Viram
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Box breathing and coherent breathing

Box breathing (Sama Vritti) moves through four equal steps, in 4 · hold 4 · out 4 · rest 4 seconds, with short holds: about 3.8 breaths a minute. Coherent breathing is an even breath in and out, in 5.5 · out 5.5 seconds, with no holds: about 5.5 breaths a minute.

Written by Viram from the app’s own guides. Updated . How we write our guides.

Side by side

Box breathing (Sama Vritti)Coherent breathing
Rhythm, in secondsIn 4 · Hold 4 · Out 4 · Rest 4In 5.5 · Out 5.5
HoldsShort holds after the inhale and exhaleNone
PaceAbout 3.8 breaths a minuteAbout 5.5 breaths a minute
In Viram5 min · 19 rounds · 5:045 min · 28 rounds · 5:08
OriginClassical pranayamaModern breathing pattern
Take careKeep the holds easy. If one feels tight, shorten it or set it to Off.Keep breaths gentle. If you feel dizzy or tingly, stop and breathe normally.

Box breathing (Sama Vritti)

Equal breathing, in its box form: breathe in, pause, breathe out, pause, all to one count. To begin without the pauses, set the holds to Off.

What the research says

In small, short studies, mostly with healthy students, box breathing eased anxiety within a session, and one trial found it softened the body’s stress response compared with normal breathing. In the largest head-to-head trial, it did no better than mindfulness meditation and didn’t change heart rate variability. We found no long-term studies. It is not a treatment.

Read the Sama Vritti guide

Coherent breathing

Slow, even breaths, about five and a half a minute, in and out for the same time. There are no counts to keep: just follow the guide.

What the research says

Studies often observe higher heart rate variability during and shortly after slow breathing at this pace. In the largest controlled trial, 400 adults practised daily for four weeks at the University of Sussex: stress, anxiety, and mood improved both with this pace and with a faster placebo practice at 12 breaths a minute, with no significant difference between them. It hasn’t been shown to beat other slow breathing practices. It is not a treatment.

Read the Coherent breathing guide

If one doesn’t suit you

If a hold feels tight in box breathing, shorten it or set it to Off in Adjust rhythm. Coherent breathing has no holds, and in Viram it can slow gradually across a session.

Sources

  1. B.K.S. Iyengar (1981). Light on Pranayama. George Allen & Unwin.
  2. Patanjali (c. 4th century). Yoga Sutras, with the commentary of Vyasa. Translated by James Haughton Woods, 1914.
  3. Mark Divine (2016). The breathing technique a Navy SEAL uses to stay calm and focused. TIME.
  4. Balban MY et al. (2023). Brief structured respiration practices enhance mood and reduce physiological arousal. Cell Reports Medicine 4(1):100895.
  5. McAllister MJ et al. (2026). Box breathing and prolonged exhalation reduces markers of physiological stress reactivity in response to a virtual Trier Social Stress Test. Comprehensive Psychoneuroendocrinology 27:100360.
  6. Stephen Elliott (2005). The New Science of Breath.
  7. Richard P. Brown and Patricia L. Gerbarg (2012). The Healing Power of the Breath. Shambhala.
  8. Lehrer PM, Gevirtz R (2014). Heart rate variability biofeedback: how and why does it work?. Frontiers in Psychology 5:756.
  9. Laborde S et al. (2022). Effects of voluntary slow breathing on heart rate and heart rate variability: a systematic review and a meta-analysis. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews 138:104711.
  10. Fincham GW, Strauss C, Cavanagh K (2023). Effect of coherent breathing on mental health and wellbeing: a randomised placebo-controlled trial. Scientific Reports 13:22141.

A wellness practice, not medical advice. Breathe gently. If you feel dizzy or uncomfortable, stop and return to your normal breath.