Box breathing pacer
A guided breathing pace you can follow on screen. Free, no sign-up.
Box breathing pacer
4 seconds is the classic count. If 4 feels tight, pick 3; a longer count has no known advantage.
4 seconds a side
Breathe in 4 · Hold 4 · Breathe out 4 · Hold 4
4 rounds of 16 seconds: 1:04 in all.
Stop and breathe normally if you feel dizzy, short of breath or panicky. Use a shorter count next time.
Ask a clinician before breath holds if you have a heart or seizure condition, glaucoma, panic disorder or another serious mental health condition, or are pregnant (see conditions that call for a clinician first). This is a breathing exercise, not a treatment: use it alongside any care you receive, never in place of it. If you are struggling to breathe, this is not the moment for an exercise; see when breathing trouble needs medical help.