Coherence breathing and box breathing are the two most widely practiced breathing techniques, but they serve different purposes and produce different physiological effects. Coherence breathing (5-second inhale, 5-second exhale, no holds) optimizes heart rate variability and produces balanced autonomic regulation. Box breathing (4-4-4-4 with holds) produces intense focus and calm composure through the breath-hold phases.
For HRV optimization and general health, coherence breathing is superior. The smooth, continuous rhythm without holds produces the cleanest sinusoidal heart rate pattern and the highest coherence scores. For focus under pressure and tactical composure, box breathing wins — the holds create a state of controlled attention that coherence breathing does not match. For sleep, coherence is slightly better as the continuous rhythm is more relaxing than the holds in box breathing.
The best approach is to use both techniques for their respective strengths: coherence breathing as your daily baseline practice for health and HRV, and box breathing as your on-demand tool for focus and composure before high-stakes situations. Most experienced practitioners maintain both in their toolkit and switch based on the situation.