In short
Box breathing uses four equal phases: breathe in for four seconds, hold four, breathe out four, hold four. This page shows the current phase and counts it down while the session runs. Three to five minutes is enough to notice an effect.
- Pattern
- 4-4-4-4 seconds
- Default session
- 5 minutes
- For winding down
- 4-0-6-0 — a longer exhale than inhale
- For sleep
- 4-7-8
- Coherent breathing
- 5-0-5-0, about six breaths a minute
Box breathing, four by four
Equal counts on all four phases — in for four seconds, hold for four, out for four, hold for four. It is used by musicians before performances, by clinicians teaching anxiety management, and it is the pattern most people find easiest to hold without counting themselves.
Breathe through the nose, into the belly rather than the upper chest, and keep the effort low. If four seconds feels like a strain, do three. Nothing about this should feel like breath-holding practice.
Other patterns worth knowing
| Pattern | Counts | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| Box breathing | 4-4-4-4 | Steadying before a task, or before a sit |
| Extended exhale | 4-0-6-0 | Winding down; the long out-breath is the active part |
| 4-7-8 | 4-7-8-0 | Falling asleep |
| Coherent breathing | 5-0-5-0 | Around six breaths a minute, sustained |
Why a slow out-breath settles you
Breathing out slowly increases activity in the parasympathetic branch of the nervous system — the 'rest and digest' side — which is why an exhale longer than the inhale is the common thread in almost every calming breath practice. A few minutes is usually enough to notice a difference. If you feel light-headed, stop and breathe normally; that is a sign of over-breathing rather than progress.
Questions about the breathing timer
How long should a breathing session be?
Three to five minutes is enough to shift how you feel. Ten to twenty minutes is a practice in its own right. Short and regular beats long and rare.
Can I change the pattern?
This page paces box breathing at four seconds a phase. For a different rhythm, use the interval timer with work and rest set to your in-breath and out-breath lengths.
Does the countdown drift if I leave it in the background?
No. Browsers deliberately slow down background tabs to save battery, which makes naive timers lose minutes over an hour. This one compares against the system clock on every update, so what you get at the end is the length you asked for.
Will it stay free?
There is no paid tier to upgrade to and nothing gated behind an account, so there is nothing to start charging for.