Usage notes
Last updated: 6 October 2026. These notes explain how to use Breathe and its limitations. They do not waive liability or restrict statutory rights.
Purpose and free use
Breathe is a free relaxation tool for quiet breaks and focus. No account is required. Voluntary support through Buy Me a Coffee is not a condition of use.
The breathing patterns are general guides, not personalised recommendations. Breathe does not diagnose conditions, promise medical benefits or replace medical advice or treatment. It is not suitable for emergencies or monitoring your breathing.
Practising safely and comfortably
Practise sitting or lying comfortably in a safe place. Breathe gently and only as deeply as feels comfortable. The rhythm is a guide – you do not have to follow the countdown. Shorten or skip holds if they feel uncomfortable. If you feel dizzy, short of breath or unwell, end the exercise and return to your normal breathing rhythm.
Do not use while driving, operating machinery, swimming or bathing. Breathe is a relaxation tool, not a replacement for medical advice or treatment.
Holds are optional. Shorten them or set them to 0 if they feel uncomfortable. Start with just a few breathing cycles.
A short safety introduction appears before the first start. “Continue” starts the session; there is no mandatory consent checkbox. You can also close the dialog without starting. Detailed safety guidance is always available below the simulation, including in focus view. Opening this guidance pauses an active session; closing it does not resume automatically.
When to stop or seek help
- The breathing rhythm should feel comfortable. Do not force anything; the countdown is only a guide.
- If you feel dizzy, tingly, lightheaded, short of breath or increasingly unwell, end the exercise and breathe normally.
- Seek medical advice if symptoms persist or recur.
- If you have a heart or lung condition, or are unsure whether the exercises are suitable, consult a doctor beforehand, particularly about exercises with breath holds.
- Severe or sudden breathlessness, severe chest pain or loss of consciousness may be emergencies. Breathe is not suitable for these situations. Contact the local emergency services; in Germany and the EU, call 112. The interface language does not determine your location.
- Do not replace prescribed medicines or treatments with Breathe.
If you feel unwell, use “End session” rather than waiting for the current phase or session to finish. The reminder to breathe normally is not a substitute for medical help when it is needed.
Breathing patterns and counts
- Box breathing: Four equal phases: inhale, hold, exhale, hold. Adjust the times to keep them comfortable.
- Balanced · 5–5: Equal inhalation and exhalation, without holds.
- Gentle · 4–6: A slightly longer exhalation, without holds.
- 4–7–8 breathing: Inhale for 4 counts, hold for 7, exhale for 8. No hold afterwards. Hold only as long as feels comfortable.
- Your own rhythm: Create your own rhythm. Use 0 counts to skip a hold.
The values are counts. At the default pace, one count equals one second. Adjust the pace so the exercise feels comfortable. By default, 1 count equals 1 second. A count can be set to last between 0.5 and 3 seconds. For example, 4 counts at 1.5 seconds per count make a 6-second phase. The 4–7–8 pattern is therefore not a compulsory sequence of seconds.
Inhalation and exhalation can each be set from 1 to 20 counts; holds from 0 to 20. A hold set to 0 is omitted entirely. Editing an individual phase selects the custom rhythm. Changing phase counts, pace, pattern or session length resets the session. These input ranges are technical limits, not a recommendation to use long phases.
Session controls
Choose a pattern, pace and comfortable session length first. Session length is set in minutes; 0 means no time limit. “Start” begins the guide after the safety introduction, if it is shown.
- Play/pause: pausing freezes the current position and stops active audio. “Resume” continues only after an explicit action from you.
- Stop symbol / End session: ends the session immediately without confirmation. Animation, phase countdown and active sounds stop. Afterwards, “Return to your normal breathing rhythm” is shown.
- Skip symbol / Skip hold: appears only during an active hold and moves directly to the next breathing phase. Display, animation and audio follow the change together.
- Reset: is available when the session is not running and returns the guide to the beginning.
A timed session ends automatically when its duration is reached, even during a breathing phase. You do not need to finish the current breath according to the countdown. Return to your normal rhythm. With no time limit, you end the session yourself.
Simulation and display
The gradient circle expands during inhalation, stays still during a hold and contracts during exhalation. The small tile shows the phase in text and the remaining counts. Its colour is an additional cue, not the only way to identify a phase. The outer ring shows progress through a timed session and is omitted for sessions without a time limit.
You can turn circle movement off. A reduced-motion preference reported by your device is respected when the page loads. The display, count and breath number are guides, not measurements of your actual breathing.
Breathing sounds and chimes
Breathing sounds and phase chimes are enabled by default and can be turned off independently. Saved preferences are respected when storage consent exists. Breathing noise grows gradually louder during inhalation and quieter during exhalation. A chime marks phase changes. A quiet completion sound fades out at the regular end if phase chimes are enabled. Ending manually does not play a completion sound.
Control volume on your device. Enabling an audio option may play a short preview. Sounds are generated locally in the browser; no microphone or camera is required. Muted tabs, system volume, output settings and browser restrictions may prevent playback. Visual guidance remains available without audio.
Focus view, fullscreen and screen wake lock
Focus view hides distracting page elements and attempts to enter fullscreen. If fullscreen is unsupported or denied, the reduced in-page view remains usable. Use the focus button to leave it. Exiting fullscreen through browser controls is also recognised. End session and safety guidance remain available in focus view.
“Keep screen awake” requests a screen wake lock during a running session while the page is visible. This depends on browser and device support. Power-saving mode or moving to the background may revoke it. It does not prevent manual device locking. The wake-lock request is released when the session is paused or ended.
Background pause and technical limitations
When you switch tabs or the page is reported as hidden, the session pauses and audio stops. Returning does not resume it automatically; explicitly select “Resume”. Missed chimes are not replayed in a batch. Reloading or closing ends the current session; a running state is not restored.
Breathe runs in your browser. Sleep, device locking, power-saving, browser load and other technical restrictions may delay or interrupt display and audio. Background pausing, fullscreen and screen wake lock are not substitutes for reliable device functions. Do not rely on Breathe for medical monitoring, emergencies or safety-critical timing.
Local preferences and privacy
Without consent, preferences and the first-start guidance status are held only in the current page’s memory. Enabling “Remember settings on this device” saves the pattern, counts, pace, session length, audio options, circle movement, wake-lock preference, guidance status and appearance settings locally in this browser. The current running session is not saved.
Disabling storage or clearing preferences under “Local settings” removes saved values. There is no cross-device synchronisation. Private browsing, blocked storage or cleared browser data may prevent restoration. Breathe has no accounts or custom application backend; the application does not send breathing preferences to us. This is separate from technical access data processed by hosting.
Questions and feedback
If something does not work, describe the issue and include your browser and device: jacktoolsnet@gmail.com.
Further reading: Gentle breathing exercises (NHS) · Emergency number 112 in the EU.
German is the editorial original; the English version is a translation.