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Breathe along · Buteyko
Nasal Clear timer: breathe along online
Breathe in for 2, breathe out for 2, then pinch your nose and hold: 5 seconds for beginners, 10 for advanced. The orb breathes, you follow. Free, no sign-up, no cookies.
Ready?
Take a few normal breaths first
in 2 · out 2 · hold 5
If anything feels uncomfortable, just stop and breathe normally.
How it works
- Sit quietly and choose your level at the top: Beginner with a 5-second pause or Advanced with 10.
- Breathe in calmly through your nose while the orb grows: 2 seconds.
- Breathe out normally and gently, not especially deep, while the orb shrinks: 2 seconds.
- Pinch your nose while the orb stays small, and gently nod your head: 5 or 10 seconds.
- Let go of your nose as soon as the orb grows again, and keep breathing calmly through it, not hurried and not deep.
That’s one round, and it takes 9 seconds, or 14 on Advanced. One minute is plenty to start. Then just breathe normally.
Only hold your breath as long as it feels easy, never until you’re gasping for air. Never practice breath holds in or near water (including the bathtub), while driving, standing on unstable ground, or anywhere a brief blackout could be dangerous. If you feel dizzy or notice tingling in your hands or lips, stop and breathe normally. If you’re pregnant or have a heart or circulation condition, high blood pressure, epilepsy, glaucoma, or panic disorder, skip the exercise or check with your doctor first; there are no studies in pregnancy.1 Children and babies shouldn’t do breath-hold exercises.
Whether the exercise helps with a cold or hay fever hasn’t been studied. See a doctor promptly for a high fever, swelling or redness around the eyes, severe facial pain, sensitivity to light, or a stiff neck. See an ear, nose, and throat doctor for symptoms on one side only, discharge from one side, blood or crusting, a changed sense of smell, or swelling or numbness in your cheek.2
Gentle, not to the limit
The exercise is described in Buteyko practice. There, however, the instruction is to hold your breath as long as possible, until you feel strong air hunger.3 I don’t recommend that: long holds to the limit add strain for no good reason. That’s why the pauses here are short, five or ten seconds. Start with Beginner and only hold as long as it feels comfortable. After the pause, you should be able to keep breathing calmly without gasping.
What studies show
There’s no study on the exercise itself: I couldn’t find one testing whether holding your breath while nodding clears a stuffy nose. The suspected mechanism rests on small, old measurement studies in healthy noses. When you hold your breath, carbon dioxide in your blood rises. In a study of four people, nasal resistance dropped when they rebreathed air with more carbon dioxide.4 In nine healthy people, more carbon dioxide made the blood vessels in the nasal lining constrict.5 In a 1978 measurement study, holding the breath lowered nasal resistance in most people, but only from 30 seconds on.6 That’s much longer than the pauses here. These studies looked at healthy noses, not at the exercise or the nowa app.
No source explains why the nodding should help. It’s possible the small movement contributes something. That hasn’t been shown. More on this, including what has been shown instead: Can a breath hold unblock your nose? The Nasal Clear exercise, fact-checked.
This page shares general information about breathing exercises for relaxation and well-being. It is not medical advice and does not replace diagnosis or treatment by a licensed professional. nowa is a wellness app. It is not a medical device and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Only practice while it feels comfortable. If you feel dizzy or short of breath, or notice a racing heart, chest pain, or strong anxiety, stop and breathe normally. If you have a medical condition (for example a heart or lung condition, or epilepsy) or are pregnant, talk to your doctor or midwife before trying new breathing exercises. Never change prescribed treatment on your own.
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Sources
- Babbar S, Maulik D (2026). Nasal breathing in pregnancy: a narrative review of physiology, dysregulation and therapeutic interventions. Journal of Maternal-Fetal & Neonatal Medicine 39(1):2728784. doi.org/10.1080/14767058.2026.2728784
Review - Jangan A, Mughal Z, Ahmad A, Simmons M, Sheikh A, Mughal F (2024). Assessment and management of allergic rhinitis: a review and evidence-informed approach for family medicine. Journal of General and Family Medicine 25(6):305–308. doi.org/10.1002/jgf2.720
Review for primary care - McKeown P, O’Connor-Reina C, Plaza G (2021). Breathing re-education and phenotypes of sleep apnea: a review. Journal of Clinical Medicine 10(3):471. doi.org/10.3390/jcm10030471
Review; cited here for the description of the exercise - Dallimore NS, Eccles R (1977). Changes in human nasal resistance associated with exercise, hyperventilation and rebreathing. Acta Oto-Laryngologica 84(5–6):416–421. doi.org/10.3109/00016487709123985
Measurement study, 4 people - Shi YX, Seto-Poon M, Wheatley JR (1998). Alae nasi activation decreases nasal resistance during hyperoxic hypercapnia. Journal of Applied Physiology 85(1):294–300. doi.org/10.1152/jappl.1998.85.1.294
Experimental study, 9 healthy people - Hasegawa M, Kern EB (1978). The effect of breath holding, hyperventilation, and exercise on nasal resistance. Rhinology 16(4):243–249. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/741150
Measurement study, 51 people
All sources last checked on November 3, 2026.