4-7-8 breathing timer and guide
4-7-8 breathing is a 4 second inhale, a 7 second hold, and an 8 second exhale. There is no second hold. One breath is 19 seconds.
Breathing Guide · Other pages: Box breathing · Coherent breathing
How to follow 4-7-8 breathing
The count is uneven on purpose. The in-breath is the short part, the hold is longer, and the out-breath is the longest. At 19 seconds a breath, a minute holds about 3.16 breaths. The phase strip under the shape is split 4, 7, and 8, so the out-breath takes the widest segment. On the square, the dot spends that same share of the lap on each part, which is not one side each. The long hold can feel hard at first. Long exhale breathing and coherent breathing skip the hold, and either may feel gentler if seven seconds of holding is too much. You can also open Custom and shorten only the hold. A five minute session is sixteen full breaths and ends at 5:04, at the end of the out-breath rather than halfway through it. The three-count before the first inhale is Get ready, 3, 2, 1, and the session clock starts on the first Breathe in. Bell marks the start of the inhale at a higher note and the start of the exhale at a lower one. The hold is silent. Tone is a continuous glide up on the way in, steady on the hold, and down on the way out. Off leaves the screen quiet. Volume is the same slider the other tools on this site use.
Put the iPad where you can see the digit without holding it, then press F on a desktop so the browser chrome is gone. The bars hide while the session runs. Set Auto-Lock to Never if you use an iPad, because a locked screen stops the count before the last out-breath.
Breathe gently. If you feel dizzy or uncomfortable, stop and breathe normally.
FAQ
What are the three parts of 4-7-8 breathing?
Breathe in for 4 seconds, hold for 7, and breathe out for 8. The page skips the second hold, so the next inhale starts as soon as the out-breath ends. The word in the centre names the part, and the digit is how many seconds are left in it. A 4 second part counts 4, 3, 2, 1.
The seven second hold feels long. What can I change?
The long hold can feel hard at first. You can stay with 4-7-8 and keep the sessions short, or move to Long exhale or Coherent, which have no hold and may feel gentler. Custom lets you keep 4 and 8 and set the hold to whatever you can do easily, including zero.
Can I use 4-7-8 breathing with my eyes closed?
Yes. Set Cue to Bell or Tone before you start. Bell plays once at the start of the inhale and once at the start of the exhale. Tone stays on and moves with the breath. The lead-in also ticks on 3, 2, and 1 when a cue is on. Off is silent, which is the right choice if you want to watch the shape.