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

We kept wishing there were a clean, free Breathwork timer we could point people toward. Something simple. A pattern, a circle to follow, no clutter.

Every one we found wanted an email, ran ads, or buried the actual breathing under a paywall. So we built our own and gave it away.

It's live here: the free Breathwork timer. No ads. No sign-up. It works offline once it loads, and the code is open-source so anyone can use it.

What it does

You pick a pattern. A soft circle grows while you breathe in, holds while you hold, and shrinks while you breathe out. The countdown tells you how long each phase lasts.

That's the whole idea. The visual does the counting so your mind doesn't have to. You can keep your eyes soft or closed and just follow the rhythm.

There's an optional chime on each phase, a vibrate option for your phone, and a session timer if you want to breathe for a set few minutes and then stop.

The patterns, and when to use them

Each one is a different tool. Pick by what you need right now.

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

If you want the full breakdown of each one, we wrote a plain guide to simple breathing techniques over on our sister site, Breath Techniques.

A timer is not the same as Breathwork

This matters, so we'll say it plainly.

A timer paces gentle breathing techniques. Box breathing, coherent breathing, slow exhales. They keep you calm and in control, in ordinary awareness. You can do them at your desk.

Breathwork is the deeper practice. Sustained, connected breathing that can shift your state and surface emotion. That work belongs lying down, with a trained facilitator holding the space, not while you watch a screen.

We go deeper on that line in our piece on breathing techniques vs Breathwork. The short version: use the timer for daily regulation, and come to a session when you're ready to go further.

Why we gave it away

Because the breath belongs to everyone. You shouldn't have to hand over an email to slow your breathing down.

We make our living teaching the deeper work, the live classes and the facilitator training. A free timer that helps someone find their calm at 11pm is just good. If it's your first taste of what conscious breathing can do, even better.