Objective comparisons between breathing techniques, methods, and alternative therapies.
With dozens of breathing techniques available, choosing the right one can feel overwhelming. The truth is that different techniques optimize for different outcomes — there's no single 'best' technique, only the best technique for your specific goal.
The comparisons below break down the mechanisms, research support, difficulty level, and optimal use cases for each technique head-to-head. Each comparison includes links to free guided timers for both techniques so you can try them yourself.
Free · No download · Works on any device
Direct comparisons between popular breathing patterns.
How breathing exercises compare to other wellness interventions.
Which breathing technique is the best overall?
There is no single best technique — it depends on your goal. For anxiety relief: physiological sigh or 4-7-8. For focus: coherence breathing. For energy: power breathing or Wim Hof. For sleep: 4-7-8 or extended exhale. For pain: extended exhale or diaphragmatic breathing. The comparisons above help you match technique to goal.
Is breathing better than meditation?
They serve different but complementary purposes. Breathing exercises produce faster physiological changes (lower heart rate, cortisol) because they directly modulate the autonomic nervous system. Meditation excels at training sustained attention and metacognitive awareness. Many people find breathing exercises are an easier entry point, and the two practices combine well.
Should I learn multiple breathing techniques or master one?
Start by mastering one technique for your primary goal — practice it daily for 2-4 weeks until it becomes automatic. Then add a second technique for a different use case (e.g., one for sleep, one for focus). Most people benefit from having 2-3 techniques in their toolkit rather than superficially learning many.