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BreathPacer app for iPhone and iPad


4.8 ( 9888 ratings )
Lifestyle Health & Fitness
Developer: Larva Labs Ltd.
Free
Current version: 2.04, last update: 4 years ago
First release : 28 Sep 2008
App size: 9.68 Mb

Achieve balance, focus, and energy using BreathPacer’s unique algorithm that increases heart rate variability and nervous system balance through therapeutic breathing

Featured in "Mac Life" as one of their favorite apps to improve health. 12/09

Best Stress Management App! Best 200 iPhone Apps: The Guide for Discriminating Downloaders: (OReilly, July 2009)

Featured in Mens Journal magazine issue on optimal performance: http://www.mensjournal.com/breathing

BENEFITS

BreathPacer is a powerful breathing guide that can help you achieve balance in your nervous system so you feel less stressed and more connected to the world. Andrew Weil, a leader in the integrative health field states, “If I had to limit my advice on healthier living to just one tip, it would be simply to learn how to breathe correctly.”

Use BreathPacer for 10-20 minutes a day and see why therapeutic breathing has been shown in research studies to be a treatment for depression, anxiety, asthma, stress, sleep, COPD, and hypertension. Paced breathing can also improve your concentration and sports performance!

BreathPacer’s unique autonomic balance setting helps you attain optimal balance in your nervous system by maximizing heart rate variability. You can customize BreathPacer to your own breathing practices, such as those used in yoga, meditation, and Qigong. Or by using specific patterns such as box breathing, 4-7-8 breathing, or others.

FEATURES

Despite the benefits, practicing slow breathing is not as easy as it seems. BreathPacer helps you practice proper therapeutic breathing with the following features:

- Smoothly animated visual breathing cues
- Soothing chimes to direct your inhales and exhales
- Optional calming background sounds
- Flexibility in choosing your own inhale, exhale, and hold pace
- Individualized autonomic balance breathing algorithm based on your height
- Breathing timer

New
- Fully updated for iOS 16.2
- Haptic vibratory stimulation to guide breathing and help balance your nervous system
- Customer support through Vagus Labs




WARNING: If you have a medical condition that makes breathing slowly difficult, you hyperventilate easily, or if certain stimulation methods, such as sound or vibration, cause you anxiety–consult your doctor before purchasing BreathPacer. BreathPacer is a guide. It is not a medical device. You are responsible for determining whether BreathPacer is right for you. Improper breathing or use of sound and vibration cues can cause temporary dizziness or lightheadedness. If you feel any discomfort, stop using BreathPacer immediately. The company holds no fiscal responsibility for people who do not follow the instructions of BreathPacer.

Pros and cons of BreathPacer app for iPhone and iPad

BreathPacer app good for

Ive used this to relax before going to sleep and it is really effective! Nice graphic design as well.
This is the best... as a multi-tasking mom who works fulltime and has two kids I have finally found some relief. Less yelling, less stressing... it totally works. It is discreet, lovely to use, and is MUCH less money than therapy, a daily candy bar, or a martini. I plan on using my savings to buy SHOES!
I am so happy that I got this app! I use it on the train during my commute to and from work and it has really helped me relax and arrive to work (and home from work) refreshed and with a clearer head. Well worth the $2.99...
I use this as a supplement to my breathing practice and it really helps me focus on my breath and the duration of each. It is also great to have some visuals to focus on and now when I see the graphics, I automatically focus on my breath. Great program!
I own a Resperate which is a special little device for a couple hundred dollars that does something similar. This is VERY handy to have with me all the time. Seems to work pretty well. It would be nice to have a toggle timer that would allow you to set it for either no time limit or a specific number of minutes (15 or 20) so that it would stop on its own, once you completed the breathing session. I like to use it when I am getting ready for bed so it would be nice if it turned off on its own after the timer finished. I like the rain sound that it plays but it would be nice if there was a little more difference between the inhale and exhale sound or something so that you could know when you are at the end of the inhale or exhale from the sound. The visuals are great but if you want to close your eyes to do this, you have to pay attention closely. Well worth the price if you want to use this technique to lower your blood pressure and relax.
Well-designed and useful to help one guide their breath. Id love to have the ability to save a few presets. The accompanying sound is pleasant and unobtrusive. My recommendation would be to insert a short pause at the end of each inhale-exhale cycle. This would make the rhythm more clear if you are not looking at the visual.

Some bad moments

This "oceanic" inhale and exhale indicator sounds are awful!!! They are very noisy and do not cleary indicate the start nor end of a repetition. The rest is ok. Good thing you can set all 4 times (inhale pause exhale pause)
The app quits abruptly with the new firmware 3.1.1 for itouch. Please fix this issue
I couldnt use it for my yoga practice. Breaths per minutes (BPM) should NOT be fixed. needs some sounds and music selections. waist of money
For .99 cents, maybe....but totally NOT worth $2.99 . I could do the same thing with a clock or a watch or a timer........if they add some features like a choice of sounds, more breathing exercises, whatever---itd be a little better. But for now, dont buy it and dont believe the glowing reviews and endorsements from magazines, etc. Those HAD to be written by people connected to the developers trying to help him/her sell this app...NOT WORTH THE $.
The rain sounds do not demarcate between in and out breath and nothing to let you know how long to hold. So whats the point of this app? Maybe you could add a louder water drop sound as an indicator? However, the rain sounds are more peaceful than the sounds in other breath apps and it does allow screen-saver to save battery.
to me: a very simple app. the only thing it does is move up and down a scale that people are just supposed to follow. I am not sure if it is really that useful.