Breathing Sessions

Master your breathing practice

Respiro Breathing Sessions Guide - Controls, Settings, Audio & Voice Guidance

Breathing sessions are guided exercises that walk you through specific breathing patterns. Oxy, your oxygen bubble companion, breathes along with you while voice guidance, ambient sounds, and visual cues keep you on rhythm.

Respiro breathing session interface on desktop showing Oxy visualizer breathing in sync, circular timer ring with seconds countdown, phase transcript labels, inhale and exhale info chips, and five session controls for vibrate, audio, play/pause, reset, and end — Respiro breathing session on desktop showing Oxy visualizer, timer ring, phase transcript, and session controls. Respiro is fully responsive and can be installed as an app on desktop, tablet, and phone.

Starting a Session

There are several ways to begin a breathing session in Respiro:

From a Space: Browse the Spaces page, choose a space like Calm or Focus, and tap a routine to start
From the Home Screen: Tap Quick Reset for instant box breathing, tap Meditation to enter the Meditation Space, or tap Oxy directly
From the Planner: Tap a scheduled session in your Planner calendar to start it at the planned time
From an Article: Every article includes a "Try This Exercise" widget with a relevant breathing pattern, Oxy encouragement, and a "Start Breathing" button that launches the session directly

When you start from a breathing space, the session inherits that space's breathing pattern (timing is locked to the routine). When you start from the home screen or planner, you can customize the pattern freely in settings.

Warming Up

When voice guidance is enabled, Respiro prepares an AI-generated audio session before you begin. During this loading phase you will see:

Oxy breathing calmly with a "Warming up..." message and progress bar
A tips grid with preparation advice: use headphones, find a quiet space, sit comfortably, close your eyes, turn on Do Not Disturb, and let go of expectations
A play button that appears once the audio is loaded and ready

Tap the play button to begin your session. The minimum loading time is 5 seconds so you always have a moment to settle in.

Pre-Session Check-in PRO

Pro members see a quick mood and energy check-in before each session starts. Rate how you're feeling right now so Respiro can track how your breathing practice affects your wellbeing over time. You can skip the check-in if you prefer to start immediately.

The Session Interface

Once the session begins, you enter a full-screen breathing interface with these elements:

Header: Shows the session name (e.g., "Box Breathing"), the space chip if you started from a space, a close button, and a settings gear icon
Oxy Visualizer: A large animated Oxy that expands on inhale, holds still, and contracts on exhale - breathing in sync with your rhythm
Timer Ring: A circular SVG progress ring below Oxy showing how many seconds remain in the current phase
Transcript: Text labels that slide in for each phase (e.g., "Breathe In", "Hold", "Breathe Out") with optional subtexts. An intro message plays before the breathing begins, and you can tap "Skip to breathing" to jump ahead
Session Info Chips: Three info chips show your inhale time (e.g., "4s Inhale"), exhale time (e.g., "4s Exhale"), and current round count (e.g., "Round 2 / 8")

Session Background

By default, sessions display animated clouds tinted with the space's color palette. Pro members can choose from premium visual environments instead:

Aurora Borealis - Northern lights for deep relaxation
Deep Ocean - Underwater serenity
Zen Garden - Tranquil Japanese garden
Starfield & Forest - Nature and cosmos themes

The environment is configured in the Settings dialog under "Session Environment".

Session Controls

A row of five control buttons sits at the bottom of the screen:

Vibrate: Toggles haptic feedback that pulses with each breathing phase. Shows "Not on iOS" if your device does not support vibration
Audio: Quickly toggle voice guidance on or off without opening settings
Play / Pause: The large center button starts, pauses, or resumes the session. When paused, the phase display freezes and the timer stops
Reset: Restarts the session from round 1 with the same settings
End: Stops the session and shows the completion screen. Your progress is saved even if you end early

Session Settings

Tap the gear icon in the header to open the Settings dialog. It contains four main sections:

1. Breathing Pattern

Customize the timing of each breathing phase. Signed-in users can adjust:

Pattern Summary: A badge showing the current pattern (e.g., "4-4-4-4 pattern")
Rounds: Number of breathing cycles from 1 to 20, controlled with stepper buttons
Inhale: Duration from 1 to 15 seconds
Hold (in): Duration from 0 to 15 seconds (0 means no hold after inhale)
Exhale: Duration from 1 to 15 seconds
Hold (out): Duration from 0 to 15 seconds (0 means no hold after exhale)

When you start a session from a breathing space, the inhale, hold, exhale, and hold timings are locked to preserve that routine's specific pattern. You can still change the number of rounds. A lock icon and notice ("Pattern locked for this exercise") appear when timing is locked.

