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- Breathing Timer30 × 5-5LoadedFive seconds in and five out, thirty times: six breaths a minute, the pace slow breathing research uses, for five minutes.Frontiers in Psychology
- Box Breathing Timer19 × 4-4-4-4Four counts in, held, out and held, nineteen times over: the five minutes Mark Divine asks for at the least.TIME magazine
- 4-7-8 Breathing Timer4 × 4-7-8In for four, held for seven, out for eight, four times: the most Dr Weil advises at one sitting in the first month.DrWeil.com
Where six breaths a minute comes from
Slow paced breathing in research usually means about six breaths a minute, one every 10 seconds. A 2014 review by Paul Lehrer and Richard Gevirtz says most studies find their largest effects near that rate, and that their own later work put the average closer to 5.5 a minute, a breath of about 11 seconds. The right rate differs a little from person to person.
Frontiers in PsychologyLehrer and Gevirtz, 2014, Front Psychol 5:756, PMID 25101026
There is more than one way to split those 10 seconds. A 2025 study at Brigham Young University ran 4 seconds in with 6 out, and 5 in with 5 out, beside box and 4-7-8 breathing. A 2017 study from the same group had people breathe at about this pace for 15 minutes.
Applied Psychophysiology and BiofeedbackMarchant et al., 2025, Appl Psychophysiol Biofeedback 50(2):261 to 276, PMID 39864026Frontiers in Public HealthSteffen et al., 2017, Front Public Health 5:222, PMID 28890890
The 2025 study also reported, to its authors’ surprise, mild over-breathing at six breaths a minute. Keep each breath quiet and unforced. If you feel lightheaded, stop and breathe normally.
The protocol
5 seconds in, 5 seconds out, no holds: 30 breaths in 5 minutes. The pace comes from the research, and the five minutes are ours.
Frontiers in PsychologyLehrer and Gevirtz, 2014, Front Psychol 5:756, PMID 25101026
Sit upright or lie on your back, shoulders loose. Breathe in through your nose.
Let the breath in move your belly before your chest, and let the breath out run slow to the end of the count.
A rising tone starts each breath in and a falling tone each breath out, so you can keep your eyes closed.
This timer sounds a rising tone for each breath in and a falling tone for each breath out, has a fullscreen key, and keeps the screen awake where the browser allows; it is free and needs no account. Keep this tab in front, because a browser may pause the sound of a tab you cannot see.
Sessions to try
These are our suggestions. Where one follows a published source, that source is cited under it.
- Even pace
5 in, 5 out, 30 breaths, which is where the timer starts.
Frontiers in PsychologyLehrer and Gevirtz, 2014, Front Psychol 5:756, PMID 25101026
- Longer out
The 2025 study’s other split: set Breathe in to 4 and Breathe out to 6. The pace stays at six a minute.
- Eleven seconds
5 in, 6 out, an 11 second breath, close to the 5.5 a minute Lehrer and Gevirtz report as the average.
Frontiers in PsychologyLehrer and Gevirtz, 2014, Front Psychol 5:756, PMID 25101026
- Fifteen minutes
The length of the 2017 study: keep 5 and 5 and set Breaths to 90.
Frontiers in Public HealthSteffen et al., 2017, Front Public Health 5:222, PMID 28890890
- After training
3 to 5 minutes at this pace, lying on your back, once you have your breath back after hard intervals.
Common mistakes
Breathing too big. The 2025 study saw mild over-breathing at this pace, so keep each breath small and quiet.
Forcing the count. If 5 seconds feels long, start at 4 and 4 and lengthen it over a few weeks.
Pausing at the top. This pattern has no holds, so turn from the breath in straight to the breath out.
Pushing on through lightheadedness. Stop, breathe normally, and come back to it later at a gentler depth.
Questions
What is a good pace for slow breathing?
Research on slow paced breathing usually uses about 6 breaths a minute. Lehrer and Gevirtz report that the individual rate averaged about 5.5, a breath of roughly 11 seconds.
Frontiers in PsychologyLehrer and Gevirtz, 2014, Front Psychol 5:756, PMID 25101026
How long should a breathing session be?
The 2017 study used 15 minutes. This timer opens on 5, and you can set Breaths to 90 for 15 at the same pace.
Frontiers in Public HealthSteffen et al., 2017, Front Public Health 5:222, PMID 28890890
Is this the same as box breathing?
No. Box breathing holds after the breath in and after the breath out, and 4-7-8 holds on full lungs with a breath out twice as long as the breath in. This pattern has no holds at all.
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