Follow the animated breathing circle to pace your inhales, holds, and exhales. Choose a technique, set your session length, and breathe with precision.
4s inhale · 4s hold · 4s exhale · 4s hold
Custom Phase Durations
A breathing timer transforms an ancient practice into a precise, measurable tool. Rather than guessing your timing or counting in your head, you follow a visual pacer that keeps your breath cycles consistent. This consistency is what separates casual deep breathing from effective breathwork — your nervous system responds most powerfully to rhythmic, predictable patterns. Research published in Psychophysiology demonstrates that externally paced breathing produces significantly greater improvements in heart rate variability compared to self-directed breathing at the same rate.
The science behind paced breathing centers on the vagus nerve, the longest cranial nerve in the body, which connects your brainstem to your heart, lungs, and gut. When your exhale is longer than your inhale, baroreceptors in the aortic arch detect the resulting blood pressure drop and signal the vagus nerve to slow the heart. When inhales and exhales are equal (as in box breathing), you create a balanced autonomic state ideal for focus. When inhales dominate (as in Wim Hof breathing), you activate the sympathetic system for energy and alertness. Each pattern creates a distinct physiological signature.
Different techniques serve different goals. Box breathing (4-4-4-4) is best for calm focus. The 4-7-8 pattern excels at sleep preparation. Coherence breathing at 5.5 seconds per phase maximizes HRV. Extended exhale patterns (like 4-2-6) are optimal for acute anxiety. This timer lets you experiment with all of them in a single interface, so you can discover which patterns your body responds to most strongly.
This free browser-based breathing timer requires no account and collects no data. Your session information stays entirely in your browser. For streak tracking, session history, mood logging, and guided audio, try the Inhale app.
Take this free quiz to find the best breathing technique for your goals. Match your needs to the right breathwork method — stress, sleep, energy, or focus.
Free HRV breathing calculator to find your optimal breathing rate for maximum heart rate variability. Calculate your resonance frequency breathing pace.
Free breathwork routine builder to create a personalized daily breathing practice. Build habits with the right techniques at the right times of day.
Track your streaks, log mood before and after sessions, access guided audio sessions, and build a daily breathing habit. Free to download.
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