Breathing timer

Start with a comfortable pattern

The starting pattern is Gentle in and out: four seconds breathing in and six seconds breathing out, with no holds. The starting session is three minutes. Select Start when you are ready and follow “Breathe in” and “Breathe out” on the panel. The circle grows as you breathe in, stays still during a hold and shrinks as you breathe out. Words, a phase countdown and a progress bar remain visible. If your device prefers reduced motion, the circle stays still throughout.

These numbers are the tool's initial settings, not a pace you need to achieve. The NHS breathing guide suggests getting comfortable, breathing gently without forcing it, and counting if that helps. Its example count is up to five in each direction. Use a natural breath if a screen count feels awkward, and stop the session if you feel uncomfortable.

Change the session and phase times

Set a session from 1 to 10 minutes. You can set each in-breath and out-breath phase from 2 to 10 seconds. The Box pattern (holds optional) choice fills in four seconds for each phase: breathe in, hold after breathing in, breathe out, and pause after breathing out. The hold fields accept 0 to 8 seconds; set either or both to zero to leave those phases out.

Choosing a pattern loads its preset timings. You can then edit the phase fields yourself. Changing a timing setting resets the session to the beginning. If you are partway through, pause and decide whether to finish with the current pattern before adjusting it. You do not need to use a hold to use this tool.

Sound is optional and starts off. Turn on Play sound cues during this timer to hear rising notes for breathing in, falling notes for breathing out and a steady note for a hold. A lower steady note marks the optional pause after breathing out. Test sound plays the rising cue once. Use Cue volume to adjust or mute the sound; these audio controls do not reset the session.

Example: a two-minute pause

Example: You have two minutes before starting another task. Leave Gentle in and out selected, change Session to 2 minutes, and keep the four-second in and six-second out settings if they feel easy. Select Start. The panel alternates between those two phases while the session countdown runs. At that pace, one complete in-and-out cycle takes ten seconds; twelve cycles fit in two minutes if the timer runs without interruption.

You can select Pause at any point and Resume with the remaining time. Reset takes you back to the start. At the end, the timer displays “Session complete” and stops. Start again begins a new session. A session can also end partway through a breathing phase because its overall length is set in minutes.

Use it as a short pause

You might open the timer between meetings, after putting a task aside, or before you begin writing. The screen gives you something simple to follow without asking you to rate how you feel. If you would rather breathe without counting, set the device aside and take the pause in your own way. There is no score, streak or saved session history to keep up with.

For a break from screen work, the screen-break timer can cue a change of activity instead. Choose the tool that fits the moment: a visual breathing rhythm here, or a prompt to step away from the display there.

You control the pace

The timer gives visual timing cues; it cannot tell whether a particular pace is comfortable for you. Do not force a longer breath or hold to match the display. If a phase feels too long, stop and shorten it, remove holds, or leave the timer. The controls accept only the stated ranges, so you can also choose to breathe without using the countdown.

Changing a timing field starts a fresh session, while Pause preserves the time already completed. Pause and Reset also stop any playing cue. The timer uses the browser clock; a background tab may update late and a sleeping device will not guide you reliably. Keep the page visible while following the phases. Sound cues are made in your browser, without microphone access or a voice service.