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Breathe along · Calm

Quick Breath timer: breathe along online

Breathe in for 3, breathe out for 6. The orb breathes, you follow. Free, no sign-up, no cookies.

Ready?

Breathe gently, not deeply

in 3 · out 6

If anything feels uncomfortable, just stop and breathe normally.

How it works

  1. Sit comfortably, or just stay where you are, even at your desk: Quick Breath is barely noticeable.
  2. Breathe in calmly through your nose while the orb grows: 3 seconds.
  3. Breathe out while the orb shrinks: 6 seconds, twice as long as breathing in.
  4. When the orb is small, breathe in again without holding your breath.

That’s one round, and it takes 9 seconds. One minute is plenty to start. Then just breathe normally.

Breathe gently, not deeply, and only as much air as feels comfortable. If you feel dizzy or notice tingling in your hands or lips, you’re probably breathing too much; go back to normal breathing.

Twice as long out

With Quick Breath, the exhale takes twice as long as the inhale. This ratio is often explained with yoga.1 University Hospital Zurich teaches it as a counting exercise: count to three as you breathe in, then count down from six as you breathe out.2

If the exercise makes you more nervous

That happens. Breathe more gently and keep your eyes open. If that doesn’t help, a different way to unwind may suit you better, such as a walk.

What studies show

So far, studies have mostly looked at the longer exhale. Your heart beats slightly faster as you breathe in and slightly slower as you breathe out.3 And people who breathe out longer than they breathe in feel more relaxed in lab tests.1 Whether a twice-as-long exhale does more for your body than an equal one is unclear; the studies disagree.4 These studies tested the technique, not the nowa app.

I couldn’t find a study on this exact pattern, 3 seconds in and 6 out. More on this, including which exercise fits which moment: How to calm your nervous system fast: which breathing exercise works quickest?

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.

Embed on your site

Do you teach yoga, coach people, or write about breathing? Embed the breathing orb on your website for free. It only loads files from nowabreathing.com, sets no cookies, stores nothing in the browser and shows no ads.

See how it looks embedded: preview. For your privacy policy: when it loads, the browser sends the visitor’s IP address to nowabreathing.com (hosted by Cloudflare), as with any embedded content.

Sources

  1. Van Diest I, Verstappen K, Aubert AE, Widjaja D, Vansteenwegen D, Vlemincx E (2014). Inhalation/exhalation ratio modulates the effect of slow breathing on heart rate variability and relaxation. Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback 39(3–4):171–180. doi.org/10.1007/s10484-014-9253-x
    Lab study, 30 adults
  2. University Hospital Zurich, Institute for Complementary and Integrative Medicine (2020). Minis – einfache Atemübungen [Minis: simple breathing exercises]. Handout, Mini 3. In German. usz.ch (PDF)
    Hospital handout
  3. Yasuma F, Hayano J (2004). Respiratory sinus arrhythmia: why does the heartbeat synchronize with respiratory rhythm? Chest 125(2):683–690. doi.org/10.1378/chest.125.2.683
    Review
  4. Meehan ZM, Shaffer F (2024). Do longer exhalations increase HRV during slow-paced breathing? Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback 49(3):407–417. doi.org/10.1007/s10484-024-09637-2
    Two lab studies, 42 college students, with a literature review

All sources last checked on November 3, 2026.