It‘s often best to keep things simple. And when the aim of an app is to create a sense of calm, a no fuss, no frills approach is essential. Box Breathe delivers on this front.
This straightforward app is designed to help you practise a box (or square) breathing technique that, as the app explains, is thought to help combat insomnia and calm the nervous system.
The process of box breathing involves breathing and holding your breath in a regular pattern, for a set number of counts. For example: breathe in for four, hold for four, out for four, hold for four.
Box Breathe guides you through this process. Its pared-back design shows a square and a countdown timer. As it counts each breath, the sides of the square fill to help you keep your breaths regulated.
Minimal controls allow you to make alterations including changing the colour theme of the app and adjusting the length of breaths or the number of breathing cycles you wish to practise.
A partner app for Apple Watch makes practising on the go even easier. And you can sync your data with the Health app to track your mindful minutes.
If this kind of beautiful simplicity doesn‘t fill you with calm, nothing will.