Box breathing and 4-7-8 timer

Pick a pattern and a length, press Start, and follow the circle: it grows as you breathe in, stays still while you hold, and shrinks as you breathe out. The count in the middle does the counting for you.

Breathe in

Breath 1 of 8

Step 1 of 32 · Next: Hold · 2 min 8 s in total

Chime at each change

How to use the breathing timer

Sit comfortably with your feet on the floor, or stand, and let your shoulders drop.
Choose a pattern. Box breathing is the default. If you have not tried paced breathing before, the equal or longer-exhale patterns have no holds and are the easiest to start with.
Choose a length. The session is rounded up to a whole number of breaths, so it never stops half-way through one.
Press Start and follow the circle and the count. A chime marks each change between breathing in, holding and breathing out; turn it off if you would rather follow visually.

Breathe gently. Paced breathing is about slowing and evening out the breath, not about taking the biggest breath you can. If the counts feel long, use a custom pattern with shorter counts; the shape of the pattern matters more than the exact numbers.

The patterns and how they are timed

Each pattern is four numbers: seconds breathing in, seconds holding, seconds breathing out, and seconds holding with the lungs empty. A zero skips that part. One breath lasts the sum of the four, and the number of breaths per minute is 60 divided by that sum. The session length is turned into a number of breaths by dividing and rounding up.

Pattern	Counts	Seconds per breath	Breaths per minute	Breaths in 3 min
Box breathing (4-4-4-4)	4-4-4-4	16	3.75	12
4-7-8 breathing	4-7-8	19	3.16	10
Equal breathing (5 in, 5 out)	5-0-5	10	6	18
Longer exhale (4 in, 6 out)	4-0-6	10	6	18

Box breathing (4-4-4-4)

Four equal sides of four seconds. It is easy to remember and to count without a timer once learned, which is part of why it is widely taught. The two holds make it feel more deliberate than ordinary breathing.

4-7-8

In for 4, hold for 7, out for 8, with no hold at the bottom. The exhale is twice the length of the inhale. Its best-known advocate, Dr Andrew Weil, suggests breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth, and starting with only a few breaths at a time. The long hold is the part most people find hard at first.

Equal breathing (5 in, 5 out)

No holds, just an even breath in and out at six breaths a minute. It is the simplest of the four and a good place to begin.

Longer exhale (4 in, 6 out)

A breath out that is longer than the breath in, with no holds. Several traditions of relaxation practice favour a longer out-breath; this is a gentle version of that idea.

Worked example

Box breathing has a 16-second cycle (4 + 4 + 4 + 4), so it runs at 60 ÷ 16 = 3.75 breaths a minute. A 2-minute session is 120 ÷ 16 = 7.5 breaths, rounded up to 8, and so lasts 2 minutes 8 seconds. The same two minutes of 4-7-8 breathing, with a 19-second cycle, is 120 ÷ 19 = 6.3 breaths, rounded up to 7, lasting 2 minutes 13 seconds.

When to stop, and what this is not

Stop and breathe normally if you feel light-headed, dizzy, tingly or short of breath, and do not practise breath holds while driving, in water or anywhere a moment of dizziness would be dangerous. Long holds are not suitable for everyone; if you are pregnant or have a heart, lung or blood pressure condition, ask a doctor before trying them, and use a pattern without holds in the meantime.

This timer is a counting aid for general relaxation. It does not measure your breathing, your heart rate or anything else, and it is not a treatment for anxiety, sleep problems or any other condition. If breathing exercises are part of a treatment plan from a clinician, follow their instructions.

A few slow breaths also make a good start to a break from the Pomodoro timer or the stretch break timer.

Common questions

What is box breathing?

A paced breathing pattern with four equal parts: breathe in for a count of four, hold for four, breathe out for four, and hold with the lungs empty for four. It is also called square breathing and is taught in a range of settings, including some military and first-responder training, as a simple way to slow down and steady the breath.

How do you do 4-7-8 breathing?

Breathe in quietly through the nose for a count of 4, hold the breath for 7, then breathe out through the mouth for 8, often with a soft whooshing sound. The pattern was popularised by Dr Andrew Weil. Because the hold and exhale are long, start with only a few cycles and stop if you feel light-headed.

Are the counts meant to be seconds?

On this timer, yes: one count is one second. In practice the counts are a ratio, and many people count a little faster or slower than a clock. If a pattern feels like a strain at one second per count, choose a shorter custom pattern with the same shape, such as 3-3-3-3 instead of 4-4-4-4.

How long should a breathing session be?

There is no fixed rule. One to five minutes is a common length for a break during the working day, and even a few slow breaths can feel like a reset. It is better to do a short session comfortably than a long one that leaves you straining.

Can paced breathing treat anxiety or high blood pressure?

This page makes no such claim. Many people find slow breathing calming, and it is a reasonable thing to try during a busy day, but it is not a treatment for any condition. If you are dealing with anxiety, panic, breathing problems or a heart or blood pressure condition, talk to a doctor.