Breathing Exercises

Updated October 2026 · Free

Breathe in Mixtuby on a TV, laptop, tablet and phone — Box Breathing in the hold phase, a glowing circle counting down the seconds, with the music playing in the mini player — Follow the circle on any screen while your YouTube music keeps playing underneath.

Mixtuby is a free guided breathing tool that runs over YouTube music in your browser. Pick one of seven techniques — Box, 4-7-8, the Physiological Sigh, Coherent 5-5, Long Exhale, Alternate Nostril or Wim Hof — and follow a circle that grows and shrinks with your breath. A session lasts from about 25 seconds to just over a minute, and your music keeps playing underneath. No account needed.

How It Works

1

Open Breathe

Tap Start Breathing. Mixtuby opens with the Breathe panel and the seven techniques.
2

Pick a technique

Each one is tagged with what it is for — Reduces stress, Wind down, Lower panic. The cards below open Breathe with that technique already picked.
3

Press Start and follow the circle

The circle grows as you breathe in, holds still while you hold, and shrinks as you breathe out. A count shows the seconds left in each phase.
4

Turn on the breath sounds (optional)

Sound is off by default, so it stays quiet in bed or at work. Turn it on in ⚙ to hear a soft breath that marks each phase, so you can close your eyes.
5

Repeat if you need another round

When the cycles are done, press Repeat for one more round, or simply go back to your music.

Seven Breathing Techniques, One Tap Each

Inhale Hold Exhale Pause Rapid breaths

Box Breathing

4 in · 4 hold · 4 out · 4 pause · 4 cycles ≈ 1 min

Four equal counts, easy to keep when your head is racing. The one to reach for under pressure, or when a craving hits.

Try Box

Physiological Sigh

2 short inhales · 1 long exhale · 3 cycles ≈ 25 s

The double inhale your body does by itself after crying. The fastest one here, and the one with the best trial behind it.

Try the Sigh

4-7-8

4 in · 7 hold · 8 out · 3 cycles ≈ 1 min

A long hold and an even longer exhale. Popular for falling asleep; do it in bed with the screen dimmed.

Try 4-7-8

Coherent 5-5

5 in · 5 out · no holds · 6 cycles = 1 min

Six breaths a minute, the pace heart-rate-variability research keeps coming back to. Calm without any holding.

Try Coherent

Long Exhale 4-8

4 in · 8 out through pursed lips · 6 cycles ≈ 1 min

Breathing out twice as long as you breathe in. Gentle, no holds, good for winding down after a long day.

Try Long Exhale

Alternate Nostril

4 in · 4 hold · 4 out, switching sides · 3 cycles

The yoga practice Nadi Shodhana. Slow and deliberate, a quiet way to settle before meditation or reading.

Try Alternate Nostril

Wim Hof

30 fast breaths · 15 s hold · 3 cycles

The opposite of the others — it wakes you up. Sit or lie down, never in water or at the wheel, and stop if you feel light-headed.

Try Wim Hof

Which Breathing Exercise for Which Moment

Moment	Technique	Why
Panic rising, heart racing	Physiological Sigh	The long exhale is the fastest way down, and it takes under half a minute.
A craving for a cigarette	Box Breathing	One minute of counting fills the minutes a craving needs to pass.
Before a presentation or an exam	Box Breathing	Equal counts are easy to keep when you are nervous.
Lying awake at night	4-7-8	A long exhale in the dark, with no screen to read.
Wired after work	Long Exhale 4-8	No holds to think about, just a slower way out.
Every day, to build the habit	Coherent 5-5	Six breaths a minute, the pace most of the research is on.
The 3 p.m. slump	Wim Hof	The only energising one. Sitting down, never in water or driving.

What the Research Says

Slow breathing is one of the few things that reliably calms the body on purpose. A 2018 review in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience (Zaccaro and colleagues, 15 studies) found that breathing under ten times a minute raises heart rate variability and shifts brain activity toward a calmer state. A 2023 meta-analysis of randomised trials in Scientific Reports (Fincham and colleagues) found small-to-medium drops in stress, anxiety and depression compared with people who did not practise.

