We Built a Free Breathwork Timer (and Gave It Away)

We wanted a free Breathwork timer we could send people to. Every one we tried asked for an email, ran ads, or put the breathing behind a paywall, so we built our own.

Here it is: the free Breathwork timer. There are no ads and no sign-up. It works offline once it loads, and the code is open-source.

What it does

Pick a pattern. The circle grows as you breathe in, pauses while you hold, and shrinks as you breathe out. A countdown shows each phase, so you never have to count.

You can turn on a chime for each phase, phone vibration, or a session timer that stops after a set number of minutes.

The patterns, and when to use them

• Box breathing (4-4-4-4). Equal inhale, hold, exhale, hold. Steadies you and sharpens focus before something stressful.
• 4-7-8. A short inhale and a long, slow exhale. Leans into the rest state, so we like it at the end of the day.
• Coherent breathing (5-5). About six breaths a minute, the pace linked with healthy heart-rate variability. A good daily reset.
• Calming (4-6). A gentle extended exhale with no breath-holding. The easiest place to start.

For a fuller breakdown, see our guide to simple breathing techniques on our sister site, Breath Techniques.

A timer is not the same as Breathwork

A timer paces gentle breathing techniques like box breathing, coherent breathing, and slow exhales. You stay calm and in control, and you can do them at your desk.

Breathwork is the deeper practice. It uses sustained, connected breathing that can shift your state and bring up emotion. Do that lying down with a trained facilitator holding the space, not in front of a screen.

We explain the difference in breathing techniques vs Breathwork. Use the timer for daily regulation, and come to a session when you want to go further.

Why we gave it away

Nobody should have to hand over an email to slow their breathing down.

We make our living teaching live classes and our facilitator training. If the timer helps someone settle at 11pm, that's enough for us.