A timer for two simple breaths.

This page is a clock for two counted breaths and a short explanation of where the counts come from. It is not a treatment for anxiety, insomnia, asthma, or panic. A slower breath may help an ordinary afternoon feel quieter. It may also make you lightheaded if you force the hold. Both things can be true, which is why the instruction is to stop and breathe normally when the count stops fitting.

Box breathing on this timer is four equal sides. Cleveland Clinic describes that pattern as square breathing and says to keep a pace that does not strain. The 4-7-8 pattern is a longer exhale. Cleveland Clinic notes that Andrew Weil, MD, popularized it and that it can feel unfamiliar at first. We cite those explainers so the counts are not a slogan we invented. We do not add a third pattern, a chakra, or a promise about heart rate.

Use the timer after you have read the counts. The buttons change the pattern and start or pause the cycle. They are the practice, so this page does not place an advertisement beside them. If you would rather not watch a clock, breathe in and out at a speed you could keep while reading this paragraph. The glossary defines pranayama as breathing practice, separate from the shape of a pose.

If you are pregnant, if a clinician has told you not to hold your breath, or if you have a breathing condition, consult a doctor before you follow the timer. Chest pain, fainting, or a breath that will not settle is a reason to get care, not a reason to finish the minute. The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health says not to use yoga, including breathing techniques, to delay seeing a health care provider. That sentence is the rule for this page.

Box breathing is four equal parts: breathe in for four, hold for four, breathe out for four, hold for four. Cleveland Clinic describes it as a form of yogic deep breathing, also called square breathing or 4-4-4-4, and says to stay at a pace that does not strain. The 4-7-8 pattern is a breath in for four, a hold for seven, and a breath out for eight. Cleveland Clinic notes that the pattern was popularized by Andrew Weil, MD, and that it can feel lightheaded at first because the breath is slower than you are used to.

The timer on this page offers only those two patterns. Box breathing is four phases of four seconds, and the button labeled Box breathing selects it. The 4-7-8 button selects a breath in for four, a hold for seven, and a breath out for eight. The display shows the phase name and the seconds left in that phase. A round is one pass through the phases. The timer runs four rounds and then stops. Pause holds the count where it is. Start continues it. Choosing the other pattern resets the round to 1 and the phase to the first breath in. Nothing about the timer is saved on a server, and the page does not place an advertisement next to the buttons.

Use box breathing when you want an even count you could keep while reading a paragraph. Use 4-7-8 when you want the longer exhale and you have already tried a few ordinary breaths without strain. Shorten the idea, rather than forcing the hold, if four seconds is too long. Cleveland Clinic tells readers to stay at a pace that does not strain, and it notes that 4-7-8 can feel lightheaded at first because it is slower than you are used to. Stop if you feel dizzy, and return to an ordinary breath. If a clinician has told you not to hold your breath, or you are pregnant, or you have a breathing condition, ask that clinician before you follow the timer. Chest pain, fainting, or a breath that will not settle is a reason to get care, not a reason to finish the four rounds.

These counts are modern teaching patterns, not a verse from the Yoga Sutras. The history page on Patanjali says pranayama there is regulated breath, and that the sutras do not specify a four-count. The glossary defines pranayama as breathing practice, separate from the shape of a pose. You can use the timer before or after a routine. You do not need it to practice. If you would rather not watch a clock, breathe in and out at a speed you could keep while reading this sentence.

Sources: Cleveland Clinic, box breathing, Cleveland Clinic, 4-7-8 breathing, NCCIH, Yoga: What You Need To Know.