Lantern is where I go when my thoughts are moving faster than I am. You breathe in for four, hold for seven, and breathe out for eight, and a paper lantern lifts off the water and drifts down the river with you.
The rhythm is the whole point. Instead of counting in your head, you watch the light rise and fall, and your breath follows it without you having to think much. Your breath out is the long one, and that is the part most people find settles them.
A round takes about a minute. You can stop after one, or stay for a few and let the river fill with lanterns. Nothing is scored and nothing is lost if you drift off partway.
It listens through your microphone so it can tell when you are actually breathing out, but nothing is recorded and nothing is sent anywhere. If you would rather not, the visual pacing works on its own.
This is a 4-7-8 breathing timer you can open in a tab, free, with no download and no account.
If you would rather pick the rhythm yourself, Breathe is the plain version, with a few patterns to choose from.
If you want more, we wrote about what 4-7-8 breathing actually is over on the Ponoki blog.
Ponoki is a calm game, not medical advice, diagnosis, or therapy. For adults 18+. If you are in crisis, please contact your local emergency services. See our Terms and Privacy Policy.