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About this tool
Guided inhale, hold and exhale pacing for box breathing, nadi shodhana, 4-7-8 and the classic 1:4:2 ratio.
The Pranayama Practice Timer paces pranayama by ratio rather than by fixed seconds: every pattern is stored as puraka : antara kumbhaka : rechaka : bahya kumbhaka (inhale : hold in : exhale : hold out), and you set how many seconds one count lasts. That is how these practices are traditionally taught — the ratio stays constant while the count lengthens as capacity grows. It covers sama vritti, extended exhale, box breathing, nadi shodhana, ujjayi, bhramari, 4-7-8 and the classic 1:4:2 ratio, and shows breaths per minute and how many full rounds fit your session.
Open Pranayama Practice Timer on AltFTool — it loads instantly in your browser.
Pick a Breathing pattern — each option carries its ratio, from Sama Vritti (equal breathing) and Nadi Shodhana / Anulom Vilom to the 4-7-8 relaxing breath and Classic yogic ratio 1:4:2 — then set Seconds per count (0.5 to 20) and Session length (minutes).
Press Start to run the pacer: it names the current phase, counts the seconds left in it, fills a progress bar and tracks elapsed time against the session; Pause holds it and Restart returns the session to zero.
One breath takes shows the cycle length in seconds with rows for Ratio, Inhale, Retention (both holds), Exhale, Breathing rate in breaths/min, Full rounds in the session and Time those rounds take, plus a Phase timeline for one breath table of Phase, Seconds and Starts at. Copy plan copies it.
Change one number — the count length — and every phase scales with it.
Phases longer than 60 seconds are refused, and heavy retention patterns carry a clear caution.
See breaths per minute and exactly how many full rounds fit the minutes you have.
Inhale quietly through the nose for a count of 4, hold the breath for 7, then exhale audibly through the mouth for 8. It was popularised by Dr Andrew Weil, who teaches it as four cycles at a time — about 76 seconds in total at a one-second count.
It is the classical ratio of inhale to retention to exhale — for every 1 count of inhale, hold for 4 and exhale for 2. At a 3-second count that is 3 seconds in, 12 seconds held, 6 seconds out. Because retention makes up more than half the breath, it is traditionally learned only under a teacher's supervision.
Most calming pranayama lands between roughly 3 and 6 breaths per minute, well below a resting rate of 12 to 18. Box breathing at a 4-second count is 3.75 breaths per minute; an extended 1:2 exhale at a 4-second count is 5 breaths per minute.
Breath holding is generally not advised in pregnancy, uncontrolled high blood pressure, glaucoma, epilepsy or significant heart or lung conditions, and it should be avoided if you feel light-headed. Patterns without retention, such as equal breathing or a longer exhale, give most of the calming effect. This is informational guidance — check with your doctor about your own situation.