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.

Stop if you feel dizzy, and return to an ordinary breath. Do not use a breathing timer to postpone care for chest pain, fainting, or a breathing problem. The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health describes yoga in the United States as postures, breathing techniques, and meditation, and says not to use yoga to delay seeing a health care provider.

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