What is Natural Rhythm?
Natural Rhythm is a custom breathing pacer. Instead of a fixed protocol, you choose how many seconds to breathe in and out, and whether to hold after the inhale, after the exhale, or both—up to 60 seconds each. Hima then guides you through that pattern with the same calm animation, sound and vibration as the other practices.
How to use it
- Pick your inhale and exhale length in seconds.
- Add holds if your pattern has them—or leave them at zero.
- Choose a duration and a sound, and start.
Useful starting points: 4 in, 6 out for an easy extended exhale; 4 in, 8 out to wind down; your breath coach’s or yoga teacher’s pattern, exactly as they gave it to you.
What it helps with
- Building up slowly. Start where you are comfortable and lengthen the exhale over the weeks.
- Following a program from a coach, therapist or breathwork class.
- Finding your resonance rate—the slow pace, somewhere between about 4.5 and 7 breaths a minute, where breathing feels most relaxing for you.
Why a longer exhale helps
Heart rate rises a little as you breathe in and falls as you breathe out. Making the exhale longer than the inhale leans your breathing toward that slowing phase, which is why most calming patterns—from 4-7-8 to the physiological sigh—are built around a long exhale.
How long and when to practice
5 to 15 minutes is a good session. Use it whenever you like; if you are practicing a pattern from a professional, follow their guidance on timing.
Natural Rhythm in Hima
Open the Recharge tab, choose Natural Rhythm and pick how long you want to breathe—anywhere from 1 to 60 minutes, with one-tap 3, 5, 10 and 15 minute options. A calm animation shows each phase, so you can follow it with your eyes half closed.
- Background sounds. Thirteen to choose from: Ocean Waves, Rain, Forest, Wind, Flowing Stream, Fireplace, Pink Noise, Brown Noise, Om Chant and four binaural beats—Delta 2.5 Hz, Theta 5 Hz, Beta 16 Hz and Gamma 40 Hz (use headphones for these).
- Vibration. Light or strong haptic cues mark each phase, so you can breathe with your eyes closed.
- Reminders. Set a daily reminder for your breathing practice at the time and days you choose.
- A breath before the scroll. The same calm breath appears when you open an app you have chosen to pause—one breath between you and the feed.
Sources
- Lehrer P. M., Gevirtz R. Heart rate variability biofeedback: how and why does it work? Frontiers in Psychology, 2014. doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00756
Hima is a wellness app, not a medical device. Breathing exercises are not a treatment for any condition. If you feel dizzy, short of breath or unwell, stop and breathe normally. If you have a heart, lung or anxiety condition, are pregnant, or have epilepsy, talk to your doctor first.