SlowerCoherent breathing, also called resonance or resonant breathing, is slow, even breathing at about six breaths a minute. The standard pace is 5.5 seconds in and 5.5 seconds out (5.5 breaths a minute), or 5 in and 5 out (6 breaths a minute), through the nose with no pauses. Sessions usually last 10 to 20 minutes.
How to do coherent breathing
- Sit comfortably or lie down. Loosen your belly.
- Breathe in through your nose for 5.5 seconds. Keep it smooth and medium-sized, not a big gulp.
- Turn straight around and breathe out through your nose, or softly through your mouth, for 5.5 seconds.
- No holds and no pauses. The breath should feel like one continuous wave.
It is usually taught as 10 to 20 minutes, once or twice a day. Two minutes is enough to learn the rhythm, and five is a good everyday length.
Resonance breathing, 5-5 breathing, 5.5 breathing: one exercise, several names
These names get used as if they were different techniques. They are the same slow wave at slightly different speeds.
| Name you may have seen | Pace | Breaths per minute |
|---|---|---|
| Coherent breathing, 5.5 breathing | 5.5 s in, 5.5 s out | About 5.5 |
| 5-5 breathing, "6 breaths per minute" | 5 s in, 5 s out | 6 |
| 6-6 breathing | 6 s in, 6 s out | 5 |
| 4-6 breathing | 4 s in, 6 s out | 6 |
| Resonance or resonant breathing | Your own best pace | 4.5 to 7 |
"Coherent breathing" usually means the fixed 5.5 pace. "Resonance breathing" comes from heart rate variability research, where the goal is the pace at which your heart rhythm and breath line up most strongly. For most adults that lands near six breaths a minute, which is why the two names overlap.
Finding your own resonance rate
Personal resonance rates sit between 4.5 and 7 breaths a minute. A lab finds yours with a heart sensor. Without one, you can get close by feel.
Do two minutes at each pace on the timer: 5 · 5 first, then 5.5 · 5.5, then 6 · 6. Keep the one that feels smoothest, the one where you stop noticing the effort and the wave seems to run itself. If all three leave you hungry for air, you are not ready for them yet, and that is common. A 5.5-second inhale feels like running out of air at first. Start with 4 · 6 here, or build up with our guide on how to breathe slower, and come back in a week.
The 4 · 6 option keeps the same six breaths a minute but puts more of the time on the breath out. Some people find that more settling; there is a full long exhale breathing timer if you do.
What it feels like
An even rocking rhythm. After a few minutes many people notice their heartbeat speeding up a little on the inhale and slowing on the exhale, and warm hands around the five-minute mark. It is calm without being sleepy, so it works as a daily practice at any hour. For a quick reset in a tense moment, the cyclic sighing timer is faster.
What the studies found
For heart rate variability the evidence is good. A 2014 review of the biofeedback research found the largest effects when people breathe near six breaths a minute. In a 2025 comparison of 84 students, six breaths a minute raised heart rate variability more than box breathing or 4-7-8.
For how you feel, it is less clear. A 2018 review of slow breathing in healthy people linked it to more relaxation and less anxiety, but only 15 studies qualified. And a 2023 placebo-controlled trial of coherent breathing found that stress went down about as much in the group breathing at a faster "placebo" pace. So the exact number may matter less than sitting down and breathing slowly every day.
If you feel dizzy or tingly, you are breathing too deeply. Stop and breathe normally; it passes within a minute. Slow, not big, is the aim.
Questions people ask
What is coherent breathing?
Coherent breathing is slow, even breathing with equal breaths in and out and no pauses, usually 5.5 seconds each way. That works out to about 5.5 breaths a minute.
Is resonance breathing the same as coherent breathing?
Nearly. Coherent breathing uses one fixed pace, 5.5 seconds in and out. Resonance breathing, or resonant breathing, means breathing at your personal best pace, which is somewhere between 4.5 and 7 breaths a minute and close to six for most adults.
Is it 5.5 or 6 breaths per minute?
Both are used. 5 seconds in and 5 out gives exactly 6 breaths per minute, and 5.5 in and 5.5 out gives about 5.5. The difference is small, so pick the one that feels smoother.
What is 5-5 breathing?
5-5 breathing is breathing in for 5 seconds and out for 5 seconds, which is six breaths a minute. It is the easiest version of coherent breathing to count without a timer.
How do I find my own resonance rate?
Try two minutes each at 5, 5.5 and 6 seconds per breath in and out, and keep the pace that feels smoothest and least effortful. An exact measurement needs a heart rate variability sensor.
How long should I practice coherent breathing?
It is usually taught as 10 to 20 minutes, once or twice a day. Five minutes is a realistic daily habit, and two minutes is enough to learn the rhythm.
Sources
- Lehrer and Gevirtz 2014: review of heart rate variability biofeedback and breathing near six breaths a minute. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4104929
- Fincham et al. 2023, Scientific Reports: placebo-controlled trial of coherent breathing. nature.com/articles/s41598-023-49279-8.pdf
- Marchant et al. 2025: six breaths a minute, box breathing and 4-7-8 compared. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39864026/
- Zaccaro et al. 2018: systematic review of slow breathing in healthy people. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6137615
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Last updated 11 November 2026. Written by the makers of Slower. This page is general information, not medical advice.