This timer paces two gentle breathing practices, Nadi Shodhana (alternate nostril breathing) and Bhramari (the humming bee breath). It tells you when to breathe in and when to breathe out, with a circle that grows and shrinks and a few words for each breath. It has no breath holds, no forceful breathing and no long counts, and it has a stop button that stays on the screen the whole time. It is a tradition and a teaching convention, not a class, not a treatment and not advice for your own body.
Why only these two, and why so gentle
Breathing practices need more care than postures. The stronger kinds, with rapid forceful breaths or long holds, can affect blood pressure and heart rate and can bring on dizziness, and they are not suitable for everyone. The classical medical texts of Ayurveda do not set out these exercises. They come from the hatha yoga literature, which describes some of them with long retention and counted ratios. This site teaches only the gentle forms, and so does this timer.
Nadi Shodhana and Bhramari are the two quiet ones on this site’s yoga and pranayama pages. Both can be done with slow, easy breaths and nothing else. The timer leaves out the other practices on purpose, since they are livelier, and a timer cannot see whether you are comfortable.
How the timer works
First the tool asks one question, whether any of a short list of situations applies to you. The list covers heart and lung conditions, asthma, blood pressure, glaucoma, epilepsy, a past stroke, ear problems, a blocked nose, anxiety that breathing exercises make worse, feeling unwell, recent surgery, pregnancy and children. If you answer yes, it shows no timer at all and asks you to speak to your doctor first.
If you answer no, you choose the practice, the pace and the number of rounds. The pace is how many seconds each breath lasts: 4 in and 5 out is the easy default, 5 and 6 is slower, and 3 and 4 is shorter. In every case the out-breath is one second longer than the in-breath, which the Nadi Shodhana page allows, and the breaths follow one another with no pause. A round of Nadi Shodhana is four breaths, in through the left nostril, out through the right, in through the right and out through the left. A round of Bhramari is two breaths, in through the nose and a soft hum on the way out. You can choose 3, 5, 7 or 10 rounds, and 10 is the most the timer allows, which is under four minutes at the slowest pace.
When you press Start, the screen shows the breath you are on, the round, the seconds left in the breath and the time left in the session. Press Stop at any moment and everything stops. It also stops if you press Escape or if the page is hidden, because a timer running in a background tab is no use to anyone. If your device is set to reduce motion, the circle stays still and the words and the bar do the pacing.
What to do before and after
Sit on a chair or a cushion with your back upright and supported, and the shoulders soft. Practise on an empty stomach and in clean air. Read the page for the practice first, so that the hand position and the touch are familiar. If your nose is blocked, skip the fingers and breathe through both nostrils, or leave the practice for another day. For Bhramari, leave out any touching of the ears and eyes, and use the silent version if the hum bothers you.
Stop at once if you feel dizzy, light-headed, short of breath, anxious or in any pain, and breathe normally. When the timer ends, sit quietly for a minute and notice how you feel. Five rounds is a gentle beginning. Doing less is fine, and doing more is not better.
What research says
Small studies suggest that slow, controlled breathing may reduce the sense of stress and may lower heart rate or blood pressure briefly in some people. The trials are small and differ in method, and many are of low quality, so the evidence is not strong and cannot support firm conclusions. There is no good evidence that either practice treats any disease, including high blood pressure, anxiety or tinnitus. The US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health advises caution with breathing techniques for people with medical conditions, and advises beginners to avoid forceful ones.
To go further, read yoga and pranayama in an Ayurvedic routine, the pages for Nadi Shodhana and Bhramari, and evening and sleep, where calm breathing fits at the end of the day. The gentle yoga sequence sits beside this timer. Please also read the medical disclaimer, see a doctor before starting breathing practices if you have a health condition, and a registered Ayurvedic practitioner if you want Ayurvedic treatment.
Frequently asked questions
↳ Does the timer include breath holds?
No. Every breath is an in-breath or an out-breath, one straight after the other. Breath holds can affect blood pressure and cause dizziness, so if you want to learn them, do so only with a qualified teacher and after asking a doctor.
↳ How many rounds should I do?
Five rounds is a gentle beginning, and the timer allows up to ten. Stop if you feel dizzy or uneasy. Doing less is fine, and doing more is not better.
↳ Why does the timer ask a health question first?
Breathing practices can affect blood pressure, the heart and lungs, the ears and the mind, and the right practice depends on you. If any listed situation applies, the tool shows no timer and asks you to see your doctor first.
↳ Which nostril do I start with?
The timer starts with the left, as many teachers do, but others start on the right. Either is acceptable. What matters is keeping the breath slow, quiet and easy.
↳ Can I use it with my eyes closed?
Yes. Look at the circle for the first round to learn the rhythm, then close your eyes if that is comfortable. Press Stop, or Escape, if you need to end early.