The best single trial so far comes from Stanford. In 2023, Balban and colleagues had people practise for five minutes a day for a month (Cell Reports Medicine). Box breathing, the physiological sigh and fast breathing all improved mood, and the sigh — two inhales, one long exhale — did best, beating mindfulness meditation on mood and on slowing the breath. Coherent breathing at about six breaths a minute is the pace heart-rate-variability biofeedback is built on (Lehrer and Gevirtz, Frontiers in Psychology, 2014).

For cravings, the evidence is real but modest. In a 2004 study in Addictive Behaviors (McClernon and colleagues), smokers who did controlled deep breathing during four hours without cigarettes reported less craving. A 2026 meta-analysis in Addiction (Roxburgh and colleagues, 20 studies, 1,249 people) found controlled breathing lowered cravings across substances, with a small effect. It is a way through the next few minutes, not a cure.

Some popular claims go further than the studies. Box breathing and 4-7-8 are easy to remember, but they have been studied far less than their fame suggests. The Wim Hof study everyone quotes (Kox and colleagues, PNAS, 2014) had twelve trained men and twelve controls. Breathing exercises help you feel calmer; they are not a treatment for an anxiety disorder, and if panic or insomnia keep coming back, talk to a doctor.

Pairs Well With

🍅 Pomodoro

Focus in rounds, and spend the five-minute break breathing instead of scrolling.

🕰️ Nightstand

After 4-7-8 in bed, a dim bedside clock with a sleep timer for the music.

Real Moments to Use It

The 10 a.m. cigarette craving

You quit three weeks ago and the coffee-break urge is back. Breathe instead of reaching for the pack, and the worst of it passes while you count.

Box · 4 cycles · about 1 minute

Two in the morning, still awake

Phone on the pillow, screen dimmed, Sound on so you can close your eyes and follow the breath by ear.

4-7-8 · eyes closed · Sound on

In the car park before an interview

Engine off, five minutes early, hands cold. Long enough to slow down, short enough not to be late.

Physiological Sigh · 25 seconds

After a hard call at work

Close the laptop lid halfway, keep your playlist going and give yourself one minute before the next email.

Long Exhale 4-8 · 1 minute

A Pomodoro break, without scrolling

Five minutes of rest that leave you calmer than the feed would. The timer keeps running while you breathe.

Coherent 5-5 · in the break

Before you open the meditation

Ten minutes of sitting is easier when the first minute is spent on the breath, not on your thoughts.

Alternate Nostril · then Meditation

One minute is enough to start

No account, nothing to install. Your music keeps playing while you breathe.

Start Breathing — Free

Breathing Exercises — FAQ

Which breathing exercise calms anxiety the fastest?

The physiological sigh — two short inhales through the nose, then one long, slow exhale. In Mixtuby it takes about 25 seconds. In a 2023 Stanford trial it improved mood more than box breathing or mindfulness. It eases the moment; it is not a treatment for an anxiety disorder.

Does box breathing help with cigarette cravings?

It can help you ride one out. Studies on controlled breathing and cravings find a small but real effect, and a craving usually fades within minutes. Breathe in for 4, hold for 4, out for 4, pause for 4; Mixtuby paces four cycles, about a minute.

Can I do breathing exercises in bed to fall asleep?

Yes. Use 4-7-8 or Long Exhale with the screen dimmed. Turn on Sound in ⚙ and you can close your eyes and follow the breath sounds. Your music keeps playing, so a quiet playlist works well underneath.

How long should a breathing exercise take?

One session here lasts between 25 seconds and just over a minute. In the Stanford study, five minutes a day was enough to improve mood over a month, so a few rounds with Repeat is plenty.

Is Wim Hof breathing safe?

Only sitting or lying down. Never practise it in or near water, while driving, if you are pregnant, or if you have a heart or seizure condition, and stop if you feel light-headed. Mixtuby shows this warning before you start.

Is it free, and does the music stop while I breathe?

It is free, with no account. The music keeps playing; you can pause it, or hide the mini player, from ⚙.

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