Breathe
A free, guided breathing tool for when you’re anxious, overwhelmed, or can’t switch off. Pick how you feel, press begin, and let your breath follow the circle. No sign-up, nothing to install.
How are you feeling?
Lilt gently nudges you to do one small calming thing a day — breathing like this, timed and guided — and grows a garden as you go.
Open Lilt →Focused breathing timers
4 · 4 · 4 · 4 4-7-8 breathing
for winding down Physiological sigh
fastest reset Coherent breathing
5.5 · 5.5
Breathing exercises for anxiety, stress and sleep
Slow, guided breathing is one of the fastest ways to calm anxiety, take the edge off a panic spiral, ease stress when you’re overwhelmed, or wind down when you can’t sleep. Each technique below paces your breath for you — just follow the circle and let your body catch up.
The techniques, and when to use them
Box breathing (4-4-4-4). Equal counts — in, hold, out, hold. Used by first responders and the military to stay steady under pressure. Reach for it before a stressful moment or any time you want a calm, neutral rhythm to hold onto.
4-7-8 breathing. Breathe in for 4, hold for 7, breathe out for 8. The long hold and even longer exhale tip you firmly toward calm — a favourite for winding down before sleep.
The physiological sigh. Two inhales through the nose — a full breath, then a short second sip — followed by a long, slow exhale. Popularised by Stanford neuroscience as one of the fastest ways to offload stress in real time.
Coherent breathing (5.5 in · 5.5 out). Also called resonance breathing. About six breaths a minute — the pace shown to most steady heart-rate variability and quiet the nervous system. Good as a daily few-minute reset.
Longer exhale (4 in · 6 out). Simply making the out-breath longer than the in-breath nudges your body into "rest and digest" within a few rounds. The simplest way to calm anxiety fast.
Why slow breathing works
Slowing your breathing to around six breaths a minute stimulates the vagus nerve and shifts your body out of "fight or flight" into the calming "rest and digest" state. It raises heart-rate variability — a marker of a flexible, resilient nervous system — lowers the feeling of stress, and gives a racing mind a steady, countable rhythm to settle on. Lengthening the exhale is the key lever: that's when the calming response is strongest.
Common questions
What's the best breathing technique for anxiety?
Make your exhale longer than your inhale. A simple 4-in, 6-out pattern, or the physiological sigh, calms most people within a few rounds.
How long should I breathe for?
Even one to two minutes helps. Five to ten slow rounds is usually enough to feel a shift.
Is it really free?
Yes — no sign-up, no install. Bookmark it and come back whenever you need to slow down.
A gentle note
This tool shares general wellbeing techniques drawn from published research. It isn't medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If breath-holding feels uncomfortable, shorten the counts or just breathe slowly and evenly. If you're struggling or feeling unsafe, please reach out for support — in the US you can call or text 988; elsewhere, find a local line at findahelpline.com.