Simple BreathworkA breath retention app for power-breathing rounds
Breathe deeply for 30 to 40 breaths, let the last one go and hold, then take a recovery breath. Simple Breathwork guides each part of the round with haptics and tones, and times every hold.
What a round looks like
Power breathing followed by a breath hold is one of the most popular styles of breathwork, and it's what Simple Breathwork was built around. Each round has three parts:
- Power breaths. 30 to 40 deep, rhythmic breaths. Breathe in fully, let the breath out without forcing it. An animated circle, gentle tones and haptics set the pace, so you don't have to count.
- The exhale hold. After the last breath, let the air out and hold with empty-ish lungs. Choose a guided ladder timer, which gives the hold a structure, or go unguided and tap once when you're ready to breathe.
- The recovery breath. Breathe in fully and hold gently for 15 seconds. Then let it go and begin the next round, or finish.
A session is a few of these rounds back to back. Because each phase has its own haptic pattern and tone, you can do the whole thing with your eyes closed, on iPhone or on Apple Watch.
Session lengths
Pick the session that fits the day:
| Session | Length |
|---|---|
| Quick | 5 minutes |
| Standard | 20 minutes |
| Heroic | 44 minutes |
| Custom | Your rounds, breaths per round and pace |
Custom sessions let you set the number of rounds, how many breaths in each round and how fast you breathe. If you're new, start with fewer rounds and a slower pace, and save the long sessions for when you know how you respond.
Safety comes first
Power breathing feels powerful because it changes your blood chemistry quickly. Breathing deeply and fast blows off carbon dioxide, and carbon dioxide is what drives the urge to breathe. With less of it, the urge arrives later, so you can hold for much longer than usual. But your oxygen doesn't last correspondingly longer. That gap is why people can faint during a hold after hyperventilating, sometimes without much warning.
That leads to rules that never bend:
- Never in or near water. This is the big one. Hyperventilating before a breath hold is a known factor in drownings, including among strong swimmers. Not in a pool, the sea or the bath.
- Never while driving, standing or walking, or anywhere losing focus could be unsafe.
- Seated or lying down, so a dizzy spell is harmless.
- Stop at a strong urge to breathe. Don't push a hold to beat a record.
- Check with a doctor first if you're pregnant or have a heart, lung, seizure or other health condition.
Tingling hands, light-headedness and a buzzing feeling are common during and after power breaths. If you feel unwell, stop and breathe normally. The breathwork safety guide goes deeper.
Tracking your holds
After every session you get a per-round summary of your hold times. Over time, personal records and analytics show your streaks, weekly practice, best hold and average hold. With Apple Health turned on, the summary can also show your average heart rate for each hold, and the session is saved as Mindful Minutes.
Hold times are interesting to watch, but they're not a score of your health. They move around with sleep, stress, food and how hard you breathed. If you want to understand the numbers, read the guide to typical breath hold times. If you just want to try a hold right now, there's a free breath hold timer on this site.
Building a regular practice
One round can be interesting. A regular practice is where you start to know your own patterns. Simple Breathwork has two ways in:
- The 7-day Fresh Start routine: one short session a day for a week.
- The 21-day program: three phases with a session each day, milestones at days 7, 14 and 21, and rest-day tokens.
A Home Screen widget, Live Activity and Dynamic Island keep your current session and streak in view, and reminders can nudge you at the start, middle or end of your workday.
Free and Premium
Simple Breathwork is free to download. Start Fresh, a guided two-minute reset, and Box Breathing are free every day with no account. Premium is $5.00 a month or $30.00 a year on the US App Store, and adds more sessions and programs. Check the App Store listing for exactly what's included today.
There's no account, no ads, and your session history stays on your device.
Questions
What is breath retention?
Breath retention means holding your breath on purpose, either after an inhale or after an exhale. In power-breathing rounds, the hold comes after you let the breath go, following a series of deep breaths.
How does a round work in Simple Breathwork?
Each round begins with 30 to 40 power breaths, paced by an animated circle, gentle tones and haptics. Then you exhale and hold, either on a guided ladder timer or unguided with a single tap to end. A 15-second recovery breath completes the round.
How long is a session?
Choose Quick (5 minutes), Standard (20 minutes) or Heroic (44 minutes), or set your own number of rounds, breaths per round and breathing pace.
Is power breathing safe?
It can cause tingling, light-headedness and fainting. Practice only seated or lying down, never in or near water, while driving or standing. If you are pregnant or have a heart, lung, seizure or other health condition, talk to a doctor first.
Why are my holds so much longer after power breathing?
Deep, fast breathing lowers carbon dioxide in your blood, which delays the urge to breathe. It doesn't give you a matching store of extra oxygen, which is why long holds after power breathing can lead to fainting with little warning.
General wellness information, not medical advice. Simple Breathwork is not a medical device. Breathing exercises and breath holds can cause dizziness, tingling or fainting: practice seated or lying down, never in or near water, while driving or standing. If you are pregnant or have a heart, lung, seizure or other health condition, talk to a doctor first.