Reduce stress
Activate the parasympathetic system with extended-exhale patterns.
BreathFly is a breath training app.
Learn the right breathing pattern for the right moment.
20+ patterns
100+ studies cited
Free, no account
Privacy-first
Your goals
Breathe with purpose
Every pattern in BreathFly is mapped to a specific outcome backed by published research.
Sleep better
Wind down with 4-7-8 — Dr. Andrew Weil's "natural tranquilizer".
Sharpen focus
Box breathing trains attention under pressure — same as elite operators.
Boost energy
Stimulating patterns for clean alertness — no caffeine required.
Plus respiratory health, emotional balance, and recovery — each with its own research-cited pattern set inside the app.
How it works
From open to exhale in three steps
Designed to remove every drop of friction between you and a calmer minute.
Tell us your goal
A 60-second onboarding maps your goals, experience, and lifestyle into a personalized routine.
Pick a pattern, breathe
Tap a research-cited pattern. Smooth visuals guide the inhale and exhale, with haptic feedback — no instructions needed.
Build a real habit
Smart, deep-linked reminders. Tap the notification, the session starts. Streaks & HRV trends do the rest.
Backed by science
Featured patterns
Each technique cites the peer-reviewed study or expert source it comes from — readable inside the app.
Cyclic Sighing
"The fastest path from stressed to settled."
Two short nasal inhales, one long mouth exhale. In Stanford's 2023 controlled study (Balban et al., Cell Reports Medicine), five daily minutes outperformed mindfulness meditation, box breathing, and cyclic hyperventilation for mood improvement.
In 1s
In 2s
Out 4s
Box Breathing
"Performance under pressure."
Equal-count inhale, hold, exhale, hold. Used by Navy SEALs and elite operators to maintain decision-making clarity in high-stress situations. Trains autonomic flexibility and respiratory control.
In 4s
Hold 4s
Out 4s
Hold 4s
4-7-8 Breathing
"A natural tranquilizer for the nervous system."
Inhale 4, hold 7, exhale 8. Developed by Harvard-trained Dr. Andrew Weil, this extended-exhale pattern is widely cited for shortening sleep onset and easing acute anxiety.
In 4s
Hold 7s
Out 8s
Resonance Breathing
"Tune your heart rate variability."
Roughly 5.5 breaths per minute — the rate where heart-rate, blood-pressure, and respiratory rhythms synchronize. Consistent practice can boost HRV by up to 40%, a marker linked to recovery and resilience.
In 5.5s
Out 5.5s
...plus 16+ more patterns spanning stress relief, sleep, focus, energy, respiratory health, emotional balance, and recovery.
Features
Everything you need to build the habit
Designed around how breathing actually becomes part of a real life.
Cited library
20+ patterns, every one linked to Stanford, the NIH, or peer-reviewed research you can read.
Personalized onboarding
Smart routine recommendations from your goals, experience level, and daily rhythm.
Deep-linked reminders
Tap the notification, the breathing session starts. Zero-friction reminders that actually fire the habit.
Visual breath guide
Smooth animated visuals with haptic feedback. Full-screen, distraction-free sessions.
Progress & HRV
Streaks, session history, and Apple Watch HRV trends — see your nervous system change over time.
Apple Watch app
A full standalone watchOS app — breathe anywhere, no phone needed. In active development.
FAQ
Common questions
Direct answers — also indexed for AI search and assistants.
What is BreathFly?
BreathFly is a free iOS training app for your nervous system. Breath is the fastest lever you have over your nervous system, but most people only use it randomly. BreathFly trains you to use the right pattern in the right moment — for sleep, stress, focus, or energy — until it becomes automatic. It is not a meditation app and not a content app. The library includes 20+ patterns, every one cited to peer-reviewed research (Stanford, US Navy SEALs, Dr. Andrew Weil, HRV literature). A standalone Apple Watch app is coming soon.
Is BreathFly free?
Yes. BreathFly is free to download on the App Store and works without creating an account. A premium tier unlocks advanced features such as custom pattern building and unlimited routines, but the core science-backed library is free.
Which breathing techniques are included?
BreathFly ships 20+ patterns across stress relief, sleep, focus, energy, respiratory health, emotional balance, and recovery. Featured techniques include:
· Cyclic sighing — Stanford, 2023 (Balban et al.)
· Box breathing — US Navy SEALs
· 4-7-8 breathing — Dr. Andrew Weil
· Resonance breathing — 5.5 breaths/min, HRV literature
Does BreathFly work on Apple Watch?
Not yet — coming soon. A standalone Apple Watch app is in active development. The roadmap includes wrist-only breathing sessions with haptic guidance and HRV-aware insights, no iPhone required.
Today, BreathFly runs on iPhone (iOS 17+).
What is cyclic sighing, and why is it the headline pattern?
Cyclic sighing is a breathing pattern of double inhales through the nose followed by a long exhale through the mouth.
A 2023 Stanford University study (Balban et al., Cell Reports Medicine) found that five minutes of cyclic sighing daily improved mood and reduced respiratory rate more than mindfulness meditation, box breathing, or cyclic hyperventilation. That's why it leads our featured library.
Is BreathFly private? Does it collect my data?
BreathFly is privacy-first. There is no account, no analytics tracking of personal data, and no selling of information. Session history stays on your device.
Read the full privacy policy.
How long is a typical session?
Sessions in BreathFly typically run from 1 to 10 minutes. Many patterns have a "Quick Session" under 3 minutes, and the cycle count is fully adjustable per session.
Who builds BreathFly?
BreathFly is built by Ess X LLC, an independent product studio. We answer email at support@breathfly.app.
Train your nervous system.
Free on the App Store. The right pattern for the right moment — sleep, stress, focus, energy — until it runs without you. No account, no tracking, no bloat.
