Pick a pattern and press Start
Breathe with the ring: it grows on the inhale and shrinks on the exhale. Timings for every pattern are listed below.
Keep going on your phone: every breathing pattern is free in PulseWave.
How to use it
- Choose a pattern and a duration of 1, 3, 5 or 10 minutes.
- Press Start and follow the ring. It grows while you inhale, stays still while you hold and shrinks while you exhale. The label and countdown tell you which phase you are in.
- Turn on the soft tone if you want a gentle sound at each phase change, so you can close your eyes. It is off by default.
- Pause or reset at any time. If your device is set to reduce motion, the ring stays still and the countdown guides you instead.
The patterns
Box breathing 4-4-4-4
Inhale, hold, exhale and hold for four seconds each: one 16-second round. The equal counts give your attention a simple task. Read the box breathing guide for the steps, evidence and cautions.
4-7-8 breathing
Inhale through the nose for 4, hold for 7, exhale through the mouth for 8: a 19-second round with a long exhale. Start with four rounds and shorten the hold if it feels strained. See the 4-7-8 breathing guide.
Coherent breathing 5-5
Five seconds in, five seconds out, no holds: six breaths per minute, a pace often used in slow-breathing research. See the coherent breathing guide.
Coherent breathing 6-6
Six seconds in, six seconds out: a slower variant at five breaths per minute for people who find 5-5 easy. The coherent breathing guide explains why the comfortable pace varies from person to person.
Cyclic sighing
A two-part nasal inhale (2 seconds, then a 1-second top-up) followed by a long 6-second exhale. See the cyclic sighing guide.
Custom timing
Set your own inhale, hold, exhale and hold-empty lengths, up to 20 seconds each. Set a hold to 0 to skip it.
FAQ
Yes. The timer runs in your browser with no account or sign-up. The PulseWave app is also free to download on iPhone, Android and Mac, and all 30 of its breathing patterns are free; Premium is optional.
Coherent 5-5 is the simplest place to start: slow, even breaths with no holds. Box 4-4-4-4 adds short holds, 4-7-8 has a long exhale and is usually practised for a few rounds, and cyclic sighing uses a double inhale and a long exhale. Pick the one that feels comfortable.
Many people start with one to five minutes. Begin short and stop if you feel dizzy, light-headed or uncomfortable. The holds in box breathing and 4-7-8 can be shortened or skipped with the custom setting.
No. It only paces your breathing with a visual ring, phase labels and an optional soft tone. It does not measure heart rate, HRV or any health data, and it is not a medical device.