How to do it
- Sit comfortably and breathe out gently.
- Breathe in through your nose for four.
- Hold softly with your lungs full for four.
- Breathe out through your nose or mouth for four, then begin again — no hold at the bottom.
Four rounds take under a minute; a few minutes makes a calm session. If four feels long, use three — just keep the three sides equal.
When it helps
Triangle breathing is box breathing with one side taken away: there is no hold after the out-breath. That makes it easier for beginners, for children, and for anyone who finds holding with empty lungs uncomfortable.
Use it to settle before you start something, in a short pause during the day, or as a way into the other exercises: once three sides feel easy, box breathing adds the fourth.
What the research says
Triangle breathing itself has hardly been studied. Slow breathing in general has: a review of 223 studies found it raises heart rate variability, a sign of the body’s rest-and-recover system at work.
Laborde et al., Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 2022A systematic review found slow breathing goes with more comfort and relaxation, and less arousal and anxiety, alongside changes in heart and brain activity.
Zaccaro et al., Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 2018Across 12 randomised trials with 785 adults, breathwork lowered stress compared with control groups.
Fincham et al., Scientific Reports, 2023
Few studies test triangle breathing on its own; these are studies of slow breathing and breathwork, not of Halebloom.
Take care
- The hold should feel easy. If you feel dizzy or short of breath, let it go and breathe normally.
- Don’t practise while driving or in water.
- If you are pregnant, or have a heart or lung condition, ask your doctor before practising breath holds.
- Halebloom is a wellness app, not a medical device, and breathing exercises are not a treatment for anxiety disorders.
Questions
Triangle or box breathing?
Triangle has three equal counts — in, hold, out — and no hold with empty lungs, so it is gentler. Box breathing adds that fourth side for a steadier, more focused rhythm.
Is triangle breathing good for kids?
Its three equal steps are easy to picture and to follow, so it is often taught to children. Keep the counts short — two or three — and the hold soft.
How long should I do it?
A minute or two is enough to notice it; a few minutes makes a calm session.
Some guides put the hold after the out-breath. Which is right?
Both versions exist. In Halebloom the hold comes after the in-breath — in, hold, out. What matters is three equal, easy counts.
What if I want something even simpler?
Try the extended exhale: no holds at all, just an out-breath a little longer than the in-breath.
In Halebloom
Triangle breathing, without counting.
In Halebloom, triangle breathing is one of six exercises — a gentle place to begin. A living world opens as you breathe in, holds with you and closes as you breathe out, so you never count; a voice (Pro) and soft taps from Apple Watch keep the rhythm with your eyes closed.
Free to download. Every exercise is free.
More exercises
- Resonance breathingCalm, even breathing · 5.5 · 5.5
- Cyclic sighingA quick reset · 2 + 1 · 6
- Box breathingSteady focus · 4 · 4 · 4 · 4
- 4-7-8 breathingTo wind down for sleep · 4 · 7 · 8
- Extended exhaleLetting the day go · 4 · 6
All six breathing exercises · All six — and a living world to follow each — are in Halebloom. See the app