Finding your own pace
The five and a half seconds of Coherent Breathing is an average. You can measure the breathing speed that suits you best and have the app run at it.
4 min read
By default Coherent Breathing runs at five and a half seconds in, five and a half seconds out. That is an average.
The match between breathing speed and the heart's rhythm doesn't peak at the same speed for everyone: for some it is five breaths a minute, for others six and a half. The app can measure this for you.
How the measurement works
When you pick Coherent Breathing in the technique list, a line appears underneath: find your own pace.
The measurement tries several different speeds in turn. At each speed you breathe for a short while, and the app measures how evenly your breath holds that speed.
While it runs, the screen tells you which speed you are on. Tap End the measurement and the result up to that point is used; tap Restart the measurement and it starts over.
The result
When the measurement finishes, the value it found is saved and Coherent Breathing runs at that speed from then on. It appears in Settings on the Coherent Breathing pace row, with a note saying where it came from: Found by measurement or Set manually.
If you don't like it you can change it by hand. When you try to, the app asks once — because you are writing over a value that was measured.
When to measure again
Your resonance pace isn't something that changes quickly. Measuring again after a few months, or after a stretch of regular practice, can make sense.
Don't measure on a day when you are ill, very tired, or have just exercised — the result will reflect that day's state.
It isn't required
Coherent Breathing works without the measurement. Five and a half seconds is a reasonable value for most people. This measurement is for anyone who wants a little more from their breathing.
While measuring
Do it somewhere quiet with the microphone on. The measurement relies on hearing your breath; if it can't be heard, the result won't be reliable.
The measurement takes a few minutes. If you cut it short, a result is worked out from the data so far, but it isn't as reliable as a full measurement.