Resonant Breathing is a heart-rate-adaptive, extended exhale protocol, breathwork app.
Heart-rate adaptive: When heart rate is available, each breath cycle length is synced to a multiple of the heartbeat cycle length, creating a personalised breathing experience that adapts as your heart rate changes.
Extended exhale: While configurable and flexible, this app is specifically built to facilitate having an exhale that is longer than the inhale - a technique known to activate the parasympathetic nervous system and promote relaxation.
Breathwork: The use of breathing as therapy, particularly changing the breathing rhythms to reduce stress and improve well-being.
HealthKit Permission: On Apple Watch, the app needs access to your heart rate to synchronise breathing exercises with your heartbeat. You'll be prompted to grant this permission when you first launch the app.
iPhone Limitations: The iPhone version uses a fixed 60 BPM pace since real-time heart rate from paired Apple Watch isn't available with sufficient responsiveness.
First Session: Simply start a session and follow the on-screen visual guide. The breathing pattern will gradually lengthen as your heart rate decreases and you relax.
The app offers extensive customisation to suit your preferences and needs:
Session Length: Choose how many breath cycles per session. The app displays an estimated duration based on your settings.
Breath Timing: Customize the duration of each breath phase (inhale, exhale, and hold). Each phase has both a "start" and "end" value that you can configure to help you reach your desired breath rate:
Start values: The breath duration at the beginning of your session
End values: The breath duration at the end of your session
The app gradually lengthens each breath from start to end as your heart rate slows and you relax
The defaults are set to 8 heartbeats (seconds) for inhale and 16 heartbeats (seconds) for exhale - also known as 1:2 breathing. However, this is fully configurable, and you should shorten or lengthen the breath settings to feel comfortable. On Apple Watch, durations are measured in heartbeats. On iPhone, they're measured in seconds since real-time heart rate isn't available.
Feedback: Enable or disable audio feedback to be notified when to breathe in and out. The app also provides haptic feedback on Apple Watch.
Recording to Health: Choose whether to save your breathing sessions as Mind & Body workouts in the Health app.
Display Appearance: Select between System (follows your device), Light, or Dark mode.
All settings are preserved between sessions, so you can find the perfect breathing pattern for you.
Q: Why does the app need heart rate access?
A: The app synchronizes breathing phases with your heartbeat rather than using fixed timers. This creates a personalised experience that adapts as your heart rate changes during the session.
Q: Is my health data shared or stored?
A: The app saves mindful session summaries to your Health app (duration, workout type). Your heart rate data is only used during active breathing sessions and is never transmitted, stored, or shared outside of your device by this app. Note that Apple Watch automatically records heart rate data independently - see Apple's documentation for more information about how Apple Watch handles health data.
Q: The app isn't working on my iPhone
A: The iPhone version uses a fixed breathing pace since it cannot access real-time heart rate data. For the full heart-rate adaptive experience, use the Apple Watch version.
If you have questions, feedback, or need assistance, please contact:
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