6 ms·
Show HN: Breathe CLI – Paced resonance breathing in the macOS terminal
I built a terminal app that paces slow breathing at 6 breaths per minute for vagal tone training. It's a single Python file, stdlib only, no dependencies — just run breathe and follow the bar.
I'm a cardiology patient (HFrEF). Slow breathing at resonance frequency is one of the few non-pharmacological interventions shown to improve cardiac vagal tone and baroreflex sensitivity (Bernardi et al., Circulation 2002; Lancet 1998). I wanted a frictionless daily habit tool — no app store, no account, no subscription, just open terminal and go.
Design constraints, all grounded in the clinical literature:
- No breath retention — Valsalva risk in cardiac patients
- No rapid breathing — minimum 8-second cycles
- Exhale ≤ 2x inhale — no evidence for extreme ratios
- Immediate exit, always — q or Ctrl+C restores the terminal even on crash
The README includes a resonance frequency measurement protocol for anyone with a chest-strap HRV monitor who wants to find their individual optimum instead of using the 6 bpm default.
macOS only (uses afplay for audio cues). MIT licensed.
pip install breathe-cli
or
brew tap marekkowalczyk/breathe && brew install breathe.
- bakrisolo 4mo ago[flagged]
- arionmiles 4mo agoAI slop comment
- deleted 4mo ago[deleted]
- chrisvenum 4mo agoTerminally breathing
- marekkowalczyk 4mo agoHah! Nice catch. I should have thought of this name myself. Try the app and share your feedback.
- georgefloid 4mo ago[dead]
- iammjm 4mo agoVery nice. I have no heart issues but have been experimenting with extended breathing/longer exhales to calm down my sympathetic nervous system. I believe intentional breathing is a big, mostly underutilized tool all of us have to be generally more relaxed and healthier and also to calm ourselves down in stressful situations
- marekkowalczyk 4mo agoGood point. I can't see a reason not to regulate your nervous system. Give the app a try and share your feedback.
- darcien 4mo agoThis reminds me of another HRV training from few years back shared here. - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37538028 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37538028 - https://github.com/kieranabrennan/every-breath-you-take https://github.com/kieranabrennan/every-breath-you-take
- spieden 4mo agoI've been running this a bit with a Polar chest strap heart monitor. I'm thinking about forking it to add some audio cues so that I can have it running in the background while I work and try to keep my heart variability up. I find that I tense up when I'm intent on the work which leads to a lot of problems. I'm hoping having something like this app that uses audio cues for breathing but only comes on when my heart variability drops into the red could get me into a continuous state of low sympathetic nervous system activation while working, which is very much not the norm for me for historical reasons. The author of this tool eventually created a heart rate monitoring hardware product and an app to go with it to do HRV training. I think `every-breath-you-take` may have been an early prototype that he generously open sourced(?)
- marekkowalczyk 4mo agoWhat you're referring to reminds me of the concept of Biofeedback.
- spieden 4mo agoYes, I think it's exactly this!
- marekkowalczyk 4mo agoIndeed related! I don't have a Polar but the app looks nice; starred for future review / inspiration. Thank you. Try `breathe` and share your feedback!
- plexescor 4mo ago[dead]
- skeledrew 4mo agoLooks interesting. And it's pure Python with no 3p packages. Pretty trivial to support other OSes: make that audio player invocation configurable.
- marekkowalczyk 4mo agoThank you for noticing. Yes, I will include other OSes in a future version; I just wanted to release ASAP after squashing some weird bugs. Give it a try and share your feedback.
- mpeg 4mo agoThis is cool, I have SVT and usually am able to stop an episode if I do slow breathing like that; although sometimes if that doesn’t work the modified reverse valsalva manoeuvre does it every time.
- marekkowalczyk 4mo agoI'm wondering if the protocols that I have included with the app could be helpful in your situation. I'm curious of your feedback on the app.
- Ruslan1095 4mo agoNice work on the zero-dependency approach. I'm building a similar tool for Windows (voice-to-text) and the "no account, just run" philosophy resonates — friction kills daily habits.
- marekkowalczyk 4mo agoLooking at your comment and at other comments as well I think this approach is the new black, deservedly (is that even a word?). Try the app and share your feedback.
- mistrial9 4mo agothis book is somewhat useful https://archive.org/details/etaq_light-on-pranayama-b-k-s-iyengar-yoga-books-yoga-books https://archive.org/details/etaq_light-on-pranayama-b-k-s-iy...
- marekkowalczyk 4mo agoThank you for sharing — downloaded. I'll comb it for relevant info for the next sprint. Meanwhile, try the app and share your feedback!
- mark_l_watson 4mo agoI love the zero dependency implementation. I do this style of breathing during specific time periods of practicing Qi Gong. I will try your script when I get to my laptop. Thanks.
- marekkowalczyk 4mo agoThank you for noticing my effort. Do give it a try and please report your experience. I'm open to feedback.
- fulafel 4mo ago[dead]
- michaelmjh 4mo ago[dead]
- edgardurand 4mo ago[flagged]
- samrivera 4mo ago37 days into quitting smoking and breathing exercises have been a huge help for the craving spikes. a simple terminal tool for paced breathing actually makes a lot of sense - when the craving hits at 3pm and youre staring at a screen anyway, having it right there in the terminal is way less friction than pulling out a phone app. starred.
- Obscurity4340 4mo agoI've long wondered if a big unsung part of smoking is the way it gets normally high-strung, fast moving and shallow breathers to slow down and inhale deeply for 3-5 mins at a time. They might not get that kind of air any other way
- marekkowalczyk 4mo agoIn psychology there's the concept of Secondary Benefits — a behavior harmuful on the surface always has a Positive Intention behind it — otherwise an individual would not engage in it.
