Pursed Lip Breathing
Three seconds in through the nose, six seconds out through pursed lips. The core technique taught in pulmonary rehabilitation and the one most recommended for breathlessness.
5 min read
Breathe in through the nose for three seconds. Purse your lips as if about to whistle. Breathe out slowly over six seconds.
This technique comes from somewhere different from the others: not from relaxation practice but from pulmonary rehabilitation.
What it is good for
Pursed lips create a small resistance on the exhale. That resistance keeps the pressure inside the airways slightly raised until the end of the exhale.
Why that matters: in some lung conditions the small airways close early during the exhale and part of the air gets trapped inside. The next inhale arrives at a lung that is already full, and the feeling of breathlessness follows. The resistance helps hold those airways open to the end of the exhale.
This is one of the clearest mechanical rationales among breathing techniques. The effect isn't a feeling; it is about the physics of airflow.
Where the evidence stands
In people with COPD it is relatively well shown to reduce the sensation of breathlessness and to lower the breathing rate; it is a standard part of pulmonary rehabilitation programmes.
There is less research on its effect in healthy people. That it lowers the breathing rate and lengthens the exhale is certain — those follow from the definition of the technique.
The app is not a medical tool and doesn't offer this technique as a treatment. For anyone with a respiratory condition the right address is their doctor and a respiratory physiotherapist.
How to do it
Relax your shoulders. Breathe in through the nose for three seconds — the inhale is always through the nose.
Purse your lips as if to whistle, but don't clench them.
Breathe out slowly through the pursed lips over six seconds. Let the air leave like a thin line. Don't force it, don't push the last of the air out.
Common mistakes
Puffing the cheeks. If your cheeks puff, the pressure stays in your mouth and doesn't reach the airways. Keep the cheeks loose.
Emptying by force. Pushing out the air at the end of the exhale works against the point of the technique: pushing closes the airways early.
Breathing in through the mouth. The inhale is through the nose. Through the mouth, the air isn't filtered or moistened.
How the app measures it
Because the exhale is through the mouth and against resistance, the sound is pronounced. The thresholds are the same as for the family of mouth-exhale techniques.
What the measurement looks at most is the smoothness of the exhale: a steady breath through pursed lips shows very little variation in sound level. A broken or falling sound shows the exhale is being strained.
Who should take care
This is one of the gentlest techniques in the app and doesn't even include a hold. It is suitable for someone experiencing breathlessness too — it was developed for exactly those situations. Even so, if discomfort increases, stop.