Ten ways
to steady the breath.

Simple, well-worn techniques for the nervous system — from a quick reset to a longer practice.

Before you begin

Ten techniques, grounded in how they're actually practiced. Educational and reflective — not therapy or medical care. Anyone with a respiratory or cardiac condition, or who is pregnant, should check with a doctor before practicing techniques involving breath holds. Stop and return to normal breathing if you feel dizzy or lightheaded.

The library

Box Breathing
Uses four equal phases — inhale, hold, exhale, hold — to interrupt a racing or shallow breathing pattern and give the mind a simple structure to follow instead of a spiraling thought.
2-5 minutes (roughly 4-8 rounds).
4-7-8 Breathing
A specific, longer-hold pattern (popularized by Dr. Andrew Weil) designed to slow breathing down considerably and extend the exhale well past the inhale, which tends to have a strong calming effect, especially useful right before sleep.
1-2 minutes for 4 rounds; build up gradually over days or weeks before attempting more rounds.
Triangle Breathing
A simplified three-part pattern — inhale, hold, exhale, with no second hold — that offers some of the grounding structure of Box Breathing with a lower overall intensity, since there's only one pause rather than two.
2-4 minutes.
Resonant Breathing
Slows breathing to match an individual's personal "resonance frequency" — typically somewhere in the range of about 4.5 to 6.5 breaths per minute — which is the pace at which heart rate variability tends to be maximized for that specific person.
5-10 minutes; many people find benefits build with regular practice over several weeks.
Extended Exhale Breathing
Deliberately makes the exhale longer than the inhale (in any ratio, such as inhale 4/exhale 6, or inhale 4/exhale 8), which leans on the body's natural tendency to activate the calming (parasympathetic) side of the nervous system more during longer exhales.
2-5 minutes.
Physiological Sigh
Uses a double inhale (one long inhale through the nose immediately followed by a second, shorter sharp inhale on top of it) followed by a long, slow exhale — a pattern the body already does naturally during crying or after sighing, shown in research (including Stanford-affiliated studies) to offload carbon dioxide and lower physiological arousal unusually quickly.
30-90 seconds (1-3 cycles is often enough).
Diaphragmatic Breathing
Also called belly breathing, this technique redirects breath away from shallow, upper-chest breathing (common during stress) toward deeper breaths powered by the diaphragm, which is how the body breathes most efficiently at rest.
5-10 minutes; can also be used in short 1-minute check-ins throughout the day.
Pursed Lip Breathing
Originally used in pulmonary and respiratory care (such as for COPD), this technique slows the exhale by breathing out through pursed lips, which creates slight resistance and can help keep airways open longer and breathing more controlled.
2-5 minutes, or as needed during moments of breathlessness or tightness.
Mindful Breath
Rather than controlling or counting the breath, this practice involves simply observing the breath exactly as it is — its pace, depth, and rhythm — without trying to change it, which builds present-moment awareness and a different relationship to breathing itself.
1-10 minutes, depending on experience and available time.
Coherent Breathing
A standardized pattern of breathing at a fixed pace of about 5 breaths per minute (roughly 6 seconds in, 6 seconds out), which is close to the average resonance frequency across most adults and is associated with measurable increases in heart rate variability.
10-20 minutes for a full practice session; even 5 minutes can offer a noticeable shift for a first try.

Not a substitute for therapy or emergency care. Crisis resources