- Obscurity4340 4mo agoFor sure, I like Gabor Mate's focus also not necessarily on why the specific drug but why the hurt
- theshrike79 4mo agoA friend of mine managed to stop smoking with a wood cigarette. They just went wherever they normally went to smoke and took long breaths with the wood stick in their mouth. It was 90% about the ritual of going somewhere to just be, think, and breathe and 10% being addicted to nicotine.
- marekkowalczyk 4mo agoI've never thought of this kind of a use case but I'm happy you see some value in trying out `breathe`. I'm curious of your feedback after you've worked with it for some time.
- glaslong 4mo agodoes it have modes for Hamon or Total Concentration breathing?
- marekkowalczyk 4mo agoNot at this point. I developed it with the Market of One in mind — for myself. But I'm open to requests that will broaden the scope of modes for other users. I just don't want to invest time into speculative development. Try the app as-is and share your feedback.
- yong076 4mo agowow this repo is peaceful
- marekkowalczyk 4mo agoWhat do you mean?
- ahmazroot 4mo agoNot every project needs agents, workflows, and LLM integrations. Sometimes a focused tool is exactly what's needed.
- marekkowalczyk 4mo agoExactly that kind of thinking was my idea for the app. A UNIX-like approach to solving a personal problem for the market of one :) I'm tired of accounts and subscriptions. Give it a try and share your feedback!
- thoughtpeddler 4mo agoVery cool project. Is this similar to the Apple Watch ‘mindful minutes’ breathing feature? I assume it’s based on the same research as is cited in this project’s repo?
- marekkowalczyk 4mo agoThank you for your appreciation. I don't have an Apple Watch so it's hard to say. There isn't a ton of research on the subject — no Big Pharma sponsorship money in a breathing technique that you can't patent — so I suspect it's the same research. Give the app a try and share your feedback. Happy Breathing :)
- BlueBerry2001 4mo ago[flagged]
- leotryhard 4mo ago0 deps + afplay combo is the right move for this. Was wondering why not AVAudioPlayer until I saw the cycle lengths, overkill for 8s tempo.
- marekkowalczyk 4mo agoThank you for noticing my effort. I hope the app can help you. Would you like to share your experience here?
- lavaman131 4mo agoThis is nice. I like that it treats breathing like a small terminal ritual instead of turning it into a whole wellness app.
- marekkowalczyk 4mo agoThank you for noticing. You've really captured the idea of the app.
- luckykiddie 4mo agoJust tries the 4-7-8 method days before. Why not support breathe holds?
- rippeltippel 4mo agoThe readme says "This app deliberately does not support breath retention, rapid breathing, or any pattern not grounded in the slow-breathing clinical literature." Also links to relevant literature.
- marekkowalczyk 4mo agoThis is true as I've created this app for a Market of One. Having said that, if there's sufficient interest I'm considering adding other breathing modes besides Heart-Failure-friendly ones. If interested, open a Feature Request.
- marekkowalczyk 4mo agoThank you for asking. I've been building for a Market of One --- i.e. myself (heart failuer). Research shows breath holds are not recommended for my condition. Having said that, I realize this is not a universal guideline. I'm considering adding other modes besides heart failure-friendly ones. What are your use cases? Would you like to submit a feature request?
- mindhash 4mo agoGoing to try this. I have a breathing clock gif as default page on my browser. I use it while I am passive in meetings. Resonant breathing has been great for me for IBS
- marekkowalczyk 4mo agoThank you for your comment. I've never envisaged this kind of an application. Does it help you? Is there any research you can share or is it just anecdotal?
- ezez2 4mo agoThis reminds me of this project: https://github.com/e6a5/zenta https://github.com/e6a5/zenta
- marekkowalczyk 4mo agoThank you for bringing this to my attention. However the purpose here is medical for a Market of One (myself), not meditation. Give it a try and share your feedback.
- ajithhyd 4mo agoCould add a pomodoro timer in the mix lol
- marekkowalczyk 4mo agoSubmit a Feature Request with a Why :)
- rendx 4mo agoInteresting. I tried it for a bit over a minute (8 cycles), but then I had to stop. I get really dizzy unless I take breathing breaks after outbreaths. Will try again to see where this goes, thanks! Really like the simplicity.
- rendx 4mo ago11 cycles this time. Went a bit further into the dizziness, since I was more prepared for it this time. Unsure whether it makes sense to just stay with the dizziness as long as I can, or whether I should stop earlier. Probably either is fine as long as I am somewhat confident about it?
- marekkowalczyk 4mo agoDizziness is certainly not the intended outcome; I don't get any. It's too much oxigen in your system. Ditto more shallow breathing.
- marekkowalczyk 4mo agoThank you for sharing your experience. Try more shallow breathing rather than modifying the frequency/timing, which is the whole point of this approach :)
- radsj 4mo agoAwesome. While we are on this topic, here is something I built for myself while getting bored in zoom meetings (or even in-person meetings): https://avrhut.com/resonant-breathe-bar/ https://avrhut.com/resonant-breathe-bar/ Based on breathing pattern you set, and a dot in the menu bar shrinking or expanding. No telemetry or ads and completely free.
- marekkowalczyk 4mo agoLooks nice! Thank you for sharing. It's nice to see that I'm not alone in my breatghing pursuits. I'm wondering if you tested my app. Care to share your feedback?
- marekkowalczyk 4mo agov1.9 is out — now works on Windows 11 too (contributed by @SHJordan in PR #3). pip install --upgrade breathe-cli to update.
- mevlut 4mo ago[dead]