in:ex 1:2
Extended exhale
Exhale longer than you inhale, with no holds. Four seconds in, eight out by default; both sides adjustable.
The protocol
Inhale for a chosen number of seconds. Exhale for longer. No holds. In the app the inhale dial covers two to six seconds and the exhale four to twelve. The default is four in, eight out, which is the breathing half of 4-7-8 without the hold.
If four in, eight out feels like work, start at four in, six out and lengthen the exhale once that feels easy. The exhale should never feel forced.
Breathe through the nose if you can; through the mouth if the nasal channel feels obstructed. Don’t push the exhale to its absolute end. Leave a small reserve and inhale before you’ve emptied completely. If you feel dizzy, stop and breathe normally.
Best for
When you want to set your own ratio. No holds, nothing to learn.
Why it works
Extended exhale is the plainest form of a pattern that 4-7-8 and cyclic sighing share: the exhale runs longer than the inhale. We give you the ratio directly instead of wrapping it in a named ritual.
What the research does and doesn’t show
The direct test. Van Diest et al. (2014) had 30 people breathe at 6 or 12 breaths a minute, with the exhale either about 2.4 times as long as the inhale or the other way round. With the long exhale, participants reported more relaxation, stress reduction, mindfulness and positive energy. The long exhale also came with more high-frequency HRV power, but only at six breaths a minute. Slowing the breath, on its own, raised only the positive-energy score. One lab session, 30 people: a clear result, not a large one.
Slow breathing in general. Laborde et al. (2022) pooled 223 studies of voluntary slow breathing and found vagally mediated HRV higher during sessions, straight after a single session, and after multi-session programmes. That meta-analysis covers slow breathing broadly, not long exhales specifically.
Under pressure. Röttger et al. (2020) compared prolonged exhalation with tactical breathing while 30 people did a timed colour-word task under noise. Self-reported mood didn’t differ. Task performance was better with prolonged exhalation; physiological arousal was lower with tactical breathing.
What isn’t established. None of these studies tells you which long-exhale ratio is best. The 4:8 default is our convention, not a finding.
“Our results show that i/e ratio is an important modulator for the autonomic and subjective effects of instructed ventilatory patterns.”
When to use it
When you want to set your own ratio. Less ceremony than 4-7-8, with no hold to learn. More adjustable than resonance breathing. The technique to graduate to once the others feel mechanical.
Starting points: four in, six out when you only have two minutes; four in, eight out as a daily default; up to four in, twelve out for a longer session in the evening.
Or try a different technique