Users who are not signed in see a prompt to sign in before they can customize the breathing pattern.

2. Session Environment

Choose the visual backdrop for your session. The default is animated clouds in your space's colors. Pro members can select from premium environments like Aurora Borealis, Deep Ocean, Zen Garden, Starfield, and Forest. Each environment transforms the entire session background.

Users who are not signed in see a prompt to sign in before they can personalize the environment.

3. Audio

The audio section gives you full control over what you hear during the session:

Voice Guidance

Toggle voice guidance on or off
Adjust the voice volume with a slider (0-100%)
Select a voice from the dropdown. Free voices are available to everyone; additional Pro voices are marked with a crown icon

Ambient Sounds

Toggle ambient sounds on or off
Choose a sound type from a grid of options (e.g., rain, ocean, forest). Some sounds are free, others require Pro
Adjust ambient volume independently (0-100%)

Background Music

Toggle background music on or off
View the currently selected track or choose a new one by tapping "Manage"

Sound Mixer PRO

Mix multiple ambient sounds together to create your perfect soundscape

Binaural Beats PRO

Add binaural beats designed for focus, relaxation, or deep meditation

4. Accessibility

Accessibility options ensure everyone can use breathing sessions comfortably:

Show Transcripts: Display text labels for each breathing phase on screen
High Contrast: Increase the contrast of the interface for better visibility
Transcript Size: Choose between Small, Medium, or Large text (visible when transcripts are enabled)

At the bottom of the settings dialog, you can Reset to Default to restore all settings, or tap Apply to save your changes.

After Your Session

When all rounds are completed (or you tap End), a completion screen appears with Oxy in a celebratory mood and a "Well Done!" message. The screen shows:

Session Stats: Your session duration and total breathing cycles completed
Mood & Energy Tracking PRO: Rate your post-session mood and energy on a 1-5 scale using icon buttons. This data is tracked over time in your statistics
Add a Note: Tap to write a journal note about how the session felt. Notes are saved to your breathing journal
Related Articles: Recommended articles related to the breathing space or technique you just practiced
Related Spaces: Explore other breathing spaces that complement your session

Two action buttons let you choose what to do next:

Breathe Again: Restart the same session with the same settings
Done: Return to the previous page (your space, the home screen, or the planner)

Respiro session completion screen on desktop showing Well Done message with Oxy celebratory, session duration and cycles stats, post-session mood and energy tracking, journal note option, recommended articles and breathing spaces, and Breathe Again and Done action buttons — Respiro session completion screen showing stats, mood tracking, journal notes, and recommended articles and spaces. Respiro is fully responsive and can be installed as an app on desktop, tablet, and phone.

Breathing Templates

Respiro includes over 30 breathing templates, each designed for a specific purpose. Examples include:

Box Breathing (4-4-4-4): A balanced pattern used by Navy SEALs for stress relief and focus
4-7-8 Breathing: Dr. Andrew Weil's relaxation technique with extended holds and exhales
Calm Breath (4-2-6-2): A gentle pattern with longer exhales for relaxation
Energizing Breath (2-1-2): Quick rhythmic breathing to boost energy
Panic Protocol (3-8): Extended exhale pattern specifically for acute anxiety
Morning Energizer (3-2): Caffeine-free wake-up protocol
Finding Stillness (5-7): Settling breath for meditation and inner stillness

Each template specifies its default timing, recommended cycles, and difficulty level. Templates are grouped into breathing spaces by their goal (Calm, Focus, Sleep, Energy, Recovery, and more).

Tips for Better Sessions

Use headphones for the best audio experience with voice guidance and ambient sounds
Find a quiet, distraction-free environment and put your phone on Do Not Disturb
Sit or lie in a comfortable position with your back straight
Breathe through your nose unless the technique instructs otherwise
Start with shorter sessions (4-6 rounds) and gradually increase as you get comfortable
Close your eyes to focus on Oxy's guidance and your breathing rhythm
Use the pre-session mood check-in to become aware of how you feel before starting
Practice at the same time daily for best results - use the Planner to set reminders