Nerva: Breathing Exercises
Guided calm & sleep breathing
Free · In‑App Purchases · Designed for iPad. Not verified for macOS.
Breathe with a single glowing orb, then unwind to calming sounds — rain, ocean, forest, singing bowls. Eight guided practices, free, all included.
A calmer nervous system, in five minutes.
Breathwork for focus, rest, and balance.
Nerva is a calm, science-informed breathing app for iOS. A curated library of essential practices, each guided by a single breathing orb on a quiet canvas. Visual rhythm to follow, calm by default, with everything included from the first breath.
Grounded in peer-reviewed research on breathwork — including cyclic sighing, the 4-7-8 protocol, and coherent breathing — Nerva turns studied techniques into something you can actually use: when you want to sleep, when you want to settle, when you want to focus, when you want to come back to yourself.
— EIGHT TECHNIQUES —
• Box Breathing (Sama Vritti) — Equal four-count rhythm. A steady practice many people reach for to regulate stress.
• 4-7-8 Breathing — Extended exhale technique. Many people find it helpful for winding down before sleep.
• Cyclic Sighing — Two short inhales, one long exhale. Studied for mood and stress. Many people find it calming within a few minutes.
• Coherent Breathing — Six in, six out. A gentle rhythm studied for supporting heart-rate balance.
• Nadi Shodhana — Alternate-nostril breathing. A traditional pranayama practice for settling the mind.
• Bhastrika — Bellows breath. Many people feel more alert after a few cycles.
• Kapalabhati — Sharp exhales many people use to clear mental fatigue.
• 2-to-1 Breathing — Exhale twice as long as you inhale. Many find this rhythm supportive for relaxation.
— THE DESIGN —
A single orb on a calm canvas, expanding and contracting with your breath. Let your attention rest in one quiet place — visual rhythm to follow. Gentle chime cues you can turn on, and haptic taps at each phase boundary when you want them. Made for the moments you actually use it, not for scrolling.
— PRIVACY-FIRST —
Everything stays on your device. No account required. Your personal data stays on your phone. No advertising. Anonymous usage analytics only, used to improve the app — never shared with third parties, never linked to your identity.
— SAFETY-AWARE —
A short onboarding asks about pregnancy, heart conditions, seizures, asthma, and recent abdominal surgery. Intense techniques (Bhastrika, Kapalabhati, 4-7-8) stay tucked away if any apply, so your library shows what suits you. Your answers stay on this device.
— REQUIREMENTS —
• iOS 17 or later
• iPhone and iPad
Designed in Lisbon by byAlif — an indie studio building quiet, well-made apps.
Not a medical device. Not medical advice. Consult a qualified clinician before using breathwork if you have a health condition.
Privacy: https://nerva.byalif.app/privacy.html
Terms: https://nerva.byalif.app/terms.html
Come back to yourself, one breath at a time.
Ratings & Reviews
- This app hasn’t received enough ratings or reviews to display an overview.
A small update with a refreshed App Store listing and light polish under the hood. Nothing changes in your practice — the orb breathes exactly as before.
Nerva stays free, with every technique included. We read every email at nerva@qvisa.eu.
The developer, Saroar Khandoker, indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .
Data Not Linked to You
The following data may be collected but it is not linked to your identity:
- Identifiers
Accessibility
The developer has not yet indicated which accessibility features this app supports. Learn More
Information
- Seller
- Saroar Khandoker
- Size
- 13.8 MB
- Category
- Health & Fitness
- Compatibility
Requires iOS 17.0 or later.
- iPhone
Requires iOS 17.0 or later. - iPad
Requires iPadOS 17.0 or later. - Mac
Requires macOS 14.0 or later and a Mac with Apple M1 chip or later. - Apple Vision
Requires visionOS 1.0 or later.
- iPhone
- Languages
English and 6 more
- English, French, German, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish
- Age Rating
13+
- 13+
- In-App Purchases
Yes
- A Lasting Calm $9.99
- A Moment of Stillness $5.99
- A Gentle Breath $2.99
- Copyright
- © 2026 byAlif