Which technique, and when
Before sleep, a break at your desk, a moment of anger, before an exam or a presentation. Which technique to pick for the situation, and why.
6 min read
The app already suggests a technique, but it helps to know what to choose when you want something particular. Let's go situation by situation.
Before sleep
4-7-8 or Extended Exhale. In both, the exhale is clearly longer than the inhale, and the heart slows on the exhale.
4-7-8 is stronger, but a seven-second hold doesn't suit everyone. If the hold feels hard, Extended Exhale does the same job with a shorter one.
Left Nostril Breathing is also for the evening: through the left nostril only, four in and six out.
Do it before you get into bed, not in it: looking at your phone's screen doesn't help sleep.
During a work break: a breathing break at your desk
Box Breathing or Triangle Breathing. A counted rhythm ties your attention to a single task.
Two or three minutes is enough. These are the most useful right before a meeting or a piece of work that needs focus.
You don't need to leave your desk. Instead of leaning back in your chair, sit up straight with your feet on the floor. Look away from the screen and lift your shoulders once, then let them drop. After a long stretch at a screen the breath often gets short and climbs into the chest. A few slow rounds bring it back down. If you keep forgetting the break, set a reminder for a fixed time of day.
In a moment of anger or tension
The Physiological Sigh. One to three repeats is usually enough — this technique isn't meant to be sustained for minutes, it is for sudden tension.
The body already does this by itself. Doing it deliberately means bringing that reflex forward.
Before an exam or a presentation
For a moment you know is coming, the preparation starts a few minutes earlier. Ten to fifteen minutes before, take two or three minutes in a quiet corner. Before a written exam, Box Breathing gathers your attention on a single task. Before a moment when you will speak, such as a presentation, an oral exam or an interview, a calm rhythm with a long exhale suits better: Extended Exhale or Coherent Breathing.
While you wait for your turn, you don't need a screen. Take two or three physiological sighs, or simply keep your exhale longer than your inhale. No one next to you will notice.
Don't try a new technique on the day. A technique you have done a few times in the days before comes back on its own in that moment.
When you feel sleepy or dull
The Energizing Breath. It is capped at one minute, and that is deliberate: fast breathing for longer can make you dizzy.
Right Nostril Breathing is a gentler option: no fast breathing, just an even rhythm through the right nostril.
Don't do either late in the day. After eight in the evening the app reminds you of this too.
When your breathing feels tight
Pursed Lip Breathing. This is the technique taught in pulmonary rehabilitation, developed for the feeling of breathlessness.
It can be done without a screen while climbing stairs or when your breath gets tight: three seconds in through the nose, six seconds out through pursed lips.
On a hot day
Cooling Breath. Air drawn between the teeth leaves a clear coolness in the mouth.
The feeling is real, but it doesn't lower your body temperature: measurements showed no drop. The coolness is in the mouth and throat.
When your mind is scattered
Alternate Nostril. Following the finger, the nostril and the rhythm at once leaves the mind no room for anything else.
It is the technique in the app that demands the most coordination, which is why it is one of the last to unlock.
When you just want to calm down
Coherent Breathing or Deep and Slow. Neither has a hold, there is nothing to count, only a slow wave.
For anyone new to breathing exercises these are the best start. That is why they are open from the beginning.
In the morning, if you want a stronger stimulant
Kapalabhati is a stimulating technique, but it is also the one to approach most carefully. It is one of the last techniques to unlock in the app, and if you have a health note, the app steers you away from it.
If none of the warnings apply to you and you are curious, the first session comes slow and single-round anyway.
If you can't decide
Take the suggestion at the top of the list. It is chosen from your goal, the time of day, your recent sessions and what you have done today — most of the time it is a sensible pick.