Show HN: Breathe CLI – Paced resonance breathing in the macOS terminal

github.com

87 points by marekkowalczyk 20 hours ago

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.

yong076 - a minute ago

wow this repo is peaceful

samrivera - 2 hours ago

37 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.

iammjm - 8 hours ago

Very 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

skeledrew - 6 hours ago

Looks interesting. And it's pure Python with no 3p packages. Pretty trivial to support other OSes: make that audio player invocation configurable.

glaslong - an hour ago

does it have modes for Hamon or Total Concentration breathing?

mark_l_watson - 4 hours ago

I 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.

mpeg - 4 hours ago

This 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.

darcien - 7 hours ago

This reminds me of another HRV training from few years back shared here.

- https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37538028

- https://github.com/kieranabrennan/every-breath-you-take

Ruslan1095 - 4 hours ago

Nice 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.

mistrial9 - 4 hours ago

this book is somewhat useful

https://archive.org/details/etaq_light-on-pranayama-b-k-s-iy...

chrisvenum - 9 hours ago

Terminally breathing

fulafel - 4 hours ago

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edgardurand - 3 hours ago

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michaelmjh - 3 hours ago

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plexescor - 6 hours ago

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georgefloid - 9 hours ago

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bakrisolo - 8 hours ago

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