Breathside: a little breathing room for your workday
Download the free Mac preview
Breathe in, 4 in, 6 out
Coming in the next version.
Coming in the next version. Swell sound and chimes are two more cues. Use any mix; one always stays on. Control-Option-B or the menu bar starts and pauses a session, so no cue needs a visible marble.
Planned: soundtracks for Calm, Focus and Flow state. These names are labels, not results.
| Cue | What it is | Full breath | Empty breath |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marble | 3D, rendered in Metal, with flick physics | Full size | 55% size |
| Vignette | Dark screen edges, click-through, with a strength slider | Clear | 60% at the default strength |
| Notch glow | Light at the notch, or top centre on a screen without one, in the marble’s colour | 90% opacity, full size | 20% opacity, 55% size |
| Swell sound | Soft generated noise that opens and closes | Filter open to 1,380 Hz | Filter closed to 280 Hz |
| Chimes | A chime when the phase changes | On inhale and hold | On exhale |
Six palettes, a custom colour, and Ghost.
Moss is the default. One look applies everywhere, and the notch glow takes its colour.
Ghost fades the body and keeps a light edge, a dark edge and the highlight. In the app, a slider sets how visible it is.
Five sessions, ten rhythms, each drawn to scale.
Up is inhale, down is exhale, and flat is hold or rest. Width is time. The ball moves at the real pace, so you can follow one here.
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Box Breathing
Focus default, 3 min. Reset, 2 min.
In the 0.2.0 download as Focus.
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Light Box
Focus, 3 min.
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Resonant
Flow state default, 5 min.
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Resonant Quick
Flow state, 3 min. Also Focus and Calm, 5 min, as Resonant.
In the 0.2.0 download as Reset.
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Resonant Slow
Flow state, 5 min.
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Long Exhale
Calm default, 5 min. Reset, 1 min.
In the 0.2.0 download as Unwind.
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Longer Exhale
Calm, 5 min. Sleep default, 15 min, as Slow Exhale.
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Slow Even
Sleep, 15 min.
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Physiological Sigh
Reset default, 2 min.
Timing adapted; the study was self-paced.
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4-7-8
Sleep, 4 breaths.
Longest hold in the set. Stop if dizzy.
Your own
Set inhale, hold, exhale and rest, from 1 to 20 seconds each. In the next version, you can also press and hold the marble to set one.
The 0.2.0 download has Focus, Unwind, Reset and your own rhythm. The sessions and lengths above come in the next version, each with a default and two alternatives in Customize. Session names are labels, not results.
Also in the next version.
| Marble gestures | Click for the card, double-click to resume |
|---|---|
| Card | Session header, session chips, cue tiles, and Customize with Cues, Timing and Look tabs. Follows system light or dark |
| First run | Asks for the breathing method, then the session, with the safety note |
| Open at Login | In the menu bar, off by default |
| Privacy | The app only hears the pointer while it is over the marble. No account, telemetry or microphone |
What studies measured about breathing, attention and flow.
Exploratory analysis in a preprint. Individual scores varied widely, and response timing did not differ. Andrews et al., 2024
Anxiety and negative mood did not differ between groups. Of the three exercises, only cyclic sighing was significantly ahead of mindfulness. Balban et al., 2023
| Measured | Result | Source | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flow | Higher reported flow went with deeper breathing | de Manzano, 2010Professional pianists | Correlation |
| Flow from a breathing break | We found no study testing this | — | Not tested |
| Brain activity | Natural breathing synchronized activity in the amygdala and hippocampus | Zelano, 2016Recordings inside the brain | Natural breathing only |
| Attention errors | Fewer errors with 6–9 breaths a minute; no change in timing | Andrews, 2024Preprint, 102 people | Supports |
| Distraction after a work break | Rose after a podcast (d = 0.55), no significant change after fast breathwork | Dael, 2026Preprint, 60 knowledge workers | Supports, fast breathing |
| Felt engagement after a break | No difference between breathwork and podcast | Dael, 2026Preprint, 60 knowledge workers | No effect |
| Inhibitory control | No improvement on a Go/NoGo task in Study 1 | 2025 randomized study195 students | No effect |
| Positive mood | +1.91 with breathwork, +1.22 with mindfulness, per session | Balban, 2023108 adults | Supports |
| Breathside itself | No study has tested the app | — | Not tested |
No study we found shows that a breathing break produces flow or improves brain function. None tested Breathside. All studies and their limits
One person makes Breathside. It has no investors, accounts, tracking or subscription. It sits beside your work and reminds you that you can breathe.
Common questions.
Will Breathside put me in flow or sharpen my thinking?
We can’t promise that. No study we found shows a breathing break produces flow, and Breathside hasn’t been studied. It gives you a rhythm to follow. It isn’t a medical treatment.
Is this a website or a phone app?
Neither. Breathside is a desktop widget. It floats above your windows, outside your browser. This site is just where you get it.
How do I install the free Mac preview?
Download and unzip the archive, then move Breathside.app to your Applications folder. The preview supports Apple silicon Macs on macOS 13 or later. It isn’t Apple-notarized, so macOS may stop it from opening. Keep macOS security protections turned on.
Does it run on Windows?
No. Breathside is Mac only for now.
What will it cost after the preview?
It’s planned at $5, once, on up to 3 of your computers, with free updates for every 1.x version. A license key arrives by email; enter it once and the app works offline from then on. Not for you? Full refund within 30 days.
Keep a little room beside your work.
In the 0.2.0 download, drag the marble anywhere on your screen and choose Focus, Unwind, Reset or your own rhythm, with soft sound cues you can switch off. It works offline and needs no account.
Download the free Mac previewPreview v0.2.0, Apple silicon, macOS 13 or later. Not Apple-notarized, so macOS may block it. Install notes
Planned at $5 once, with a 30-day refund. No subscription.