Two minutes to reset

The problem

You're wound up and the next meeting starts in five minutes. Opening a meditation app, logging in and picking a session takes most of that.

How Breathe works

Pick a pattern: Physiological sigh for the fastest calm-down, Box for steady focus, 4-7-8 to wind down, Coherent for slow even breaths, Extended exhale to settle a spike, or Energise for a short lift. Pick a length and press Start.

The circle grows on breathe in, holds, and shrinks on breathe out. At each change you hear a chime or a recorded voice, and feel a tap on the trackpad. The notch stays open until the session ends, so nothing closes on you mid-breath.

Space pauses, Escape ends. Three voices are bundled with the app, so it works offline and nothing is generated or streamed.

Tips

• The physiological sigh is two inhales and a long exhale. Three rounds is enough.
• Reduce motion in Settings swaps the animation for a fade.

Questions

Which pattern should I use?

Sigh or Extended exhale when you're stressed, Box before hard work, 4-7-8 before sleep, Coherent for a longer calm session, Energise before a meeting.

Are the voices generated live?

No. They're recorded clips bundled with the app. Nothing leaves your Mac and there's no delay.

Can I do it silently?

Yes. Choose silence and follow the circle and the trackpad taps.

Goes well with

• Timers

  Pomodoro, countdown and stopwatch, without a window for a number.

• Habits

  Today's list on the left, six months of dots on the right.