4-7-8 Relax Breathing

Spencer Studios

About this app

The 4-7-8 breathing technique is a breathing pattern developed by Dr. Andrew Weil. It’s based on an ancient yogic technique called pranayama, which helps practitioners gain control over their breathing.

The technique can achieve the following:

• reduce anxiety

• help you to get sleep

• managing cravings

• controlling or reducing anger responses


How to do it:

Before starting the breathing pattern, adopt a comfortable sitting or lying position

• empty the lungs of air, breathe in quietly through the nose for 4 seconds

• hold the breath for a count of 7 seconds

• exhale through the mouth, pursing the lips and making a "whoosh" sound, for 8 seconds

• repeat the cycle up to 4 times

Dr. Weil recommends using the technique at least twice a day to start seeing the benefits sooner. He also suggests that people avoid doing more than four breath cycles in a row until they have more practice with the technique.

A person may feel lightheaded after doing this for the first few times. Therefore, it is advisable to try this technique when sitting or lying down to prevent dizziness or falls.

Ratings and reviews

Great app, simple to use. Thank you for making it ad free, even though it would have cost you development time/money 🙏 I also have a suggestion, whilst the voices are nice I do find them a distraction, especially when doing the breathing exercises with my eyes closed. In the next version could you add a beep noise at each stage (instead if spoken instructions), a different tone for each stage of the exercise, for when you're doing the breathing with eyes closed. Thank you 👍

Absolute perfection! Also respectful to give praise to Dr. Weil who popularized this. I needed this. It's perfect as is. The only added feature I may want is the ability to record my own voice and use it for the inhale, hold, exhale vocal cues. But it doesn't matter. I thank you for creating this!!! Edit. Please bring back the original voice in the first version as an option. The updated graphics are great tho.

Almost perfect, the only drawback is the app stops when the screen goes off. And also as Dr. Weil suggested you can do this exercise slower or faster. So the ability to slow it down, and still have your cues, voice or sound, would be perfect. Thanks for taking the time to make it.

What's new

- you can now select male or female voice for vocal cues