Breathing Exercises Guide

The Science of Breathing

Controlled breathing directly influences your nervous system. Different patterns activate either the sympathetic (fight-or-flight) or parasympathetic (rest-and-digest) response.

Starting a Breathing Session

Go to Mindfulness, tap Breathing, choose a pattern, select duration (1-20 minutes), optionally add ambient sounds, and tap Start.

Available Patterns

Box Breathing (4-4-4-4): Inhale 4s, Hold 4s, Exhale 4s, Hold 4s. Best for focus and stress reduction. 4-7-8 Breathing: Inhale 4s, Hold 7s, Exhale 8s. Best for sleep and anxiety. Coherent Breathing: Inhale 5s, Exhale 5s with no holds. Best for HRV optimization at 6 breaths per minute. Energizing Breath: Quick inhale 2s, Slow exhale 6s. Best for morning alertness. Calming Breath: Inhale 4s, Exhale 8s. Best for anxiety relief with 1:2 ratio. Custom Pattern: Create your own with custom inhale, hold, exhale, and post-exhale hold durations.

During Your Session

Visual animation guides your breath, haptic feedback marks transitions, session timer shows remaining time, and tap to pause/resume.

Ambient Sounds

Rain, Ocean, Forest, Fireplace, Stream, Wind, Night, White Noise, Pink Noise, and Brown Noise.

Tips for Effective Practice

Find a comfortable position, close your eyes or soften gaze, breathe through nose when possible, let belly expand on inhales, do not strain, and maintain consistency over duration.

Pro Tip: If you have an Apple Watch, enable HRV biofeedback to see your heart rate variability change in real-time during exercises.