Extended exhale breathing timer
Out for longer than in. The fastest way to settle a racing system.
The pattern In 4 s · Out 6 s
The timer on this page is the app. Set the pace and press Begin.
How to do it
- Sit or lie however you are comfortable.
- Breathe in through your nose for four seconds.
- Breathe out for six seconds, letting it run out slowly rather than pushing.
- Begin the next breath without pausing.
Using the timer on this page
- Go back to the timer at the top of this page. It has already opened on Extended exhale 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.
- Turn on Rest if you want a short pause, with no count and no tone, after each out-breath. It is off to start.
- Set Length, anywhere from 1 to 20 minutes.
- 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 and shrinks as you breathe out, while the screen names each phase. Pause or stop whenever you like.
What it does
The shortest route to the same effect as 4-7-8, without holding your breath.
Where it comes from
The out-breath is longer than the in-breath — here half as long again, four in and six out. There is no hold in either direction.
No one owns this pattern. It is a general instruction — breathe out for longer than you breathe in — that turns up across breathwork, yoga and singing practice, often called long exhale breathing.
The version here fixes the proportion rather than the seconds, so the out-breath stays longer than the in-breath by the same share at every pace.
At a glance
- Pattern
- In 4 s · Out 6 s
- One cycle
- 10 seconds
- Cadence
- about 6 breaths a minute
- Holds
- none
- Length
- adjustable, 1 to 20 minutes; 5 to start
- Pace
- adjustable, 4 to 7 seconds, in whole seconds
- Rest after the out-breath
- optional, off to start
- Runs
- in this browser, and in the app
Timing variations
Pace sets the in-breath, and the out-breath follows from it at the same proportion, rounded to a whole second, so the pattern keeps its shape as it slows down. Each row below is worked out by the same code that runs the timer, rounding included.
- Pace 4 s
- In 4 s · Out 6 s — 10 s a cycle, about 6 breaths a minute
- Pace 5 s
- In 5 s · Out 8 s — 13 s a cycle, about 4.6 breaths a minute
- Pace 6 s
- In 6 s · Out 9 s — 15 s a cycle, about 4 breaths a minute
- Pace 7 s
- In 7 s · Out 11 s — 18 s a cycle, about 3.3 breaths a minute
- Rest on, pace 4 s
- In 4 s · Out 6 s · Rest 1 s — 11 s a cycle
- 1 min
- 6 cycles at 4 s
- 5 min
- 30 cycles at 4 s
- 20 min
- 120 cycles at 4 s
Rest adds a short pause after each out-breath, scaled to its length, with no count and no tone. Length sets the minutes, and the timer fits whole cycles into them.
Common questions
What is the ratio?
Four in and six out by default — the out-breath is one and a half times the in-breath. Changing the pace keeps that proportion: five in becomes about seven and a half out.
Is this the same as 4-7-8?
No. 4-7-8 holds for seven counts between the two halves. This pattern has no hold at all; the in-breath turns straight into a longer out-breath.
How is it different from resonance?
Resonance keeps both halves the same length. Here the out-breath is deliberately longer, and that difference is the whole pattern.
Can I make the out-breath even longer?
The ratio is fixed at one and a half, but the pace is adjustable from four to seven seconds, which lengthens both halves together.
What if I run out of breath before the count ends?
Let the next in-breath come early and pick the pattern up again. The count is a guide, not something to hold on to.
Do I need to hold at the bottom?
No. Nothing in this pattern is held.
Is there an extended exhale breathing timer online?
Yes, at the top of this page. It runs in your browser, opens on the pattern printed above it, and keeps the out-breath longer than the in-breath at whatever pace you pick.
Why are some out-breaths rounded?
The timer counts in whole seconds. At a pace where the proportion lands on a half second, the out-breath is rounded to the nearest whole one; the timing table on this page lists every pace exactly as it runs.
What does the Rest button do?
It adds a short pause after each out-breath, with no count and no tone, scaled to the length of the out-breath. It is off to start.
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.