Vaken
A ring that breathes with you
Free · In‑App Purchases
Built by a veteran who knows it works. A simple ring that breathes with you, no guru, no subscription, no bullshit. Download free.
Vaken is a breathing app with one job: help you take the control back.
A ring grows when you inhale. Shrinks when you exhale. That's it. No voices, no timers to set, no streaks to lose. Just a ring that breathes with you.
WHY VAKEN EXISTS
Dan built Vaken after three tours in Afghanistan and a PTSD diagnosis in 2017. Breathing was the tool that carried him through. Vaken is the app he wished he'd had back then.
Vaken is not a wellness app. It doesn't promise to cure anything. It gives you access to the oldest tool we have as humans, your own breath, in the simplest form it can be delivered.
WHAT YOU GET (FREE)
• The ring, breathes with you, with haptic feedback
• Mild · 3·5 rhythm, 3 sec in, 5 sec out (daily use)
• Six languages: Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish, English, German
That's it. Try the ring. See if it works for you.
CALM FOR ADHD (FREE, ALWAYS)
One swipe away lives a whole page for ADHD brains:
• Kids mode: a gentle snake that breathes along with your child. Its belly fills as you breathe in and empties as you breathe out, so children learn belly breathing just by breathing along. No numbers, no pressure, and a grown-up lock keeps the child inside the kids view
• Focus sounds for grown-ups: brown and white noise, can help concentration
• Made to be used together with an adult
None of it sits behind a paywall. Vaken was built to help children with ADHD too.
WHAT YOU DON'T GET
• No ads
• No subscriptions
• No dark patterns
• No push notifications pressuring you to open the app
• No AI analyzing your breathing
• No social feed, no competition, no streaks to lose
PREMIUM (LIFETIME ONE-TIME PURCHASE)
Pay once. Own it all. No subscription, ever.
• More rhythms: Medium · 4·7, Deep · 5·8, Sleep · 4·7·8, Box · 4·4·4·4, custom
• Crisis mode, one tap away from calm, even with the screen locked
• Sleep routine, 4-7-8 breathing before bed
• Training plan and focus timer
• Apple Watch companion, the ring on your wrist
• StandBy widget, calm display while your iPhone charges
• Lock Screen widget
• Apple HealthKit, sessions in the Health app
• Stress detection via wearables (Oura, Whoop, Garmin, Fitbit, Polar, Samsung)
• Sounds: nature sounds, brown noise, binaural beats
• Weekly insights
Buy premium on your iPhone, it unlocks on your Apple Watch too. Purchase follows your Apple ID.
FOR THOSE WHO KNOW THE FIGHT
If you're a veteran, a first responder, dealing with stress, anxiety, insomnia, or just tired, this is built by someone who has sat in that chair. No polish, no promises that can't be kept.
One ring. Your breath. The control back.
Vaken is designed and developed in Denmark/Norway. Built by Dan Kristoffer Holmstad, Norwegian-Danish veteran, three ISAF tours to Helmand Province.
Contact: dan@vaken.dk
Web: vaken.dk
Ratings & Reviews
- This app hasn’t received enough ratings or reviews to display an overview.
• Vaken asks once whether you'd like to share anonymous statistics. You can change it any time in Settings.
• Fixed: crisis help could save the same session twice.
The developer, Dan Kristoffer Holmstad, 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:
- Usage Data
- Diagnostics
Accessibility
The developer has not yet indicated which accessibility features this app supports. Learn More
Information
- Seller
- Dan Kristoffer Holmstad
- Size
- 5 MB
- Category
- Health & Fitness
- Compatibility
Requires iOS 17.0 or later.
- iPhone
Requires iOS 17.0 or later. - Apple Watch
Requires watchOS 11.0 or later.
- iPhone
- Languages
English and 7 more
- English, Danish, Finnish, French, German, Norwegian Bokmål, Spanish, Swedish
- Age Rating
9+
- 9+
- Contains
Health or Wellness Topics
- In-App Purchases
Yes
- Vaken Premium $4.99
- Copyright
- © 2026 Holmstad Group ApS
