Sweatlas

Sunrise Breath

Slow your breathing for a few minutes with a sun that rises as you breathe in and sets as you breathe out. Choose a pattern, press start, and follow the light.

Ready when you are

5:00 left6 breaths a minute

Pattern
Length

Breathe gently through the nose where you can. Stop if you feel dizzy or light-headed, and never practise while driving or in water.

Why five minutes

In a one-month randomized trial, daily breathwork, especially exhale-focused cyclic sighing, improved mood and lowered resting breathing rate more than the same time spent on mindfulness meditation.

Slow breathing means fewer than 10 breaths per minute; reviews link it with higher heart rate variability and feelings of relaxation and comfort.

How much sleep do you need?Today's ritual

Sources

  1. Balban MY, Neri E, Kogon MM, et al. Brief structured respiration practices enhance mood and reduce physiological arousal. Cell Rep Med. 2023;4(1):100895. doi:10.1016/j.xcrm.2022.100895
  2. Zaccaro A, Piarulli A, Laurino M, et al. How breath-control can change your life: a systematic review on psycho-physiological correlates of slow breathing. Front Hum Neurosci. 2018;12:353. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2018.00353
Gear that helpsA sleep kit: darkness, quiet and honest trackingOpen the guide

How Sunrise Breath paces you

Each pattern is a fixed rhythm: the sun rises over the exact length of your inhale and sets over your exhale. Cyclic sighing is an exhale-focused pattern, and in a one-month randomized trial, five minutes a day of breathwork, cyclic sighing most of all, improved mood more than the same time spent on mindfulness meditation 1.

Slow breathing means fewer than 10 breaths a minute, and reviews link it with higher heart rate variability and feelings of relaxation 2. All three patterns in this tool run at about six breaths a minute or slower.

How to use it

Five minutes is the daily dose that trial used 1. Try it after training, before bed, or between work and home. Breathe gently, mostly through the nose, and stop if you feel light-headed.

Our guide Breathe & recover places breathwork alongside sleep, easy days and deloads.

Questions people ask

What is cyclic sighing?

Two inhales through the nose, the second a short top-up, followed by a long, slow exhale through the mouth. In the 2023 study, it was the breathing practice with the largest effect on mood compared with mindfulness 1.

How long should I practise breathwork each day?

The trial used five minutes a day for a month 1. Start there; consistency matters more than length.

Box breathing or cyclic sighing?

Both were part of the 2023 study, and all breathwork groups were compared with mindfulness meditation; cyclic sighing showed the larger effect 1. Pick the one you enjoy and will repeat.

Why does slow breathing feel calming?

Reviews link breathing under 10 breaths a minute with higher heart rate variability and feelings of relaxation and comfort 2.

Sources

  1. Balban MY, Neri E, Kogon MM, et al. Brief structured respiration practices enhance mood and reduce physiological arousal. Cell Rep Med. 2023;4(1):100895.
  2. Zaccaro A, Piarulli A, Laurino M, et al. How breath-control can change your life: a systematic review on psycho-physiological correlates of slow breathing. Front Hum Neurosci. 2018;12:353.

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Sunrise Breath

A calm, guided breathing timer: cyclic sighing, box breathing or slow breathing, with a sun that rises and sets with each breath.

For educational purposes only. Not medical advice. Talk to your doctor before changing your training, diet or supplements, especially if you're pregnant, have a condition or take medication.