Box & 4-7-8 Breathing: Ribwork

Train your breath, your ribcage and your midline with guided deep breathing exercises. Ribwork builds the breathing muscles around your ribs and the pressure control of your core through slow breathing, resisted breathing and Valsalva bracing. Open the app, tap anywhere, and follow a quiet drawing of your ribs as it widens on the in-breath and settles on the out-breath, or close your eyes and let soft sounds, a calm voice and gentle vibration keep the rhythm for you.

FREE: 4-7-8, BOX, EQUAL AND 4-7-6-6 BREATHING

• 4-7-8 breathing: in for 4, hold for 7, out for 8. The relaxing breath for winding down and falling asleep.

• Box breathing: in, hold, out and hold for 4 each. Square breathing to stay calm and focused under pressure.

• 4-7-6-6 breathing (4766): in for 4, hold for 7, out for 6, rest for 6. Slows you to about 2.6 breaths a minute.

• Equal breathing: in for 5, out for 5, the steady coherent breath.

• Make your own: set your own in, hold, out and hold counts, name it, and keep it in your list.

• Breath-hold practice: calm holds after a normal breath that grow a few seconds each time a session feels easy, with a Breathe now button whenever you need it.

• Hold check: measure your comfortable breath hold and start your practice at half of it.

• Daily reminder at the time you choose

• Sessions of 3, 5, 10 or 15 minutes, or open-ended

• Singing bowl or rising and falling breath tone

• Optional ocean or rain sounds

• Calm recorded voice guide and vibration cues

• Streaks and minutes practiced, kept on your device

• Four calm color themes, including light and dark

FULL APP (ONE-TIME UNLOCK)

• Resisted breathing: slow 12-second breaths in and out through a pinched nose or a pinhole in your fist, no equipment needed

• Valsalva maneuver: breathe in, bear down, recover, with 5, 10 or 15 second effort and a 3-2-1 countdown

• Müller maneuver: breathe out, pull in against a closed airway, recover

• Belt breaths: a guided setup puts a belt snug around your upper ribcage, then you breathe into it through belt breaths, arm raises, twists and side reaches, for ribcage expansion and midline control

• Bunny breathing: six quick sniffs in and six quick bursts out through the nose, to reset and refocus fast

• Yahweh breath prayer: breathe through your nose with your mouth closed, feeling "Yah" as you breathe in and "weh" as you breathe out, a slow, contemplative breath prayer taught by Richard Rohr

• Advanced progressions: head up, down, left and right built into 4-7-6-6, Valsalva, Müller, resisted breathing and belt breaths

• The voice guide talks you through every step, including each head position, so you never need to look at the screen

• Choose your rounds and recovery time

• Every exercise added later, at no extra cost

Clear safety notes come with every exercise and are free to read.

CALM BY DESIGN

No account. No ads. No subscription. No tracking. Works offline.

This app guides the timing of breathing exercises. It is not a medical device and does not give medical advice. Talk to your doctor before trying breath holds or maneuvers if you have a heart, lung, blood pressure or eye condition, or are pregnant.