Techniques
Ways to breathe.
Configurable protocols in the app, each mapped to a specific outcome. Plus explainer pages for the other widely-known techniques — what they do, when they earn their keep, and which one to actually pick.
In the app
Resonance
Resonance breathing matches inhale and exhale at roughly equal length, slowing the breath to between five and seven breaths per minute. Around six breaths per minute, the baroreflex enters resonance with respiration, producing the largest possible heart rate variability swings — and, over time, raising your resting HRV.
Box breathing
Box breathing splits the breath into four equal phases: inhale four seconds, hold four, exhale four, hold four. The structure makes it impossible to breathe shallow or fast. It's not as effective at raising HRV as resonance breathing, but it's the most reliable technique for catching yourself before an escalation.
4-7-8
The 4-7-8 pattern was developed by Andrew Weil, MD, adapted from pranayama. The long exhale (twice the length of the inhale) is what does the work: extended exhalation activates the vagus nerve and pulls the nervous system into rest-and-digest. Most people feel it on the second cycle. Don't do more than four cycles in your first week — it can be surprisingly strong.
Extended exhale
Extended exhale is the underlying mechanism behind 4-7-8, behind the physiological sigh, and behind half the breathing exercises in yoga. When exhalation is longer than inhalation, heart rate slows in the exhale phase and the parasympathetic nervous system activates. We expose the mechanism directly so you can dial in your own ratio: 4 in / 6 out for daily, 4 in / 12 out for acute calm.
Cyclic sighing
Cyclic sighing is the physiological sigh turned into a practice: a 2.5-second inhale, a 1.5-second top-up at the peak, then a 7-second exhale, repeated. The second inhale re-inflates alveoli that collapse during shallow stressed breathing, and the long exhale does the parasympathetic work. Balban et al. compared it head-to-head against box breathing, cyclic hyperventilation, and mindfulness meditation over four weeks; cyclic sighing produced the largest mood improvement and the biggest drop in respiratory rate.
Other techniques, explained
5–6 BPM
Coherent breathing
The same protocol clinical research calls resonance frequency breathing — different name, same mechanism.
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Pranayama
Alternate nostril
Nadi Shodhana. Modest but real autonomic effects via nostril cycling. When the procedural complexity earns its keep.
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Foundation
Diaphragmatic
Belly breathing. The breath mechanics every other technique assumes. Most adults breathe wrong; this is how to fix it.
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CO2 tolerance
Buteyko method
Slow, light, nasal breathing. Strong evidence base for asthma; aligned with HRV practice on several axes.
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Hyperventilation
Wim Hof method
Real physiological effects. The opposite mechanism from HRV-raising slow breathing. Honest framing on what it does and doesn't do.
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30 seconds
Physiological sigh
Double inhale, extended exhale. Discovered by Jack Feldman, popularized by Huberman, validated by Stanford 2023. Fastest acute stress reset available without medication.
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