Coherent (resonance) breathing: a pacer for 5.5 breaths a minute
No holds, no effort: five and a half seconds in, five and a half seconds out, which comes to just under 5.5 breaths a minute. This is the rhythm used in resonance frequency breathing.
How to do it
- Sit upright with your hands resting. Breathe in through the nose, smoothly, as the circle grows. Breathe out as it shrinks, without forcing the end of the breath.
- Keep the breath light and quiet, with no pause at the top or bottom. Let the circle do the counting.
- Ten to twenty minutes is typical in research settings; five minutes is a fine start.
What the research says
Resonance frequency breathing aims for the pace at which heart rate and breathing line up most strongly. In adults this is usually between about 4.5 and 6.5 breaths a minute, and varies from person to person (Lehrer and Gevirtz, 2014). Around six a minute is a common starting point, and this pacer sits just below it.
A systematic review and meta-analysis found that voluntary slow breathing is associated with changes in heart rate variability (Laborde et al., 2022). Whether that translates into lasting benefits for you is less certain, and trained practitioners tune the pace with a biofeedback device. Treat this as a pleasant, calming rhythm rather than a treatment.
Take care. Breathe gently, never to the point of strain. If you feel light-headed, stop and return to normal breathing. If you have a medical condition, ask your doctor before making it a daily practice.
Sources
- Lehrer PM, Gevirtz R. Heart rate variability biofeedback: how and why does it work? Frontiers in Psychology, 2014;5:756. doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00756
- Laborde S, Allen MS, Borges U, et al. Effects of voluntary slow breathing on heart rate and heart rate variability: a systematic review and a meta-analysis. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 2022;138:104711. doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104711
- 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. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 2018;12:353. doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2018.00353