · 0 | 11 s | 5.45 | 27 | Longer calm sessions of 10-20 minutes |
| Calm 4-6 | 4 · 0 · 6 · 0 | 10 s | 6 | 30 | A gentle first exercise; the longer exhale feels relaxing |
| Triangle | 4 · 4 · 4 · 0 | 12 s | 5 | 25 | Box breathing without the empty-lung hold |
| Resting adult (for comparison) | no fixed pattern | 3-5 s | about 12-20 | - | Normal unguided breathing |
For a session set in minutes, the tool rounds to the nearest whole number of cycles so you always finish at the end of an exhale (or empty hold), never in the middle of a breath. That is why a 5-minute box session runs 19 cycles, which is 5:04.
How to breathe during each phase
- Inhale (green, circle grows): breathe in through the nose and let the belly expand first, then the lower ribs. Aim to fill the full phase evenly rather than gulping air in the first second.
- Hold (amber, circle stays large): keep the throat and shoulders soft; a hold is a pause, not a strain. If it feels tight, halve the hold time in Custom.
- Exhale (blue, circle shrinks): let the air out slowly through the nose or pursed lips. The exhale should last the whole phase; slowing it down is where most people feel the calming effect.
- Hold empty (grey): rest with empty lungs before the next inhale. Only box breathing uses this phase by default.
Building your own pattern
Start from a preset and change one number at a time. A useful progression is to lengthen the exhale first (4-6, then 4-8), because a long exhale is usually easier than a long hold. If you want a slower pace, add half a second to both inhale and exhale and watch the breaths-per-minute figure in the plan line. Keep the pattern comfortable enough that you could repeat it for several minutes without gasping; if you need a big breath at the end of a cycle, the pattern is too long.
Tips: sit upright or lie on your back, practice at the same time each day (the history panel keeps your totals), and pair a session with the Meditation Timer or soft background sound from the White Noise Generator. Breathe gently, stop if you feel dizzy, and never practice breath holds in water or while driving.
Frequently asked questions
What is box breathing?
Box breathing (also called square breathing) is a four-part pattern with equal counts: inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 4, exhale for 4 and hold with empty lungs for 4. One cycle takes 16 seconds, which is 3.75 breaths per minute. The equal sides are why the pacer draws a square for it.
How do you do 4-7-8 breathing?
Breathe in quietly through the nose for 4 seconds, hold the breath for 7 seconds, then breathe out through the mouth for 8 seconds, often with a soft whoosh. One cycle is 19 seconds, about 3.2 breaths per minute. The technique was popularized by Dr. Andrew Weil, who suggests starting with 4 cycles at a time; choose the 4 cycles session length for that.
What is coherent or resonance breathing?
Coherent breathing means breathing smoothly at roughly 5 to 6 breaths per minute with equal inhale and exhale and no holds. The preset uses 5.5 seconds in and 5.5 seconds out, an 11-second cycle or about 5.45 breaths per minute. Slow breathing in this range is widely studied in heart rate variability research; your own most comfortable rate may be slightly faster or slower, so adjust the custom times if needed.
Why are the counts in seconds and not in counts?
Counting in your head speeds up or slows down with your mood, so the pacer uses real seconds. If 4 seconds feels too long or too short, switch to Custom and use half-second steps, for example 3.5 or 5.
Can I use it without sound or with my eyes closed?
Yes. Choose Silent to follow only the animation, or keep your eyes closed with chimes (a rising tone means breathe in, a falling tone means breathe out, a single soft note means hold) or spoken cues. On phones you can also turn on vibration for each phase change.
What should I do if I feel dizzy?
Stop the exercise and return to normal breathing. Long holds and very deep breaths can cause light-headedness, especially at first. Breathe gently rather than forcefully, shorten the holds or use a pattern without holds such as calm 4-6. Do not practice breath holds while driving or in water. This tool is for relaxation and is not a medical treatment.
Is my practice data stored anywhere?
No account is needed and nothing is uploaded. Your settings and the history of completed or stopped sessions are saved only in your browser's local storage on this device, and you can clear the history at any time.
Are all the tools on FreeToolCabin tested for quality and accuracy?
Yes! Every tool on our site undergoes automated Q/A testing in real browser environments to ensure high precision, correct output, and zero errors. If you happen to spot a bug or have a suggestion, please contact us at [email protected] and our team will review it right away.