Free breathing timer
Box breathing timer: guided 4-4-4-4, free in your browser
Box breathing is a pattern of four equal steps: breathe in for 4, hold for 4, breathe out for 4 and hold for 4, then repeat. Press start on the box breathing timer on this page and follow the dot round the square, right here in your browser.
By Amanda Perry, founder of Reset Buddy and author of From Burnout to Breakthrough
Updated 29 October 2026
Box breathing timer
In 4, hold 4, out 4, hold 4
Get ready
3
Press start. You get a 3-second count first.
One round is about 16 seconds. Breathe gently, and stop if you feel dizzy.
How to do box breathing
Start by breathing out fully, then follow these four steps. One round takes 16 seconds.
Breathe in through your nose for 4
Slow and comfortable. The dot travels up the left side of the square.
Hold gently for 4
Stay full, with your shoulders and jaw soft. The dot crosses the top.
Breathe out for 4
Through your mouth or nose, slow and even. The dot comes down the right side.
Hold empty for 4
Stay still and easy. The dot goes back along the bottom, and the next round begins.
Start with 4 rounds, about a minute. If it feels good, build up to 5 minutes. If counting to 4 feels too long, use 3 instead: in 3, hold 3, out 3, hold 3. The shape matters more than the number.
Why people use box breathing
Box breathing, also called square breathing or four-square breathing, gives your mind a simple, even pattern to follow. Many people find that steadying when their thoughts are racing, because counting and tracing the square leaves less room for the worry.
Box breathing was one of the practices in a month-long Stanford study of daily breathing exercises (Balban et al., 2023, Cell Reports Medicine). Positive mood rose across the groups, and cyclic sighing, which has a long out-breath and no holds, lifted it the most. Anxiety fell by a similar amount in all the groups.
More broadly, slow breathing has strong research behind it: a meta-analysis of randomised trials found breathwork lowered self-reported stress (Fincham et al., 2023). See the studies, and their limits, on our science page.
Box breathing or the physiological sigh?
Both are short and you can do them anywhere. The difference is the holds. Box breathing has two, and if you feel panicky or short of breath, holding can feel uncomfortable. In that case, try the physiological sigh or slow breathing with a longer out-breath instead. The Reset Buddy app never asks you to hold your breath in anxious moments for the same reason.
Box breathing tends to suit times when you want focus and steadiness: before a presentation, when you can't settle to a task, or lying in bed with a busy mind. For a full routine, try the 5-minute nervous system reset.
Using the box breathing timer
- Choose 1, 2 or 5 minutes, or "Until I stop" to keep going as long as you like.
- Press start. You get a 3-second count before the first breath.
- Follow the dot round the square, or switch to the orb if you prefer a circle that grows and shrinks.
- Turn on soft tones to hear a gentle note at each change, so you can close your eyes.
- The words (breathe in, hold, breathe out) and a countdown always show inside the guide. If your device is set to reduce motion, the orb switches between two sizes instead of growing and shrinking.
Safety: keep the holds easy
Keep the breaths gentle and the holds relaxed, never forced. If you feel dizzy, light-headed or panicky, skip the holds or shorten them to 2, and stop if you feel worse. You can always breathe normally.
If you have a heart or lung condition, or you're pregnant, check with your doctor before doing breath holds.
Keep going
More free tools and guides
- Physiological sighTwo breaths in through the nose, one long breath out. A guided reset in under a minute.
- Interactive feelings wheelTap how you feel, find the exact word, then try a reset matched to it.
- 5-minute nervous system resetBreathe, shake it out, ground yourself, take one small step. Guided and free.
- When everything feels too muchA free 90-second reset, then six steps for calming down when you're overwhelmed.
- Overwhelmed at workA discreet 90-second reset for your desk, between meetings and before your inbox.
- The science behind the resetsThe published research behind each technique, graded honestly, with its limits.
- Free Right-Now Reset KitSix two-minute resets on one pocket card, sent to your inbox.
Want breathing matched to how you feel?
Reset Buddy starts with a feelings wheel. Tap how you feel, breathe with a calm orb, then do one simple activity matched to that feeling. About 2 to 5 minutes, with nothing to figure out.
Start your free trial. After that, $4.99 a week, $9.99 a month or $79.99 a year. Cancel any time.