Breathing Timer

A guided breathing pacer walks you through a fixed inhale, hold, exhale, and second hold cycle with a visible countdown and a gentle tone marking each phase change, so you don't have to count seconds in your head while trying to relax. This breathing timer includes several well-known patterns as one-tap presets, plus fully custom duration fields for each phase, for a short structured breathing break during a stressful moment or as part of a regular relaxation routine.

How to use this timer

Choose a preset pattern or set custom durations for inhale, hold, exhale, and the second hold in seconds, then press Start. The display counts down each phase and labels which phase is active — Inhale, Hold, or Exhale — with a soft tone at every transition so you can close your eyes and follow along by sound alone if you prefer, rather than needing to watch the screen continuously throughout the exercise.

Common breathing patterns included

Box breathing uses an equal four-second count for inhale, hold, exhale, and a second hold, and is popular partly because tactical and military training programs have publicized it as a simple technique for staying composed under pressure. The 4-7-8 pattern — a four-second inhale, seven-second hold, and eight-second exhale with no second hold — was popularized as a relaxation technique intended to help slow breathing down before sleep or during a stressful moment. A simpler pattern with a longer exhale than inhale and no holds at all is sometimes recommended as an easier starting point for people new to structured breathing exercises, since it requires less breath control than patterns with extended holds.

Every preset here is fully editable after selecting it, so you can start from a known pattern and adjust individual phase lengths to whatever feels sustainable, rather than being locked into someone else's exact timing.

Why a timer helps more than counting manually

Counting seconds silently in your head while also trying to breathe slowly and evenly is surprisingly hard to do accurately, especially during a genuinely stressful moment when focus is already strained. Offloading the counting to a visible, audible timer lets your attention stay on the breath itself rather than splitting attention between breathing and counting, which is part of the reason structured breathing exercises are often taught with an external pacer — a metronome, an app, or a coach counting aloud — rather than expecting someone to time themselves precisely from memory.

When people use guided breathing

People commonly reach for a short guided breathing break before a stressful meeting or presentation, during a moment of acute anxiety, as part of a wind-down routine before sleep, or simply as a brief pause during a demanding workday. Because the exercise typically only takes a few minutes for several cycles, it fits into a short break without requiring dedicated time set aside the way a longer meditation session might.

Building a regular practice

Some people use a guided breathing pattern as a brief daily habit — a few cycles in the morning, before a specific recurring stressful task, or as part of winding down at the end of the day. Because this page requires no account or app installation, it works equally well as a one-off tool during an unexpected stressful moment in 2026 or as a bookmarked page revisited as part of an established daily routine, whichever fits your needs better.

A note on medical claims

This page is an educational relaxation pacer, not a medical device or a treatment for any diagnosed condition. It does not claim to cure anxiety, reduce blood pressure, or replace guidance from a healthcare provider for any breathing-related or cardiovascular condition. If you feel dizzy, light-headed, or short of breath at any point during an exercise, stop immediately and breathe normally. Anyone with a respiratory or cardiovascular condition should consult a doctor before adopting an extended-hold breathing pattern as a regular practice.

Choosing a pattern that fits your comfort level

Patterns with longer holds, like box breathing's four-second hold on both the inhale and exhale side, can feel uncomfortable for beginners or anyone with a smaller lung capacity. Starting with a shorter-hold or no-hold pattern and gradually working toward longer holds, only if it feels comfortable to do so, is a reasonable way to build familiarity with structured breathing without pushing past what feels sustainable in a given session.

Pairing breathing exercises with other relaxation habits

A guided breathing cycle often works well as a bridge into a longer relaxation routine — a few minutes of paced breathing before stretching, journaling, or simply sitting quietly for a moment. Because the exercise is short and requires no equipment beyond a device with a screen and speaker, it also travels well: the same page works at a desk between meetings, in a car before a difficult conversation, or in a quiet corner of a busy household when a longer wind-down routine isn't practical in the moment.

Related tools

For a plain countdown without phase cycling, use the online timer. For structured work and rest intervals aimed at exercise rather than relaxation, see the interval timer or Tabata timer. The full time tools hub lists every related timer and clock.