Box breathing timer
Equal on all four sides — in, hold, out, hold. Steady and level.
The pattern In 4 s · Hold 4 s · Out 4 s · Hold 4 s
The timer on this page is the app. Set the pace and press Begin.
How to do it
- Sit upright, feet flat, hands loose in your lap.
- Breathe in through your nose for four seconds.
- Hold, without straining, for four seconds.
- Breathe out for four seconds.
- Hold empty for four seconds. That is one round.
Using the timer on this page
- Go back to the timer at the top of this page. It has already opened on Box breathing, set to the pattern printed above it.
- Pick a pace of 4, 5, 6 or 7 seconds. The label beside it spells out what that pace means for this pattern.
- Set Breaths, anywhere from 2 to 12.
- Press Begin. The button shows how long the session will take with the settings you picked.
- Follow the figure: it grows as you breathe in, shrinks as you breathe out and stays where it is through a timed hold, while the screen names each phase. Pause or stop whenever you like.
What it does
Equal sides give you nothing to anticipate. The evenness is the point, not the holds.
Where it comes from
The name comes from the four equal sides of a square: in, hold, out, hold, each the same length. It is also called square breathing, and the two names describe the same thing.
It is usually taught as a count rather than a clock: four in, four held, four out, four held, with the count kept the same on every side. The timer here does the counting in seconds, so the only thing left to keep even is the breath itself.
Nothing about the pattern changes as a session goes on. The first side and the last side are the same length, and that sameness is the property the name points at.
At a glance
- Pattern
- In 4 s · Hold 4 s · Out 4 s · Hold 4 s
- One cycle
- 16 seconds
- Cadence
- about 3.8 breaths a minute
- Holds
- yes, part of the pattern
- Breaths
- adjustable, 2 to 12; 4 to start
- Pace
- adjustable, 4 to 7 seconds, in whole seconds
- Runs
- in this browser, and in the app
Timing variations
The shape is fixed; the size is not. Pick a pace and all four sides follow it, the two holds included, so the box stays square at any setting. Each row below is worked out by the same code that runs the timer, so it is exactly what Begin will play.
- Pace 4 s
- In 4 s · Hold 4 s · Out 4 s · Hold 4 s — 16 s a cycle, about 3.8 breaths a minute
- Pace 5 s
- In 5 s · Hold 5 s · Out 5 s · Hold 5 s — 20 s a cycle, about 3 breaths a minute
- Pace 6 s
- In 6 s · Hold 6 s · Out 6 s · Hold 6 s — 24 s a cycle, about 2.5 breaths a minute
- Pace 7 s
- In 7 s · Hold 7 s · Out 7 s · Hold 7 s — 28 s a cycle, about 2.1 breaths a minute
- 2 breaths
- 32 s at 4 s a side
- 4 breaths
- 1 min 4 s at 4 s a side
- 12 breaths
- 3 min 12 s at 4 s a side
Breaths sets how many times you go round the square. A longer side makes every cycle longer, so the same number of breaths takes more time; the lengths above are at the pace the page opens on.
Common questions
Is box breathing the same as square breathing?
Yes. Both names describe one pattern with four phases of equal length.
How long should each side be?
Four seconds is the usual starting point. You can set any side from four to seven seconds here; a longer side makes the round slower and the two holds longer with it.
Do I have to hold my breath?
The holds are what make it a box. An even in and out with no holds is a different pattern — that one is resonance, and it has its own page.
How many rounds should I do?
The timer here starts at four. Set the number you want before you press Begin; you can also stop part-way through without finishing a round.
Can I do it lying down?
You can. Sitting upright leaves the ribs more room to move, which some people find makes the four counts easier to keep even.
Do I need to install anything?
No. The timer on this page is the app, running in your browser. Installing it adds sound, haptics, and use with no connection.
Is there a box breathing timer I can use online?
This page is one. The timer at the top runs in your browser, opens on box breathing at the pattern printed above it, and starts when you press Begin.
Why does the timer count seconds rather than counts?
A count is only as steady as the person counting, and it can drift from one side to the next. Seconds keep every side the same length, which is the whole of the pattern. A tone and the moving figure carry the seconds, so there is no clock to watch.
What does the figure on the timer show?
It grows while you breathe in, stays where it is through each hold, and shrinks while you breathe out. The phase is written on screen with its seconds, if you would rather read than watch.
The app
Tide is a breathing timer that runs on your phone or in this browser. It opens ready to go and lets you set any pattern you like.
On your phone it runs with sound and haptics, and it works with no connection at all.